Tour the Front-line of the Cold War at Delta-01

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is unable to offer ranger-guided Delta-01 tours at this time. Existing tour reservations will be honored. An alternative virtual tour of the Delta-01 Launch Control Facility is available online or at the visitor center as staffing allows. 

Learn what it was like to have the awesome responsibility of thermonuclear war at your fingertips. The forty-five minute ranger guided tour of the control center at Delta-01 begins with a walk through of the grounds and topside support building. Visitors then descend via elevator 31 feet underground to the Launch Control Center to see the electronic consoles used by missileers to control ten Minuteman II missiles.  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.

Built for nuclear war, the control center features a small elevator and a tight underground space. To protect the historic facilities and to provide for visitor safety, each tour is limited to six participants. Advanced reservations are required for all tours.

Details

Duration

45-60 Minutes

The tour is forty-five minutes in duration. Visitors are asked to arrive 15 minutes early and meet their ranger at the front gate. Advance reservations are required for the tour.

Activity

Guided Tours

This tour lasts thirty minutes and is limited to six participants and a park ranger. The tour begins and ends at the entry gate to the Delta-01 compound. The tour route proceeds with a walk through of the grounds and topside support building before descending in the original elevator 31 feet to enter the underground control center. All tour participants must be able to be physically capable of climbing two 15 foot ladders unassisted in the event of an elevator failure.

Age(s)

6 and Older

In order to participate in the tour, children must be at least 40” tall, six years of age, and be able to climb the ladder unassisted.

All adult tour participants must be physically capable of climbing two 15 foot ladders unassisted. These ladders are permanently attached to the wall and are very sturdy.

Pets Allowed

No

Service animals are an exception to most pet restrictions and are allowed on trails and in public buildings. Service animals must be kept on a leash at all times. Service animals are not allowed on the elevator or down in the underground control center at Delta One, due to their inability to climb the egress ladders in the event of an emergency.

Activity Fee

Yes

Delta-01 Tour Fee

• $12.00 - Adult age 17 & over
• $8.00 - Youth ages 6-16

All tours of the Delta-01 Launch Control Facility require advanced reservations and an amenity fee. Reservations can be made on-line or by phone at 605-717-7629. Reservations can be made up to 90 days prior to tour date.

Location

To The Delta-01 Launch Control Facility

Delta-01 is located on the north side of Exit 127, Interstate 90. No facilities presently exist at Delta-01 except for the ticketed, ranger-led tour; no entry to the facility is allowed without tour reservations.

From the east, via I-90
Follow I-90 east to exit 127. Turn right off the exit. The road will soon turn to gravel. The launch control facility will be 1/2 mile on the left.

From the west, via I-90
Follow I-90 west to exit 127. Turn left off the exit and go under the underpass. The road will soon turn to gravel. The launch control facility will be 1/2 mile on the left.

Reservations

Yes

All tours of the Delta-01 Launch Control Facility require advanced reservations and an amenity fee. Reservations can be made on-line or by phone at 605-717-7629. Reservations can be made up to 90 days prior to tour date. SAME DAY tours are not available

Season

Year Round

Number of tours offered daily varies depending on time of year. If you are considering a summer season visit, the park recommends securing reservations for the tour as quickly as possible, as tours fill to capacity very quickly.

Time of Day

Day

Tours are offered during the park's normal operating hours only

Accessibility Information

Built for nuclear war, the control center features a small elevator and a tight underground space, creating a number of accessibility challenges. The use of walking aids/wheelchairs is strictly limited to the ground level “topside” portion of the building. Wheelchairs and service animals are not allowed on the elevator or in the underground launch control center. Please contact the park if you have tour reservations and mobility restrictions.

Assistive listening devices are available for anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing. Please give us 48 hours notice before your reserved tour if you would like to have one ready for your visit.

Service Animals
Service animals are an exception to most pet restrictions and are allowed on trails and in public buildings. Service animals must be kept on a leash at all times. Service animals are not allowed on the elevator or down in the underground control center at Delta One, due to their inability to climb the egress ladders in the event of an emergency.

Visitors and a park volunteer discuss the blast door before entering the launch control center.

NPS/E. Leonard

The elevator car at Delta-01 is only three feet by five feet wide - six visitors and a ranger are often a tight fit.

NPS/J. Rudy

Why are tour sizes so small?

The Delta One facility is open to the public only through guided tours, in keeping with the level of security maintained by the U.S. Air Force historically. Given the historic military mission of the Delta-01 facility, the space limited underground control center and limited elevator access are integral to the building. The maximum tour size of six persons per tour plus park ranger escort is established to in order to provide personal interpretation of the park’s primary resources to visitors, to increase visitor safety, and to provide maximum protection for park resources.

What To Do If You Can't Get A Tour

In the summer season especially, demand for tours at Delta-01 exceeds capacity. In addition to visiting the visitor center and Delta-09, a visit to Rapid City's South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth Air Force Base offers a number of complimentary features that further explore the Minuteman Missile story. The museum's exhibits include a launch control simulator identical to the control center at Delta-01 and their airpark display includes a Minuteman II missile. During the summer season the base tour includes an opportunity to go inside a missile silo trainer preserved on base.