This byway will lead you on a delightful adventure as it winds its way around spiraling pig-tail shaped bridges, through six rock tunnels, among towering granite pinnacles and over pristine, pine-clad mountains. Highlights include Mt. Rushmore, Harney Peak, Sylvan Lake, the Needle s Eye and Cathedral Spires rock formations.
- Length
- 68 mi / 109.4 km
- Time to allow
- Allow four hours to drive the byway or one day to experience the entire byway.
- Fees
- None
Who looks after this road
- Black Hills National Forest · 605-673-9200 · their site
- Custer State Park · 605-255-4515 · their site
We publish 6 places that sit on this road, listed in the order you meet them. This is not a route and not a drive time — it is the names, so you can put them into whatever navigation you already use.
“Off” is a straight line from the place to the road, rounded. It is not a driving distance, and the road itself is a simplified centre line, so treat a mile or two as noise.
Custer State ParkSD2 miles off
No guide of our own yet — the name is here so you can find it.
Crazy Horse MemorialSD2 miles off
No guide of our own yet — the name is here so you can find it.
Sylvan LakeSDon the roadLake
reservoir
- Swimming
- yes
- Boating
- Canoeing and kayaking
- Fishing
- yes
- Camping
- Sylvan Lake Campground, 39 sites; not suited to RVs over 27 feet
- Season
- Campground opens Open House Weekend, runs to Oct. 1, weather permitting
- Cost
- Campsite $16/night tent-only, $34 with electric
Bear Country USASD9 miles offAnimals
One admission covers drive-through and walk-through areas; tickets online or at office
- Season
- seasonal
Mount Rushmore National MemorialSDon the road
No guide of our own yet — the name is here so you can find it.
Sheridan LakeSD5 miles offLake
reservoir
- Swimming
- yes - North Shore (largest on forest) and South Shore swim beaches
- Boating
- Motorized and non-motorized boating; waterskiing; boat launches
- Fishing
- yes - trout, northern pike, perch, bass, panfish; fishing piers
- Camping
- 129-site campground (South Shore); group campground (North Shore)
- Season
- Ice fishing popular in winter
- Cost
- North Shore day use $7 per vehicle, $50 annual pass; campground fees vary