Needles Highway

We have went through with our GM SRW without a problem. While I am sure a DRW will fit, it is going to be tight. If you are off just a little, you will be leaving some paint in the tunnel. :P

I went from Game Lodge CG inside Custer State Park to Mt Rushmore via Iron Mountain Scenic Highway. The tunnels were a little tight but had no problem with my F150. The most interesting thing about Iron Mountain Highway are all the switchbacks as you climb the mountain,

We went back to Game Lodge CG via Needles Scenic Highway. I found one of the tunnels to be very, very tight. I believe if I had put my fist on the outside of both mirrors, they would have been scrapped.

I see the picture, but I still find it hard to believe a tour bus, and by extension a Class A, could go through every tunnel on Needles Highway.

dodge guy wrote:
Yes you can. Tour busses do It all the time! Now Iron Mountains Road is tight and you cannot do it in an RV or even towing a trailer. But I followed a dually through the tunnels.

azdryheat wrote:
So what is the attraction to Needles HWY other than jeopardizing your rig? Never heard of the place.

H E R E is one answer to the question. Some beautiful pictures as well. And H E R E - SDDOT is a map from the SD DOT with the dimensions of the tunnels. The narrowest tunnel in the area is 8'4". If you're vehicle is wider than that, there could be another use for WD40. ;)

More fun on a bike!

azdryheat wrote:
So what is the attraction to Needles HWY other than jeopardizing your rig? Never heard of the place.

Look on youtubes

So what is the attraction to Needles HWY other than jeopardizing your rig? Never heard of the place.

This is SD?

dodge guy wrote:
Yes you can. Tour busses do It all the time! Now Iron Mountains Road is tight and you cannot do it in an RV or even towing a trailer. But I followed a dually through the tunnels.

I stand to be corrected but I thought buses could only navigate a few of the tunnels, meaning they couldn't do the loop and had to turn and return the same way they came in. That's what we were told when we were there in 2015 (Class B PleasureWay at that time). But... maybe we were misinformed.

BTW, the Needles Highway was definitely one of the BIG highlights of our cross-continent trip.

Yes, the needles are doable with a dually. Those tunnels are over 9' 6" wide, a dually is 8'. Tight fit yes, thousands of duallies go through every year. If your mirrors fit, so will the truck.
The Iron Mountain hwy ( 16a) tunnels will accomodate most any rv, but it is not recommended and why would you want to anyway? it is a scenic road built for auto traffic. There are bypass routes at each tunnel and before each pigtail bridge,

Leave the rig in a camp, enjoy the sights in your towed or a rental car.

Mountain Mama wrote:
Is this doable in a dually?

Sure, just get a good running start! :W

I saw quite a bit of amber and red plastic on the road, some have trouble.