epicrides

Pig Iron

Iron Mountain Road, a 17-mile stretch of U. S. Route 16A that connects Custer State Park with Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota, includes 314 curves, 14 switchbacks and three wooden“ pigtail” bridges where the road loops over itself, as seen in this photo. If you ride from south to north, Iron Mountain Road’ s three onelane tunnels provide perfectly framed views of the four presidents carved into the mountainside. Along the way you may encounter roaming buffalo, begging donkeys and— if you’ re there during the Sturgis Rally— packs of wild Hogs.

Photo by Kevin Wing