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Best driving roads in South Dakota.

Routes
21
Curated
1
Miles mapped
620
Graded corners
5,160
Iron Creek TwistysBear Run RoadPlayhouse RoadRed Canyon + Elk RunJewel Cave National MonumentMedicine Mountain RoadStockade Lake PlaygroundUS-16A - Iron Mountain RoadCuster Limestone RoadThe Other Side of Pass Creek RoadSD-87 + Needles HighwayBoles Canyon RoadRed Bird Canyon RoadElbow Canyon RoadPass Creek RoadDitch Creek RoadSD-40 + Old Hill City RoadSpearfish Canyon Scenic BywayBuffalo Gap to DeweyBadlands National Park

Driving in South Dakota means the Black Hills. Around Custer, the Needles Highway threads granite spires and one-lane tunnels, Iron Mountain Road’s pigtail bridges frame Mount Rushmore, and Custer State Park’s Wildlife Loop is a road where bison have the right of way.

In the northern hills, Spearfish Canyon cuts a long, fast valley between limestone walls.

21 routes in South Dakota, 1 of them curated by Road & Rally, cover 620 miles and 5,160 graded corners — 680 of them tight enough to grade a 1 or 2. Most of them start around Custer and Edgemont. The twistiest, Iron Creek Twistys, packs 13.1 corners into every mile for 9.4 mi.

Corners are graded from each road’s own geometry on the rally 1–6 scale, where 1 is a hairpin. The app calls them out as you drive.

By the numbers

Twistiest

13.1 corners / mi

Iron Creek Twistys

Most technical

2.6 tight / mi

Bear Run Road

Tightest corner

9 m radius

Stockade Lake Playground

Curated drives

Picked, mapped and graded by Road & Rally.

  1. Mount Rushmore LoopNear Keystone30 mi

Drivers’ routes

Mapped by Road & Rally drivers, ordered by how much they bend.

  1. Iron Creek TwistysNear Custer9.4 mi123 corners13.1 / mi32 tight
  2. Bear Run RoadNear Hill City11 mi126 corners11.5 / mi28 tight
  3. Playhouse RoadNear Rapid City14 mi157 corners11 / mi15 tight
  4. Red Canyon + Elk RunNear Edgemont19 mi211 corners10.9 / mi33 tight
  5. Jewel Cave National MonumentNear Edgemont18 mi194 corners10.6 / mi31 tight
  6. Medicine Mountain RoadNear Custer24 mi253 corners10.5 / mi24 tight
  7. Stockade Lake PlaygroundNear Custer19 mi197 corners10.4 / mi48 tight
  8. US-16A - Iron Mountain RoadNear Custer35 mi357 corners10.2 / mi72 tight
  9. Custer Limestone RoadNear Custer28 mi280 corners10.2 / mi22 tight
  10. The Other Side of Pass Creek RoadNear Custer37 mi370 corners9.9 / mi63 tight
  11. SD-87 + Needles HighwayNear Hot Springs39 mi375 corners9.7 / mi70 tight
  12. Boles Canyon Road46 mi443 corners9.6 / mi37 tight
  13. Red Bird Canyon RoadNear Custer7.3 mi69 corners9.5 / mi9 tight
  14. Elbow Canyon RoadNear Edgemont27 mi245 corners9.1 / mi42 tight
  15. Pass Creek RoadNear Custer20 mi177 corners8.7 / mi19 tight
  16. Ditch Creek RoadNear Custer77 mi657 corners8.5 / mi80 tight
  17. SD-40 + Old Hill City RoadNear Hermosa26 mi220 corners8.5 / mi19 tight
  18. Spearfish Canyon Scenic BywayNear Spearfish19 mi137 corners7.1 / mi3 tight
  19. Buffalo Gap to DeweyNear Buffalo Gap58 mi304 corners5.2 / mi29 tight
  20. Badlands National ParkNear Philip55 mi265 corners4.8 / mi4 tight

Find your own

Scan South Dakota for more.

Road Finder scores every road in an area on curvature and flow, so the technical ones come up first. Start it anywhere in South Dakota.

How Road Finder worksMembers: open it on Iron Creek Twistys →

Questions

What is the curviest road in South Dakota?
Of the 21 routes on Road & Rally in South Dakota, Iron Creek Twistys bends the most: 13.1 graded corners per mile over 9.4 mi, 32 of them tight (grade 1 or 2). Corners are measured from the road’s own geometry, not estimated.
Where are the best driving roads in South Dakota?
The routes drivers have mapped in South Dakota cluster around Custer and Edgemont. Every one is listed on this page with its distance and how many corners it has.
How do I find twisty roads near me in South Dakota?
Road Finder scans any area of the map and scores every road in it on curvature and flow, so the most technical roads near you rise to the top. It is in the Road & Rally app, and on the web with a free account.
Can I drive these routes with turn-by-turn pace notes?
Yes. Open any route in the Road & Rally app and it navigates you there, calling every graded corner before you reach it — the way a rally co-driver would.

Drive them with pace notes.

Every route here opens in the Road & Rally app, navigates you to the start, and calls each corner before you reach it.

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