Best direction to run the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway

I am planning a road trip with about 4 days in the Black Hills. Still trying to put together what we want to see and what the best order is.

One of the things we are going to do is the Peter Norbeck byway. I am however not sure how to do it most efficiently. We want to make sure we hit all the good spots (including the Wildlife loop), but also don%26#39;t want to waste a lot of time back tracking if there is nothing to actually see on a certain section.

I also want to roll it into a Mt Rushmore visit in the morning, following part of the byway and heading over to Crazy Horse in the afternoon and then taking the rest of the byway back to Mt Rushmore to see it at night. I am not sure if I can fit anything else in there and I am not sure what the best direction or route to take. Can anyone make some suggestions?

Best direction to run the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway

That is our plan also in late May. We plan to do Mt. Rushmore in the morning, head out toward Custer State park, lunch at the State Game Lodge, Crazy Horse in the late afternoon and then the night show at Mt. Rushmore. It would be great to know the specifics on directions. In another post someone told me to do the Iron Mt. Rd. to visitor center, loop through the park and Needles Hwy. Hopefully someone will clarify the best directions for us.

Best direction to run the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway

There are two primary sections of the Norbeck Byway. They include the Needles Highway (SD 87) in northern Custer State Park and Iron Mountain Road (US 16A) southeast of Mount Rushmore. The Wildlife Loop is not technically part of the Norbeck Byway.

Iron Mountain Road is best driven to the northwest--toward Mount Rushmore and away from Custer State Park. This is because numerous tunnels that were carved for construction of the road align with a view of Mount Rushmore if you%26#39;re driving toward it. The better part of Iron Mountain Road is northwest of the Playhouse Road (753) intersection. Iron Mountain Road southeast of Playhouse Road is mostly a drive through trees and hills without spectacular scenery.

You%26#39;re going to have a long (but not impossible) day if you try to fit in a visit of Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, all of the Norbeck Byway (Needles and Iron Mountain Road) and the Wildlife Loop.

It sounds like you want to start with Mount Rushmore. Do that and then head west on SD244. Take SD87 to Sylvan Lake. Drive a few miles south on SD89 and make a U-turn and returning to Sylvan--it%26#39;s beautiful for a few miles south of Sylvan. Spend time at Sylvan--at least take a walk around the lake. (Note: the Sylvan Lake Lodge is not right at Sylvan Lake, but up the hill to the west. The lobby and patio of the hotel are worth a stop.) Then take the Needles Highway (SD87). You%26#39;ll want to make several stops to see the Needle Eye and Cathedral Spires (the Cathedral Spires trail is a beautiful hour-long or so hike). Then you can either go all the way to the Norbeck Visitor Center and around to Iron Mountain Road OR take the short cut of the Playhouse Road and stop at the Norbeck Visitor Center later. Take Iron Mountain Road back to Mount Rushmore. Drive past it take SD244 west (again) and this time take US16 to Crazy Horse.

After Crazy Horse you are ready to drive the Wildlife Loop and stop at the Custer State Park visitor centers. If you spend the proper time seeing the sights of the route above, you%26#39;ll probably want to drive the Wildlife Loop on the next day. If you rush through things, go for it that evening. The direction of the Wildlife Loop isn%26#39;t too important. I%26#39;d probably go east from the town of Custer on US16A to the Norbeck Visitor Center. You%26#39;ll want to ask a park ranger where the buffalo are at. (You may need to drive on one of the gravel side roads to see the buffalo.) At the same time, a stop at the Game Lodge and the Coolidge Store can be made. Then you can take the Wildlife Loop. A second visitor center is south of the airport and French Creek. Sometimes there are rangers there to ask about buffalo locations. Then continue around to Blue Bell. Finally, a drive to the top of Mount Coolidge is worth the time.

This is a bare bones tour of Custer State Park that doesn%26#39;t cover anything off of ';the beaten path';. Still, combined with Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse, you%26#39;re looking at a very long day or probably more like 1.5 days.

Thanks for the great info. If you have never been to an area it is difficult to judge exactly what can be seen in a day.

Thanks for the info! Yeah, I wasn%26#39;t too sure if it would be doable or not. There is so much I want to see and do, but have limited amount of time. I guess it just means I have to go back some time. :)

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