Photo: NPS Photo
During the Cold War, a vast arsenal of nuclear missiles were placed in the Great Plains.
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Hidden in plain sight, for thirty years 1,000 missiles were kept on constant alert; hundreds remain today. The Minuteman Missile remains an iconic weapon in the American nuclear arsenal.
It holds the power to destroy civilization, but is meant as a nuclear deterrent to maintain peace and prevent war.
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7 experiences from the National Park Service. Check details on NPS.gov before you go.
Gaze Armageddon in the face with a visit to the Delta-09 missile silo. The viewing enclosure over the silo allows for visitors to gaze directly down at a Minuteman II missile. Consider the meaning of…
Learn more about Consider Deterrence and Destruction at Delta-09 on NPS.gov (opens in a new tab)
Fee applies
This activity is a vehicle-based driving tour beginning at the visitor center, and visiting all eleven locations that made up Delta Flight. Follow in the path of Air Force personnel and travel the…
Learn more about Driving Delta Flight on NPS.gov (opens in a new tab)
The Passport program was started by Eastern National in 1986 and was established to help visitors discover the beauty and history found in America’s national parks. Cancellation stamps can be found…
Learn more about Get Your National Park Passport Stamped at Minuteman Missile on NPS.gov (opens in a new tab)
The South Dakota landscape hides former missile silo sites in plain sight - many of them can be found in-between Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, Interstate 90, and Badlands National Park…
Learn more about Spot a (Former) Nuclear Missile Silo on NPS.gov (opens in a new tab)
A Mobile Phone guided tour of Delta-09 and Delta-01 is available for visitors to learn the history of Minuteman Missile on the Great Plains and how it was operated for thirty years. Narrated by…
Learn more about The Minuteman Missile Mobile Tour on NPS.gov (opens in a new tab)
Reservation required Fee applies
Learn what it was like to have the awesome responsibility of thermonuclear war at your fingertips. The thirty-minute guided tour of the control center at Delta-01 begins with a walk through of the…
Learn more about Tour the Front-line of the Cold War at Delta-01 on NPS.gov (opens in a new tab)
For every 10 Minuteman nuclear missiles (know as a Flight) there would be a Launch Control Facility that housed Air Force personnel. Delta- 01 occupies an open, grassy tract of land approximately…
Learn more about Visit the Delta-01 Launch Control Facility on NPS.gov (opens in a new tab)Showing 7 of 7
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Find tours, tickets and other services available in the park. Check current hours and availability before you go.
Ticket Facility
This compound includes the topside support building and the associated underground Launch Control Center located 31 feet below the plains of western South Dakota. The…
Book tickets on Recreation.gov 24545 Cottonwood Road, Philip, SD 605-433-5552 Directions
Facility
The visitor center is the best place to begin your visit to the park. Exhibits, films, and a bookstore allow visitors to explore the story of the Minuteman…
24545 Cottonwood Road, Philip, SD (605) 433-5552 Directions
Daily, 9:00AM - 3:00PM · Delta-09 Missile Silo
Visitors are invited to go inside the fenced compound and look down into the silo at a Minuteman missile in its historic state, protected by a glass viewing enclosure. A narrated ranger guided tour of Delta-09 is available year-round using your cell phone. Inclement weather may close this site on occasion.
| Monday | 9:00AM - 3:00PM |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 9:00AM - 3:00PM |
| Wednesday | 9:00AM - 3:00PM |
| Thursday | 9:00AM - 3:00PM |
| Friday | 9:00AM - 3:00PM |
| Saturday | 9:00AM - 3:00PM |
| Sunday | 9:00AM - 3:00PM |
A recorded audio tour at Delta-01 is available for all visitors that guides you to the front gate of Delta-01. To enter the Delta-01 facility, visitors need to attend a ranger-guided tour. Due to the size of the elevator and the confined space underground, advance reservations are required and tours are limited to 6 visitors at a time. Inclement weather may close this site on occasion.
| Monday | 9:00AM - 3:00PM |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 9:00AM - 3:00PM |
| Wednesday | 9:00AM - 3:00PM |
| Thursday | 9:00AM - 3:00PM |
| Friday | 9:00AM - 3:00PM |
| Saturday | 9:00AM - 3:00PM |
| Sunday | 9:00AM - 3:00PM |
No entrance fees listed.
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Rapid weather changes are common in the western South Dakota area where Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is located. Variations from season to season and from year to year are great. Characteristics of the climate are hot dry summers and bitterly cold winters. Wind is a constant on the Great Plains, winds in excess of 50 mph not uncommon. During the winter season, winds typically blow from the north-northwest and have been known to cause wind chills in excess of -40 degrees.
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is located at three sites along a fifteen mile stretch of Interstate 90 in western South Dakota. The Visitor Center is located immediately north of I-90, exit 131.
The two historic sites which make up the park are four miles (Launch Control Facility Delta-01) and 15 miles (Launch Facility Delta-09) from the Visitor Center. No public transportation systems serve the park.
Mailing address: 24545 Cottonwood Road, Philip, SD 57567
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