Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota is a climbing area like no other, The Needles. From Sylvan Lake a road called the Needles Highway winds through spectacular and spell binding towers and spires. From this road climbers can access a playground of unparalleled face climbing on ever narrowing spires by way of quartz crystals ranging from tiny to hand sized. The area is steeped in a rich history dating back to Fitz Wiessner's accent of the Totem Pole in 1936. The area was then home to the prolific Herb and Jan Conn, two climbers way ahead of their time, who put up over 200 first ascents from their first visit in 1947 and eventual move to the area in 1949. In the 1960's climbers such as Royal Robins, John Gill, and Henry Barber put up routes that still wow climbers today with their high "pucker factor". Locals such as Paul Muehl and Bob Archbold made their contributions to the Needle's catalog of bold climbs during the 70's and into the 80's with the likes of Pete daLannoy. The Needles has long been know for its purist ethics, which has made for some wild climbs and a Needles' staple, the infamous simul-rap. As Jan Conn said,"You can climb anything in the Needles, if you have the guts." Custer SP is a world class destination not only for the climbing but also the absolute beauty of the place. Once there, the friendly people of Custer, the interesting scenery, and the relaxed park staff will make it hard to leave. While buying my $10 7 day pass, I told a ranger why I was there. While we prepared to pull away he smiled and said, "You guys can go anywhere you want!" Yeah, if we have the guts.
Getting There
Once in Custer take Hwy 89/385 east out of town and then left on to Hwy 89 north to the Sylvan Lake entrance to Custer SP. From here is where the Needles Hwy starts and heads south.
A great straighforward sport route. Follow the trail from the parking area north, it will turn uphill towards the left side of Aquarium Rock. The route starts on the left side of the gully at the base of a slab. Scramble the slab to the first clip. Fire straight up the well-worn face past five or six bolts, followed by a long runout on easy low angle terrain with one horn to sling. A one 60m rappel from the backside. A short downclimb is ne...[more]
I'm going to be taking a trip to Custer State Park in the summer. I'm looking for a guide book... any suggestions on which one to get and where to get it? I'm looking for a place with some easy routes because I'm going with the family... Which area has the best "easy" routes? Thanks.
How much money you got? Paul Piana's Touch the Sky, although old, has excellent history and a lot of the classics. It's out of print. Make sure if you buy it that the price includes the maps. Check Amazon or bookfinder.com. Every once in a while you find one for $5-$10 if the seller is unaware. Otherwise... There is a new one by Zach Orenczak http://extremeangles.com/ but I have no idea how good or accurate it is. Any locals out there?
The new book is not that great. It has quite a bit of misinformation and leaves out a huge number of great routes. The book does not include the outlets or other awesome areas near Sylvan Lake. Another guide book that written by non-locals and supporting a new area above the Needles Eye that was put in against the ethics of the area. Sorry for my rant. The old Dingus McGee and The Last Pioneer Women blue book is a pretty good although small guide, you can probably find it at most local shops.
I am going to be in the area the weekend of March 8-10. What would the good winter/south-facing routes in the Custer and Rushmore area? My primary interest would be in multi-pitch up to 5.9. Thank you very much for whatever help you can provide.
Sorry not much rock will be in shape the weekend of 03/08/08 as we've had a good bit of snow the past couple of days. There just aren't many multi pitch routes here either.
Custer State Park
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