Overview Of Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

This park tells the story of the Cold War.  It is geographically distributed in South Dakota, showcasing a Visitor Center, Launch Control Facility, and Missile Silo.  These three sites are within 15 miles of each other. Minuteman is very close to Badlands National Park and makes for an excellent addition to your trip.

Why Should I Visit Minuteman Missile National Historic Site?

Minuteman is a great place to go to if you want to see a Cold War missile silo. You can tour a launch control center and learn how sites like this one affected history. Tensions were high during the Cold War, and this is an excellent place to go to teach your kids about the history.  We narrowly escaped the end of the world as we know it, and this site recounts the stories of the time period.

Our Experience At Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

We arrived at the Visitor Center on an early May afternoon after stopping at Wall Drug for lunch.  We started by checking out the Peacekeeper armored vehicle outside.  We walked inside and were pleased to find that the building was not crowded. We were greeted by a friendly park ranger, who told us about the site.  We checked out the gift shop and began exploring the site.

We started by watching the video, and we learned about how this park protects only one of a thousand minuteman silos.  We learned about what it was like to work in a silo, and how close the world came to all-out nuclear war during this time period. There were several times such as the Cuban Missile Crisis which took us to the brink of nuclear war.

In the video, one of the workers recounted how they saw a full-scale nuclear assault taking place on their equipment, and that he should respond by firing missiles in return.  He denied orders, and it was later found that a simulation from a training center was left plugged in.  Had he followed orders, the cold war would have become hot.

We left the theater and browsed the exhibits in the Visitor Center, seeing the relics from a different age. My personal favorite exhibit was a survival biscuit from 1962!

What We Would Do Differently

We would have planned our visit earlier in the day.  The Delta-09 Missile Silo does not require reservations, but it is only open Tuesday-Saturday from 9:00AM-3:00PM.  After exploring the Visitor Center, we had missed the window to see the Delta-09 site.

On our next trip to this site, we will sign up in advance for a ranger-guided tour of the Delta-01 Launch Control Facility. Only ranger-guided tours are allowed and you cannot self-guide.  Again, this part of the site is only open from Tuesday-Saturday from 9:00AM-3:00PM. 

Where To Eat Near Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

You are going to want to eat in Wall, South Dakota when you visit this site. The major player in Wall is Wall Drug, and you will enjoy the experience eating there with your free ice water and $0.05 coffee, and we really liked the bison hot dog there. 

There are more food options in Rapid City, but it is over an hour away from the park.

Lodging Near Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

You could stay in Wall, but we stayed in Kadoka, SD (Remember that town from Armageddon?)  Kadoka only houses around 500 people and is the kind of place where you drive down main street and see folks driving around with their dogs on side by sides.

We stayed at a motel named Grandpa Joe’s Place, which we found to be both affordable and excellent.  The rooms felt vintage and were impossibly clean. Not believing that our room could be so perfectly clean, we searched for any dust, anywhere, and were not able to find any.  They did not serve breakfast, but we brought food we could reheat in the microwave.

Tips For Visiting Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

This is not a site where you go to view epic nature. This is where you go to learn about American history and how close our way of life came to ending.

That being said, you will probably see a lot of antelopes along the highway.

If you are visiting on a weekday, I would try to add a stop at the National Grasslands Visitor Center in Wall, SD – they are open Monday-Thursday from 8:00 AM-4:30PM.

When To Visit Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

The Visitor Center is open from Tuesday-Saturday from 8:00 AM-4:00PM

The Delta-09 Missile Silo and the Delta-01 Launch Control Facility are open from Tuesday-Saturday from 9:00AM-3:00PM.

We recommend visiting in the spring or fall, as summer will be busier and winter will be VERY cold in South Dakota.

What To Bring To Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

You do not need to bring a whole lot to Minuteman, just your family and a good attitude!

Does Minuteman Missile National Historic Site Have An Entrance Fee Or Require Reservations?

There are no fees to visit the Visit Center or Delta-09 missile.  There is a fee for the Dalta-01 Launch Control Facility tour, and tickets need to be purchased ahead of time.  At the time of this article, tours are not being offered.

Sample Itinerary For Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

We recommend that you visit this site for a morning or afternoon, and add it as part of a trip to Badlands National Park.

Here is how we would spend a morning at Minuteman Missile NHS (total: 3 hours):

• Starting at the Visitor Center, watch the park video (30 minutes)
• Browse the exhibits in the visitor center and get your stamp (30 minutes)
• Drive to Delta-01 Launch Control Facility (6 minutes)
• Participate in Delta-01 tour (1 hour)
• Drive to the Delta-09 silo (15 minutes)
• Take in the exhibit and learn about the deactivated missile (30 minutes)

If you only have one hour to visit this site, I would recommend spending it at the visitor center watching the video and seeing the exhibits.

Summary

Minuteman Missile NHS is a sobering and important NPS Site.  It is a great place to go to learn about the Cold War and how our country prepared for it.  I would recommend anybody to add this site as an addition to a Badlands National Park trip.

Other Sights Near Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

Badlands National Park – Dramatic landscapes formed by erosion and surrounded by grasslands.

Wind Cave National Park – Great for cave tours to see boxwork as well as hiking above ground.

Custer State Park – Bison, Donkeys, National Treasure 2, scenic drives, and access to the highest mountain east of the Rockies.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial – An American classic.  You should see Crazy Horse while you are in the area.

Jewel Cave National Monument – This cave is not talked about very much but is even more impressive than Wind Cave.  You have to see it to understand.

The Black Hills – A national forest sprinkled with awesome small towns and NPS sites.

Devil’s Tower – A giant rock in the middle of nowhere, but that you should see on a trip to the Black Hills area.