The Mount Rushmore National Memorial, sculpted from the mountainside between 1927 and 1941, is the centerpiece of South Dakota's Black Hills region.  

An estimated 1,300 bison roam freely in Custer State Park, the 71,000-acre park where General Custer first discovered gold in 1874.  

Driving the scenic roads through Custer State Park brings many opportunities for wildlife viewing. The roaming animal herds often bring traffic to a standstill.  

Standing out from the landscape of the Black Hills are the Cathedral Spires, viewed from the scenic Needles Highway. These granite rock formations are a favorite among local rock climbing enthusiasts.  

Until its completion in 1922, many thought the Needles Highway in South Dakota's Black Hills region would be impossible to construct.  

The Needles Highway—a National Scenic Byway—includes many switchbacks, pigtails, and tunnels, some of which provide stunning views of Mount Rushmore.  

More than 600 wild horses run free at the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary in Hot Springs, South Dakota.  

The rugged landscape of the Black Hills conjures up images made popular by classic movies of the rugged American West.  

The 1993 Evans Hotel (now an apartment building) in Hot Springs, South Dakota, is just one of many remaining sandstone buildings in this historic community.  

The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota, allows visitors to observe the ongoing excavation of Ice Age fossils. The remains of more than 50 mammoths have been discovered. Scientists believe that they were trapped when a sinkhole collapsed more than 26,000 years ago.