The Iron Mountain Road is a work of art in itself. The highway connects Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The highway passes through some of the most beautiful scenery in the Black Hills and including three tunnels that frame Mount Rushmore in the distance. The trip is a spectacular drive through pine and spruce forests, meadows surrounded by birch and aspen and rugged granite mountains. Needle-like granite formations which seem to pierce the horizon are seen along the Needles Highway section which leads to Custer State Park. The State Game Lodge in Custer State Park is also known as the Summer White House since President Calvin Coolidge spent a summer at the lodge. Sylvan Lake is one of Custer State Park’s highlights. Driving time is anywhere from 2-3 hours or more since the maximum speed limit among the winding turns and narrow tunnels is no more than 20 MPH