About Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
During the Cold War, a vast arsenal of nuclear missiles were placed in the Great Plains. 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.
Quick Facts
Operating Hours
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.
Activities
Getting There
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.
View Official DirectionsContact & Address
Topics & Themes
Things To Do
Tour the Front-line of the Cold War at Delta-01
Learn what it was like to have the awesome responsibility of thermonuclear war at your fingertips. The thirty-minute guided tour…
This tour lasts thirty minutes and is limited to six participants and a park ranger. The tour begins and ends…
The Minuteman Missile Mobile Tour
A Mobile Phone guided tour of Delta-09 and Delta-01 is available for visitors to learn the history of Minuteman Missile…
The mobile tour at Delta-09 explains the features of the missile silo. At Delta-01 the mobile tour takes visitors from…
Spot a (Former) Nuclear Missile Silo
The South Dakota landscape hides former missile silo sites in plain sight - many of them can be found in-between…
Get Your National Park Passport Stamped at Minuteman Missile
The Passport program was started by Eastern National in 1986 and was established to help visitors discover the beauty and…
At nearly all of the 417 American National Park units (and many of the National Park Service's affiliated areas), one or more National Park…
Visit the Delta-01 Launch Control Facility
For every 10 Minuteman nuclear missiles (know as a Flight) there would be a Launch Control Facility that housed Air…
Visitors to the site can view Delta-01 as they would have historically—from outside of the fence. Advanced reservations are required…
Driving Delta Flight
This activity is a vehicle-based driving tour beginning at the visitor center, and visiting all eleven locations that made up…
This activity is a vehicle-based driving tour beginning at the visitor center, and visiting all eleven locations that made up…
Visitor Centers
Minuteman Missile NHS Visitor Center
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…
Hours: Currently, the park will be open Tuesday-Saturday, 8am-4pm. These days or hours may or may not change during the summer season. Please plan accordingly.
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