'''Minuteman Missle National Historic Site''' [http://www.nps.gov/mimi/] is a United States National Historic Site in South Dakota in the USA.

Understand

At the Minuteman Missle National Historic Site you will find remnants of the Cold War, including an underground launch control center and a missile silo. Minuteman missiles held the destructive power to destroy civilization as we know it. Yet the same destructive force acted as a deterrent which kept the peace for three decades. Minuteman Missile makes it possible to revisit a time when the threat of nuclear war haunted the world.

A Minuteman Missile can strike a target over 6,000 miles away in less then half an hour. Because it moves at speeds of over 15,000 miles an hour a Minuteman could cross the United States from East to West in just over 10 minutes. By comparison to drive the same distance would take 40 hours.

History

Landscape

Flora and fauna

Climate

Get in

The park headquarters is open all year Monday through Friday, 8AM-4:30PM. The office is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's holidays. During the summer season (Memorial Day to Labor Day) tours are offered twice daily, Monday through Friday at 9AM and 1:30PM. Tours take approximately two hours. Tours space is extremely limited, it is always best to reserve in advance. All tours begin at the park headquarters office. Reservations can be made by calling the Minuteman Missile headquarters office at +1-605-433-5552 between 8AM and 4:30PM, Monday - Friday.

Tours are also offered throughout the fall, winter and spring at 10AM daily. For group reservations, including schools or special programs call the headquarters.

Reservations for the 2007 summer season will be taken beginning Monday, April 2nd.

Fees/Permits

There are currently no fees to visit the site. However, Minuteman Missile is considering implementing a fee program which would begin in 2008. This program would require a fee to tour Launch Control Facility Delta-01. The fee price could range from $6 to $10. These funds would be used for maintenance projects, historic preservation and expanding tour services.

Get around

The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site headquarters is located off Interstate 90, exit 131, beside the Badlands BP trading post. The contact station is the starting point for all tours to the site. The contact station also includes exhibits and a park orientation video which places the Minuteman in historic context. The visitor contact station is open from 8AM-4:30PM, Monday through Friday, throughout the year with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

See

Tours will be offered throughout the winter and spring at 10AM. The tours are approximately two hours in length and are limited to six people. For more information and to make a reservation, call the Minuteman Missile NHS Project Office at +1-605-433-5552 between 8AM and 4:30PM, Monday-Friday. Spaces on these tours are very limited so plan your trip early!

For group reservations or special programs also call the Project Office. Reservations for the summer tours will be taken starting April 2nd, 2007.

Do

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Lodging

Camping

Backcountry

Stay safe

Get out