# Custer State Park Needles

**Location:** Custer, SD | **Difficulty:** Moderate | **Length:** 35 miles

**GPS:** 43.7567, -103.4234

**Vehicle requirements:** 4WD with low range, all-terrain or mild mud-terrain tires (31–33"), skid plates recommended. Stock-to-2" lift handles most obstacles.

**Best season:** May - October

Navigate the iconic Needles Highway through towering granite spires and impossibly narrow tunnels. The park's interior gravel roads lead to remote valleys where 1,300 bison roam free among cathedral-like rock formations.

**Region:** Midwest • **Trail type:** Trail • **Rating:** 4.7/5 • **Permit required**

**Highlights:** Granite spires, Narrow tunnels, Bison herds, Cathedral Spires, Sylvan Lake

**Nearby campgrounds:**
- [Ponderosa Peak Campground (Custer, South Dakota)](https://4x4playground.com/camping/south-dakota/ponderosa-peak-campground)
- [Bison Range Campground (Custer, South Dakota)](https://4x4playground.com/camping/south-dakota/bison-range-campground)
- [Elk Mountain Campground (Hot Springs, South Dakota)](https://4x4playground.com/camping/south-dakota/elk-mountain-campground)

Canonical page: https://4x4playground.com/overlanding/trails/custer-needles