Needles (Black Hills)
Needles climbing | |
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![]() The Needles, South Dakota, United States
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Nearest city | Custer, South Dakota |
Range | Black Hills |
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Climbing type | traditional face and crack climbing and bouldering[1] |
Height | 250 feet |
Pitches | 1 or 2 |
Grades | 5.3-5.12 |
Rock type | granite, pegmatite |
Quantity of rock | years worth |
Development | well developed |
Cliff aspect | mixed |
Season | spring to fall |
Ownership | State park |
Camping | none |
Classic climbs | Spire Two, class 5.3 Innercourse, class 5.5 |
Stars | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |

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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 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
The area has a rich history of bold climbing by greatest climbers of their era, and has long been known for its purist ethics. 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 in 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 free solo ascent of class 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 1970's and 1980's many climbs were added by local climbers, such as Paul Muehl, John Page, Bob Archbold and Pete Delonney.[3] In 1991 John Sherman also made a free solo ascent of Gill's Route.[8]
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to [[commons:Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).]]. |
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- ↑ Gill Route on the Thimble on YouTube
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- Pages with reference errors
- Commons category link from Wikidata
- Black Hills
- Climbing areas of the United States
- Protected areas of Custer County, South Dakota
- National Natural Landmarks in South Dakota
- Rock formations of South Dakota
- Black Hills National Forest
- Landforms of Custer County, South Dakota
- South Dakota geography stubs