Threading the Needle (or How to Get a Big Truck Through a Small Hole)

One of the highlights of driving the Needles Highway in Custer State Park is passing through several narrow tunnels carved out of the Black Hills. The first one we encountered had a posted width of 8 feet, 4 inches. The width of my dual rear-wheel truck....8 feet. We did have the option of turning around. But, of course, that wouldn't have been any fun. So, with 2 inches to spare on each side of the truck and a park ranger holding up traffic in case I had to back out of the tunnel, in I went. Very slowly. And out I emerged without any new scratches on the truck. The other tunnel we came to had a width of a whopping 9 feet, so I went through that one steering with only one finger while fiddling with the radio.

My approach to Tunnel 6 on the Needles Highway.

In this photo, I am wondering if leaving blue paint on the tunnel walls is against park rules.