Needles (Black Hills)

Towers of eroded granite in the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA

The Needles

The Needles, South Dakota, United States

Nearest city| Custer, South Dakota
Range| Black Hills
Coordinates| 43°50′28″N 103°32′40″W﻿ / ﻿43.84111°N 103.54444°W﻿ / 43.84111; -103.54444
Climbing type| traditional face and crack climbing and bouldering[1]
Height| 500 feet (150 m)
Pitches| 1 to 4
Grades| 5.0-5.13
Rock type| granite, pegmatite
Quantity of rock| years worth ( 2,000 summits)
Development| well developed
Cliff aspect| mixed mainly traditional climbing
Season| spring to fall
Ownership| State park
Camping| none
Stars|
A climber ascends spire nine in The Needles A roadside needle

The Needles of the Black Hills of South Dakota are a region of eroded granite pillars, towers, and spires within Custer State Park. Popular with rock climbers and tourists alike, the Needles are accessed from the Needles Highway, which is a part of Sylvan Lake Road (SD 87/89). The Cathedral Spires and Limber Pine Natural Area, a 637-acre (258 ha) portion of the Needles containing six ridges of pillars as well as a disjunct stand of limber pine, was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1976.[2]

The Needles were the original site proposed for the Mount Rushmore carvings. The location was rejected by the sculptor Gutzon Borglum owing to the poor quality of the granite and the fact that they were too thin to support the sculptures. The Needles attract approximately 300,000 people annually.

## Climbing

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Southwestern South Dakota
Sculptures

* Mount Rushmore (National memorial)
* Crazy Horse

Geologic and natural history

* Badlands (National park)
* The Mammoth Site
* Needles
* Spearfish Canyon

Mountains

* Black Hills
* Bear Butte (National Historic Landmark)
* Black Elk Peak

Caves

* Wind Cave (National park)
* Jewel Cave (National monument)

Forests and wildernesses

* Custer (State Park)
* Black Hills (National Forest)
* Black Elk (Wilderness)
* Buffalo Gap (National Grassland)

Lakes

* Sylvan
* Pactola

Long-distance trails

* Centennial Trail
* George S. Mickelson Trail

Scenic byways

* Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway
* Spearfish Canyon

Historic sites

* Minuteman Missile (National Historic Site)

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In 1936 Fritz Wiessner climbed the Totem Pole[3][4] and in 1937 Khayyam Spire with Bill House and Lawrence Coveney. In 1947 Jan and Herb Conn moved to the area and over the next couple decades put up over 220 first ascents.[5] In 1952 Fred Beckey and John Dudra climbed Rubaiyat Spire and Khayyam Spire. In the 1960s climbers such as Royal Robbins, and Henry Barber put up many bold routes. In 1961 John Gill made a free solo ascent of 5.12a route on The Thimble which is considered one of the first climbs at that grade and still is a formidable challenge.[6][7] In 1991 John Sherman also made a free solo ascent of Gill's Route.[8]

### Classic climbs

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* Spire Two, 5.3
* Innercourse, 5.5
* Rum Room, 5.7
* Tent Peg, 5.7
* Tricuni Nail, 5.8
* Trojan Determination, 5.8
* Behind The Door, 5.9
* Four Little Fishes, 5.9
* Hardrocker, 5.9
* Needle's Eye, 5.10-
* Nentucket Sleigh Ride, 5.10
* Superpin, 5.10b R
* Farewell to Arms, 5.10+
* For Whom the Bell Tolls, 5.11a
* Limited Immunity, 5.11b
* Vertigo, 5.11
* Leaning Jowler, 5.12a
* Walking the Plankton, 5.12b
* Thimble, 5.12a
* Outlet CG Boulders

Map of the Needles by climbing and caving pioneers Jan and Herb Conn.

## References

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1. ^ Toula, Tim (1995). Rock 'n' Road (1st ed.). Falcon. ISBN 978-0934641357.
2. ^ "National Natural Landmarks - National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved March 25, 2019. "Year designated: 1976"
3. ^ "Custer State Park Rock Climbing". Mountain Project. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
4. ^ deLannoy, Pete (March 1, 2006). "The Needles". Alpinist (15). Retrieved February 10, 2016.
5. ^ Stephens, Lindsay (2008). The Adventure Climbs of Herb and Jan Conn. Boulder, CO: Sharp End Pub., LLC. ISBN 9781892540560.
6. ^ Gill Route on the Thimble on YouTube
7. ^ "The Thimble Rock Climbing". Mountain Project. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
8. ^ Sherman, John (1994). Stone crusade : a historical guide to bouldering in America (1st ed.). Golden, Colo.: AAC Press. ISBN 9780930410629.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Needles (Black Hills).

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Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming

Attractions|

* Bear Butte
* Bear Country USA
* Black Elk Wilderness
* Black Hills Central Railroad
* Black Hills National Forest
* Black Elk Peak
* Black Hills Playhouse
* Chapel in the Hills
* Crazy Horse Memorial
* Custer State Park
* Devils Tower
* Dinosaur Park
* Flintstones Bedrock City
* Gordon Stockade
* Homestake Mine
* Jewel Cave National Monument
* The Mammoth Site
* Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
* Mount Rushmore
* Mount Theodore Roosevelt Monument
* Mystic Miner Ski Resort
* Needles
* Pactola Lake
* Reptile Gardens
* Rushmore Cave
* Sheridan Lake
* Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns
* Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
* Sylvan Lake
* Terry Peak ski area
* Wind Cave National Park with bison herd

Scenic routes|

| Roads|

* Norbeck Scenic Byway
* Iron Mountain Road
* Needles Highway
* Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway

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Trails|

* Black Hills Centennial Trail
* George S. Mickelson Trail

Populated
places|

| Cities|

* Belle Fourche
* Central City
* Custer
* Deadwood
* Edgemont
* Hot Springs
* Hill City
* Lead
* Newcastle
* Rapid City
* Spearfish
* Sturgis
* Whitewood

|

Towns|

* Buffalo Gap
* Fairburn
* Hermosa
* Keystone
* Pringle
* Sundance

Unincorporated|

* Dewey
* Four Mile
* Galena
* Hanna
* Johnson Siding
* Nemo
* Rochford
* Rockerville
* Silver City
* Three Forks

History
and people|

| Native American|

* Cheyenne
* Lakota people
* Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) established the Great Sioux Reservation
* Black Hills War, or Great Sioux War (1876)
* Black Elk
* Sitting Bull
* Crazy Horse
* Lone Horn
* Red Cloud
* Spotted Tail

|

Old West|

* Dakota Territory (1861–1889)
* Black Hills Expedition (1874)
* Black Hills gold rush (1874)
* Newton–Jenney Party (1875)
* Cheyenne-Black Hills Stage Route (1876–1887)
* Sidney-Black Hills Stage Road (1876–1887)
* Rapid City, Black Hills and Western Railroad (1893–1947)
* Seth Bullock and Martha Bullock
* General George Armstrong Custer
* Dora DuFran
* Wild Bill Hickok
* Calamity Jane
* Historian Doane Robinson
* Sol Star
* Al Swearengen
* Charlie Utter

Ghost towns|

* Addie Camp
* Bismuth
* Blacktail
* Burdock
* Cambria
* Carbonate
* Etta
* Flatiron
* Greenwood
* Maitland
* Myers City
* Mystic
* Nahant
* Novak
* Pactola
* Sheridan
* Spokane
* Terraville
* Tigerville
* Tinton
* Trojan

Modern|

* Fossil Cycad National Monument (1922–1957)
* Stratobowl (1934–1959)
* Black Hills flood (1972)
* 2000 Jasper Fire
* Sculptors Gutzon Borglum and Lincoln Borglum
* Author Joseph Bottum
* Politician Francis Case
* Poet Charles Badger Clark
* Historian Watson Parker

Transit|

* Rapid City Rapid Ride
* Jefferson Lines

Road junctions|

* Cheyenne Crossing
* Four Corners
* Four Mile
* Keystone Wye
* Maverick Junction
* Mule Creek Junction

Related|

* Mount Rushmore in popular culture

Authority control databases: National |

* United States
* Israel

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