Catedral Spires and Limber Pine Natural Area - Custer State Park (South Dakota) USA - U.S. National Natural Landmarks on Waymarking.com

This natural landmark can be found 2.5 miles east of Sylvan Lake on Needles Highway, in Custer State Park (South Dakota) USA. It is identified by a marker & it is listed on National Natural Landmarks Registry.

The Needles of the Black Hills of South Dakota are a region of eroded granite pillars, towers, and spires. 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 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.
It is an excellent, rare example of joint-controlled weathering of granite. The site also supports a disjunct relict stand of limber pine.
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.

Custer State Park is a state park and wildlife reserve in the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota, USA. The park is South Dakota's largest and first state park, named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer.
Address:
13329 US Highway 16A, East Custer, SD 57730, United States
Phone: +1 605-255-4515

Source: Wikipedia

The text of the marker:

CATHEDRAL SPIRES AND LIMBER
PINE NATURAL AREA
HAS BEEN DESIGNATED A
REGISTERED
NATURAL LANDMARK

THIS SITE POSSES EXCEPTIONAL VALUE
AS AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE NATION'S NATURAL
HERITAGE AND CONTRIBUTES TO A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING OF MAN'S ENVIRONMENT
1977
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OT THE INTERIOR

Predominate Feature: spires Parking/Access Location: N 43° 50.506 W 103° 32.121 Ownership: State Terrain Rating: Admission Charged: no Landmark's Website: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:

At least one photograph personally taken by the Waymarker must be posted.

Visitor should describe the experience of their visit.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   05/14/2023 moelsla visited it 07/21/2022 chrissyml visited it 06/21/2021 Sneakin Deacon visited it 11/10/2019 wildernessmama visited it 09/24/2019 dzeih visited it 09/02/2019 Duodenfer_ visited it 08/31/2019 gemeloj visited it 10/02/2016 buffalohiker visited it 06/26/2015 find waldo visited it

View all visits/logs