Needles, Mountain range in Black Hills, South Dakota.

Needles is a cluster of eroded granite pillars, towers and spires in Custer State Park, in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The tallest needle stands slightly right of centre, with others leaning or standing upright to its left; their weathered, fissured surfaces show vertical striations and blocky joints. The bases widen and merge into lower rock masses, with sparse trees and shrubs around the lower slopes.

The Needles are eroded granite pillars, towers and spires in Custer State Park, in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The Cathedral Spires and Limber Pine Natural Area, a 637-acre (258 ha) portion of the Needles with six ridges of pillars and a stand of limber pine, was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1976. The site was originally proposed for the Mount Rushmore carvings, but sculptor Gutzon Borglum rejected it because the granite was of poor quality and the spires too thin to support the sculptures.

The name refers to the needle-shaped granite towers that rise like natural spires above the forested valleys. Visitors today experience a place where the rock itself defines the landscape and where many climbers explore the steep walls.

Hiking trails wind between the rock pillars, with some passages narrow and rocky. Sturdy footwear helps during exploration, as the ground is often uneven and the paths between the formations can be steep.

Some rock towers are so narrow that they appear only a few yards wide relative to their height. Between individual spires lie narrow gaps through which hikers can squeeze.