South Dakota State Highway 44
Encyclopedia
South Dakota Highway 44, formerly known as South Dakota State Highway 40, is also known as the "Rimrock Highway" or "Rimrock Drive" and connects Rapid City, South Dakota
with U.S. Highway 385 at Pactola Junction, just north of Pactola Lake
. One of the most scenic drives in the Black Hills
, SD 44 follows Rapid Creek, a blue-ribbon trout fishery, much of the way, and also follows much of the alignment of the old Rapid City, Black Hills and Western Railroad, also known as the Crouch Line.
A number of small, unincorporated communities lie along or near SD 44, west of Rapid City, including Upper and Lower Hisega, Big Bend, Johnson's Siding, and Placerville. Several tourist attractions also are found on the highway, including Black Hills Caverns (formerly Nameless Cave), Crystal Cave, and Thunderhead Falls, a waterfall created by mining in an underground tunnel. SD 44 connects, via the Norris Peak Road, with Nemo Road between Rapid City, Nemo, and Brownsville, SD, but otherwise has no connections with any other major roads in the Black Hills. The area served by the highway is a major bedroom community for Rapid City.
SD Highway 44 is also referred to as the "South Dakota High Road" in the transportation industry. It is the only highway which traverses the entire state without a single overhead obstruction (excluding power lines).
Highway 44 also traverses the state, with its eastern end near Interstate 29 right before entering the town of Worthing, South Dakota
.
Highway 44 also crosses Lake Francis Case
reservoir.
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
with U.S. Highway 385 at Pactola Junction, just north of Pactola Lake
Pactola Lake
Pactola Lake is the largest reservoir in the Black Hills of South Dakota and is created by the Pactola Dam. At the bottom of Pactola Lake is the submerged town of Pactola, an old mining camp and site of several military bivouacs during the original settlement of the Black Hills in the...
. One of the most scenic drives in the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
, SD 44 follows Rapid Creek, a blue-ribbon trout fishery, much of the way, and also follows much of the alignment of the old Rapid City, Black Hills and Western Railroad, also known as the Crouch Line.
A number of small, unincorporated communities lie along or near SD 44, west of Rapid City, including Upper and Lower Hisega, Big Bend, Johnson's Siding, and Placerville. Several tourist attractions also are found on the highway, including Black Hills Caverns (formerly Nameless Cave), Crystal Cave, and Thunderhead Falls, a waterfall created by mining in an underground tunnel. SD 44 connects, via the Norris Peak Road, with Nemo Road between Rapid City, Nemo, and Brownsville, SD, but otherwise has no connections with any other major roads in the Black Hills. The area served by the highway is a major bedroom community for Rapid City.
SD Highway 44 is also referred to as the "South Dakota High Road" in the transportation industry. It is the only highway which traverses the entire state without a single overhead obstruction (excluding power lines).
Highway 44 also traverses the state, with its eastern end near Interstate 29 right before entering the town of Worthing, South Dakota
Worthing, South Dakota
Worthing is a city in Lincoln County, South Dakota, United States and is a suburb of Sioux Falls. The population was 877 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Worthing is located at ....
.
Highway 44 also crosses Lake Francis Case
Lake Francis Case
Lake Francis Case is a large reservoir behind Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River in south-central South Dakota, USA. The lake has an area of and a maximum depth of . Lake Francis Case has a length of approximately and has a shoreline of . The reservoir is named for former South Dakota Senator...
reservoir.