The last intact Minuteman II site — a Cold War stop right off I-90.
Photo: National Park Service · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons
For thirty years, the grasslands between Wall and the Badlands hid one of the most consequential landscapes in America. Beneath ranch land and gravel section roads, the 44th Missile Wing out of Ellsworth Air Force Base kept 150 Minuteman II missiles on alert across more than 13,500 square miles of western South Dakota — controlled from fifteen buried launch control centers, staffed around the clock. After the 1991 START agreement the missiles came out and the sites were destroyed. Two were spared. Congress established Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in 1999 to preserve them: the last intact Minuteman II system in the country, disarmed and open to the public.
The park is three stops strung along a fifteen-mile stretch of I-90, and that's exactly what makes it such a good road-trip find. The visitor center sits at Exit 131 — the same exit as the Badlands northeast entrance — with exhibits on deterrence, civil defense, protest, and the people who pulled alerts underground, plus a 30-minute film. Fifteen miles west at Exit 116, the Delta-09 launch facility lets you stand on the silo lip and look down through a glass enclosure at an unarmed Minuteman II, still in its tube. Delta-09 is self-guided and free, with a cell-phone audio tour; it takes about twenty minutes and it is unforgettable.
The deep experience is Delta-01, the launch control facility at Exit 127 — an elevator ride 31 feet down to the capsule where two missileers sat with the keys. That one is a ranger-guided tour, six people at a time, reservation-only through Recreation.gov, and it books out fast in summer. There's no entrance fee to the park itself. Plan roughly an hour and a half for the visitor center plus Delta-09, or about three hours if you land a Delta-01 ticket. Nothing here is a detour — it's all within sight of the interstate, which means you can build a genuinely memorable stop into a driving day without losing one.
Exhibits work through the paradoxes of the Cold War — technology, Air Force crews, civil defense, protest, deterrence — alongside a 30-minute film, 'Beneath the Plains: The Minuteman Missile on Alert,' and a park bookstore.
Insider tipIt's at the same exit as the Badlands northeast entrance, so it slots in perfectly either just before or just after the Loop Road.
Plan a trip to this spot →A 12-foot-wide, 80-foot-deep reinforced concrete silo with an unarmed Minuteman II still inside, viewed through a glass roof set into the welded blast door. Self-guided and free, with a cell-phone audio tour and the original antennas and sensors still in place.
Insider tipHalf a mile of gravel south of Exit 116 — fine for a normal car, but take it slow. Twenty minutes here is the single highest-impact stop on this stretch of I-90.
Plan a trip to this spot →A 45-minute ranger-guided tour of the topside support building and then, by elevator, the capsule 31 feet down where two missileers monitored ten missiles. Reservation-only, six people per tour.
Insider tipBook on Recreation.gov the moment tickets release — 30 days ahead, 10 a.m. Eastern. No reservation means no entry at the gate.
Plan a trip to this spot →The park's units sit at Exits 116, 127, and 131 — all within a quarter to half a mile of the interstate. Heading west you can hit the visitor center, then Delta-01, then Delta-09, and be back at highway speed having barely left your route.
Insider tipVehicle navigation systems are unreliable out here — the park says so explicitly. Note the exit numbers before you lose signal.
Three units along fifteen miles of I-90 — no entrance fee at any of them.
North side of Exit 131 on Cottonwood Road, about a quarter to half a mile from the interstate. Exhibits, film, bookstore, restrooms. Generally open daily 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Mountain time for much of the year, with shorter winter hours — confirm on nps.gov before timing your arrival. Start here.
South of Exit 116, half a mile down a gravel road, six miles east of Wall. Free and self-guided with a cell-phone audio tour; grounds hours are shorter than the visitor center's. Underground access is not permitted — you view the missile through the glass.
North of Exit 127. No entry without a tour reservation. Tours are 45 minutes, capped at six people, and involve about a quarter mile of walking with no seating. Participants must self-certify they can climb two 15-foot ladders unassisted in case of elevator failure; children need to be at least six years old and 40 inches tall for the underground portion.
No lodging or camping in the park — all parking closes with the sites.
The closest town, minutes from Delta-09 and about twenty from the visitor center. A small highway town with a handful of motels and roadside restaurants — the natural overnight if you want to be at the Badlands Loop Road early.
Booking tipBook ahead in July and August; the town is small and fills.
About an hour and fifteen west on I-90, with the region's full range of hotels and dining — and the logical base if you're also doing the Black Hills.
Booking tipBest choice if Minuteman Missile is a stop rather than the destination.
Lodging and campgrounds inside and just outside Badlands National Park, south of the visitor center via SD-240.
Booking tipPairs the missile sites with sunrise in the Badlands.
How long does a visit take?
About an hour and a half covers the visitor center and Delta-09. Add a Delta-01 tour and you're closer to three hours. Delta-09 on its own is about twenty minutes.
Is there an entrance fee?
No. The park is free to enter. Only the ranger-guided Delta-01 tour costs money — $12 for adults and $8 for youth, booked through Recreation.gov.
How do I get a Delta-01 tour?
Reservations only, through Recreation.gov. Tickets release 30 days ahead at 10 a.m. Eastern and each tour holds just six people, so summer dates go fast. Roughly October through April the park may release unsold same-day tickets, but don't count on it.
What can I see without a reservation?
Plenty. The visitor center with its exhibits and film, and the self-guided Delta-09 silo with its cell-phone audio tour, are both open to anyone with no booking required.
Can I go down inside the silo at Delta-09?
No — the silo is only twelve feet across and closed for safety. You look down through a glass enclosure set into the blast door at an unarmed Minuteman II. The underground experience is the Delta-01 tour.
Is the Delta-01 tour physically demanding?
Moderately. It involves about a quarter mile of walking, standing throughout with no seating, a small elevator with an open grate door, and a narrow corridor. Everyone must be able to climb two 15-foot ladders unassisted in case of elevator failure. Contact the park at least a day ahead if you need mobility assistance.
Does this pair with Badlands National Park?
Almost perfectly. The visitor center shares Exit 131 with the Badlands northeast entrance, so the two fit into a single westbound day without any backtracking.
Are pets allowed?
Leashed pets are not permitted in the visitor center or on the Delta-01 tour. Service animals are excepted.
Pick your vehicle, line up the stops on the way in and out, and carry the whole route in your pocket.
