south dakota missile silo tour

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Last updated: May 27, 2020

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24545 Cottonwood Road Philip, SD 57567

605 433-5552

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Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

Hidden in Plain Sight

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is a fascinating destination that provides visitors with an immersive experience of the Cold War history and the historic Minuteman Missiles that never were fired at an enemy. By exploring the park's exhibits and tours, visitors can learn about the important role these missiles and the military personnel played in helping to keep America safe during this tumultuous time in history.

Visitor Center

Start your visit at the park's visitor center, where you'll find exhibits, displays, and educational materials that provide an in-depth look at the history of the Cold War and the Minuteman Missiles.

Launch Control Facility

Explore the underground missile control center at the Launch Control Facility. Discover the history and operation of the Minuteman Missile through guided tours that take visitors through the facility's various chambers and equipment rooms.

Delta-01 Missile Silo

Take a tour of the Delta-01 Missile Silo and experience the once top-secret location where Air Force personnel stood ready to launch a Minuteman Missile. Visitors will learn about the missile's construction, the personnel who operated and maintained the silo, and its role in the Cold War.

Experience the fascinating history and learn how the Minuteman missiles shaped our country at Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. With tours, exhibits and the park's unspoiled natural beauty, there's plenty to see and do at this unique and historical destination.

South Dakota Vacation Guide

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Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

The Minuteman Missile Underground tour is currently undergoing mechanical issues and repairs.  Underground tours have been halted until April 1, 2024 at this time.  Surface tours will be available for sale starting Monday March 11, 2024 – with the first available tour to book being March 16, 2024.   Surface tours will be available Tuesday thru Saturday at 1:00 and 2:00pm.  A total of 6 people will be able to reserve advance tickets to the tour.  Additional space may be available directly at the Welcome Center the day of the tour.  To check on this availability – please go directly to the welcome center to inquire the day of tour.

The historic Delta-01 compound is built to execute a nuclear war. The park is offering a tour that focuses on the topside structure and uses accommodations to explore the underground launch control facility. The guides will take the visitors through the top side of the Delta-01 Launch Control Center and show a short video/virtual tour of the capsule below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.  Visit the once secret facilities where Air Force personnel controlled and maintained ten nuclear missiles, part of a force of 150 missiles located in South Dakota. Discover the Cold War events that shaped our lives and still remain through a tour of the underground control center at Delta-01. At the Delta-09 silo, view a nuclear missile which once carried a 1.2 megaton warhead.Plan to visit all three sites

Reservations are required for the Delta 0-1 tour and can be made between 24 hours and 90 days prior to arrival. Tour reservations inside 24 hours are not available. No same day tours in the summer season. Only six people allowed per tour. At least one adult must accompany a child on the Delta -01 tour. Children must be 40” tall and at least six years old.

The TOTAL number of slots available per tour are indicated by clicking on the Adult Ages 17+ drop down box. If it says 2 under Adults and Kids – there are only 2 TOTAL people available,  Not 2 Adults and 2 Children. If there are no matches for the date you search you will get this message: NO RESULTS FOUND. Change your dates to check other availability. Again, if there are no tours available you will get this message: NO RESULTS FOUND.

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 Launch Control Facility Delta-01 (reservations required) is four miles west and the Delta-09 missile silo self guided tour is 15 miles west of the Visitor Center.  Built to execute a nuclear war, the historic Delta-01 compound cannot be made fully accessible. For those visitors unable to safely experience the underground control center, the Visitors Center at exit 131 offers a Virtual Tour experience that can be enjoyed by all.

Additional Information

There are currently no packages available for this location, there are currently no maps available for this location.

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

South Dakota

In the 1960s and '70s, a thousand Minutemen II intercontinental ballistic missiles, always at the ready in underground silos spread across the Plains, were just 30 minutes from their targets in the Soviet Union. The missiles have since been retired (though more modern ones still lurk underground across the northern Great Plains). This national historic site preserves one silo and its underground launch facility. The small visitor center is close to the main entrance to the Badlands and uses the same I-90 exit (131).

The visitor center has displays and films that try gamely to cover the entire Cold War. The 30-minute tours cover the nearby underground Launch Control Facility Delta-01, where two people stood ready around the clock to turn keys to launch missiles from this part of South Dakota. The tours require advance reservations and book up weeks in advance in summer (visit www.npsreservations.com/minuteman-missile).

The Delta-09 Missile Silo can be viewed without a tour through a glass cover. It's 15 miles northwest of the visitor center via I-90.

I-90 exit 131

Get In Touch

866-601-5129

https://www.nps.gov/mimi

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National Parks and Monuments

Minuteman Missile

Reservations are Required for the Delta-01 Tour and can be made between 24 hours and 90 days prior to arrival. Tour reservations inside 24 hours are not available. No same day tours in the Summer season. | How to Book: The TOTAL number of slots available per tour are indicated by clicking on the Adult Ages 17+ drop down box. If there are no matches for the date you searched, you will get this message ‘NO RESULTS FOUND’. Change your dates to check other availability. If for example, the Adult drop down box states 2 slots available and the Child states 2, there are ONLY a TOTAL of 2 tours available for that time slot.

Please Read 

The Minuteman Missile Underground tour is currently undergoing mechanical issues and repairs.  Underground tours have been halted until April 1, 2024 at this time.  Surface tours will be available for sale starting Monday March 11, 2024 – with the first available tour to book being March 16, 2024.  Surface tours will be available Tuesday thru Saturday at 1:00 and 2:00pm.  A total of 6 people will be able to reserve advance tickets to the tour.  Additional space may be available directly at the Welcome Center the day of the tour.  To check on this availability – please go directly to the welcome center to inquire the day of tour. 

The historic Delta-01 compound is built to execute a nuclear war. The park is offering a tour that focuses on the topside structure and uses accommodations to explore the underground launch control facility. The guides will take the visitors through the top side of the Delta-01 Launch Control Center and show a short video/virtual tour of the capsule below.

Notice: The visitor center at Exit 131 is open Tuesday through Saturday.

View 90 Day Window Reservations Oct 2023 – April 2024

View 90 Day Window Reservations May – January 2025

Please read Tour Safety Restrictions below:

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.

Visit the once secret facilities where Air Force personnel controlled and maintained ten nuclear missiles, part of a force of 150 missiles located in South Dakota. Discover the Cold War events that shaped our lives and still remain through a tour of the underground control center at Delta-01. At the Delta-09 silo, view a nuclear missile which once carried a 1.2 megaton warhead.

Accessibility

Built to execute a nuclear war, the historic Delta-01 compound cannot be made fully accessible. For those visitors unable to safely experience the underground control center, the Visitors Center at exit 131 offers a Virtual Tour experience that can be enjoyed by all. 

Tour Safety Restrictions

The Delta-01 tour is moderately strenuous and requires a quarter mile round trip walk to and from the Delta-01 compound. All tour participants must be able to climb two 15 foot ladders, walk, and stand unassisted. Visitors who wish to participate in the underground part of the tour must fulfill the following requirements:

• Be physically capable of climbing two 15 foot ladders unassisted. These ladders are permanently attached to the wall and are very sturdy.
• Children must be at least 40” tall, six years of age, and be able to climb the ladder unassisted. At least one adult must accompany child on Delta-01 Tour.
• Be comfortable in a small elevator in close proximity to six other adults.
• Be comfortable with heights of approximately 35 feet or about 3 stories. The elevator door is an open grate, not a solid door.
• The underground control center was not designed to accommodate the general public. It is accessed by an elevator and a ladder. In the event of an elevator failure, visitors that are underground will need to be capable of climbing the ladder for a safe and timely exit. Entering the control center also requires passing through a narrow corridor.
• Why only six per tour? Because the facility was built for nuclear war. A small elevator and tight space.
• Arrive 15 minutes early tour time to ensure you have time to walk from the parking lot to the front gate at Delta-01, where all tours start.

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Thing to Do

The Minuteman Missile Mobile Tour

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

Service animals allowed. 

Accessibility is limited by the gravel driveway and gravel or dirt surfaces from the parking area through the fence gate and to the silo itself. At the silo, a concrete apron is immediately in front of the viewing enclosure.

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A guided tour for your mobile device will enhance your visit to Delta-09 missile silo and the Delta-01 Launch Control Facility . At Delta-09 learn the history of Minuteman Missile silos on the Great Plains and how the silo was operated for thirty years. At Delta-01 learn about the features of the Launch Control Facility as you walk to the main gate. Air Force veterans who served at each location narrate these interpretative tours. Even though the stops are numbered, visitors can choose any stop in any order to accommodate their visit. Stops one through ten explore the Delta-09 silo and stops eleven to twenty take visitors to the front gate of Delta-01. The mobile web app features content for all twenty stops points of interest, including images, tour text, and links to expanded content, including the 3-D virtual tours of the silo and underground control center.

Delta-09 Audio Tour

Stops 1-10 of the Delta-09 audio tour

Delta-01 Audio Tour

Stops 11-20 for the Delta 01 Audio Tour

NPS/MIMI 2885

Last updated: February 25, 2022

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Tour a Missile Silo

There are a number of former active Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) sites that are now museums open to the public.

You can visit a Titan II, Minuteman or Peacekeeper Missile Alert Facility (Launch Control Facility), including the underground Launch Control Center where missile combat crews sat on alert, and tour a Titan II or Minuteman missile silo or Launch Facility.

You can see the tools and equipment the Missile Maintainers used and visit places few have been. In some cases, reservations are required for a full visit, and some sites charge a small fee. Check the web page for each to find how to visit these important facilities that were significant to our nuclear deterrence posture. At each location, you will meet docents who will guide you and answer questions - your docent may have even worked on the site you are visiting

Titan II Missile Museum — Arizona

Located in Green Valley, Arizona, south of Tucson, on I-19, Launch Complex 571-7 was part of the 390th Strategic Missile Wing at Davis Monthan AFB from 1963 to 1987, one of the 54 Titan II sites in that wing. The museum opened in 1986 and is operated by the Arizona Aerospace Foundation.  The Titan II Museum offers a variety of tours and other activities. You can find all the information you need on hours, directions, tours and fees on their website:  www.titanmissilemusuem.org

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site (MiMi) — South Dakota

Located on I-90 east of Wall, South Dakota, near the Badlands National Park, MiMi includes a Visitors Center with displays, videos and a store.

The Missile Alert Facility (Launch Control Facility) is D-01, one of the five flights in the 66th Strategic Missile Squadron, 44th Strategic Missile Wing/Missile Wing at Ellsworth AFB, between 1963 and 1994. Launch Facility D-09 was in the same squadron and controlled by D-01.  The site is managed by the National Park Service.

MiMi offers tours of the above ground and below ground facilities at D-01 and above ground at D-09. Reservations are required for some tours and a fee is charged. You can find all the information you need on hours, directions, tours and fees on their website:  www.nps.gov/mimi

Located on I-90 East of Wall, South Dakota, near the Badlands National Park, MiMi includes a Visitors Center with displays, videos and a store. The Missile Alert Facility (Launch Control Facility) is D-01, one of the five flights in the 66th Strategic Missile Squadron, 44th Strategic Missile Wing/Missile Wing at Ellwsorth AFB, between 1963 and 1994. Launch Facility D-09 was in the same squadron and controlled by D-01. The site is managed by the National Park Service. MiMi offers tours of the above ground and below ground facilities at D-01 and above ground at D-09. Reservations are required for some tours and a fee is charged. You can find all the information you need on hours, directions, tours and fees on their web site:  www.nps.gov/mimi

Oscar-Zero and Launch Facility N-03 — North Dakota

Quebec-01 peacekeeper site — wyoming.

Wyoming State Parks opened the Q-01 Missile Alert Facility (Launch Control Facility) as the newest state historic site.

Quebec-1 is significant as the only accessible Peacekeeper Missile Alert Facility left in the world.  The site strives to preserve and interpret the Cold War history of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, fostering an understanding of the mission and duties of the personnel assigned to work there.

Quebec-01 Missile Alert Facility State Historic Site offers the opportunity to see a military installation that was “hidden in plain sight” and controlled one of the most destructive nuclear weapons ever built by the United States. Delve into the daily lives of missileers, topside personnel, missile technology, the Cold War, and the deactivation of this missile system. Q-01 was part of the 90th Strategic Missile Wing/Missile Wing, initially as a Minuteman site (1962-1986) but then as one of five Peacekeeper Missile Control Centers in the 400th Missile Squadron (1986-2005).

Learn more by visiting:  wyoparks.state.wy.us/index.php/places-to-go/quebec-01

Wyoming State Parks is preparing the Q-01 Missile Alert Facility (Launch Control Facility) as the newest state historic site. This site is significant as the only accessible Peacekeeper Missile Alert Facility left in the world and will strive to preserve and interpret the Cold War history of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, fostering an understanding of the mission and duties of the personnel and crews assigned to work there. Quebec 01 Missile Alert Facility State Historic Site, once open, will offer the visitor the opportunity to see a military installation that was “hidden in plain sight” and controlled one of the most destructive nuclear weapons ever built by the United States. Delve into the daily lives of missileers, topside personnel, missile technology, the Cold War and the deactivation of this missile system. Q-01 was part of the 90th Strategic Missile Wing/Missile Wing, initially as a Minuteman site (1962-1986) but then as one of rive Peacekeeper Missile control centers in the 400th Missile Squadron., (1986-2005). Learn more by visiting:  wyoparks.state.wy.us/index.php/places-to-go/quebec-01

Mailing address:

P.O. Box 1767

Monument, CO 80132

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Prepper Paradise: Bumper Crop of Bunkers for Sale in South Dakota ‘Survival Community’

Three bunkers that can be turned into safe homes are for sale in a prepper town near Edgemont, SD .

A former Army property houses the 575 concrete and steel bunkers, many of which have been already converted into escape shelters, vacation homes, or full-time residences.

For those with a prepper state of mind, this might be paradise.

“It’s a safe-home community. I don’t know of any other community quite like it,” says Jared Stokes with Exit Realty Black Hills. He’s the listing agent for two of the bunkers that are on the market, one of which is listed for $50,000 and the other for $64,950 .

“You hear of some here and there with missile silos, but this one is a preppers’ community where they can go and get away from the buzz of life,” says Stokes.

(Realtor.com)

Another bunker is listed for $69,900 with Dixie Whittaker of Keller Williams Realty Black Hills.

The prices differ based on what has already been done to the bunkers involving the cleaning, painting, and interior preparation.

Each bunker has a floor width of 26.5 feet with lengths of 60 or 80 feet, and a 12.5-foot ceiling at the highest point. Each comes with a 10-ton blast door.

While the structures on the market are empty shells, Stokes has seen their potential as living quarters.

“I know a resident out there that has [one], with a loft included. There’s four bedrooms, two baths, hot water on tap, huge sinks, solar batteries,” Stokes says. “When you step into it, it feels like you’re in a modern-day home with all of the conveniences, but you’re completely off-grid.”

‘A blank canvas’

The sale price is technically for a 99-year lease and the right to build out the bunker.

“It gives you a blank canvas, and that’s kind of the cool thing about it. You can create anything that you want,” Stokes says.

The lease is with a company called Vivos, which advertises its X Point community as “The Largest Survival Community on Earth” with plans to house more than 5,000 people on 18 square miles of land.

The former Army property was once the Black Hills Ordnance Depot, a storage and maintenance facility that was built in 1942 and decommissioned in 1967. The land was eventually sold to the city of Edgemont, which in turn sold it to local cattle ranchers, some of whom used the bunkers as shelters for the grazing animals.

And now the area has been taken over by Vivos, which is offering the bunkers as a prepper haven.

Stokes says Vivos will work with buyers to build out their bunker to their specifications. The listing notes that sales are cash only.

Vivos claims the community is within a 24-hour drive from most points in the continental United States.

“The perfect buyer is someone who is worried about the direction this world is headed,” Stokes says, adding there are a variety of people already in the community.

“There are people that are really afraid of the end of days and are true preppers. Others just wanted to sell their house and just then kind of live off the land. The cost of living is really inexpensive out there.”

• Homes for sale in Edgemont, SD
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Tiffani Sherman is a Florida-based writer who covers real estate, finance, and travel.

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You can stay in a Cold War-era Atlas Missile silo Airbnb in Kansas

W ILSON, Kan. (KSNW) — Imagine exploring a relic of the Cold War in central Kansas. Now, you don’t have to imagine it. You can spend the night in a decommissioned Atlas Missile site in Ellsworth County.

During the 1950s, the U.S. government spent billions on bolstering our military defense against Russian communism. A missile and rocket defense program was developed. Seventy-two Atlas Missile silos were constructed around the country, mostly in the Midwest. Not long after they opened, they became obsolete and were abandoned by the early 1960s.

A cluster of nine Atlas E Missile silos surrounds Forbes Field in Topeka. A dozen Atlas F Missile silos were sprinkled in open fields around the former Schilling Air Force Base in Salina.

Most of them have been fenced off for decades. A few are for sale. Some have been completely renovated into living spaces. The one located about two miles east of Wilson is now accepting guests as an Airbnb.

Matthew Fulkerson grew up outside of Topeka. As a child, he stumbled upon an abandoned missile site. It was surrounded by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. He found the gate was open, so he explored it and became friends with the gentleman who owned it. He was turning the old complex into his home.

Fulkerson began assisting that man with consulting, selling, and acquiring decommissioned missile bases, communications bunkers, and other Department of Defense underground facilities.

“In 2013, I found this site, and I was just gonna take some photographs and video and try to market it online. And then I fell in love with this property,” said Fulkerson. “There are fantastic views of the Smoky Hills and Post Rock Wind Farm, and then it’s close to Lake Wilson, one of the largest, cleanest lakes in the state. And it’s right close to I-70. So, I feel like it’s a hidden gem for tourism.”

The 24-acre property doesn’t have many neighbors. Unless you count the gigantic wind turbines that surround it.

Fulkerson calls his site Atlas Ad Astra Adventure Resort.

From the surface, there’s not much to see. There’s parking for camping, a few hills, and trees. There’s a huge concrete square. That’s the top of the missile silo. Guests can make out the two three-foot thick, 75-ton doors that protected the Atlas F Missile. There is a concrete entryway, and a candy cane-shaped pipe that was the air handling system used for fresh air. There’s also a concrete escape hatch covered with a metal top.

As guests descend two long flights of stairs, the temperature drops to 60 degrees. Through the entrapment room, guests will turn and walk through a pair of 2,000-pound blast doors. Down a few more stairs is the Launch Control Center, which Fulkerson has completely renovated into the first stage of his Airbnb.

“Now you have the opportunity to stay underground and in this beautiful place,” said Fulkerson as he opened a door leading into a large full bathroom.

“Here we have the king-sized bedroom. A nice, comfortable bed. A big TV so you can watch movies from bed,” he pointed out.

This complex, number 550-8 of the 550th Strategic Missile Squadron, housed the first intercontinental ballistic missile weapon of mass destruction. Fortunately, it was never launched.

“When I bought this place, everything was falling apart. You had mold that had gotten into the walls. You had tile peeling up off the floor, paint peeling off the rails. So, I really had to gut the entire place,” he said.

Fulkerson has had some help from family members and neighbors, but he completed the demolition and renovation pretty much all on his own. He transformed a living space for missileers into a staying place for curious visitors.

“When I felt like it was safe enough for people to tour, that’s when I opened it up as a campground,” Fulkerson said. “I have just opened up the inside for guests to be able to stay in the bunker.”

Fulkerson received $100,000 from Airbnb to complete the first phase of his ambitious project.

From the unfinished bottom level of the living quarters, guests can walk through a tunnel, open another heavy blast door, and find the humongous missile silo.

“And here is the silo itself. This is 52 feet in diameter and 176 feet all the way to the bottom,” said Fulkerson.

The very bottom of the silo is filled with about 70 feet of water.

Fulkerson’s underground dream someday is to construct a 14-15 story combination of living quarters, lounges, a science lab, a theater and bar, and a spa and gym.

“I have a friend who already converted his missile silo into a 15-floor luxury condominium complex here in Kansas. And we’re going to be working together with him to develop it out,” he said.

Fulkerson is dreaming big.

“So, the goal is to turn it into like a space-themed adventure resort where people from around the world could come and actually go through future astronaut training programs and learn about all the sustainable technologies they would take to set up a lunar base on the moon or colonization project on another planet.”

A one-night stay on the completed top floor of the Launch Control Center is $300. Camping spots for tents, campers and RVs are available for $38 per night.

To book a night inside the Atlas Ad Astra complex, click here .

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