South Dakota Highway 44, formerly known as South Dakota State Highway 40, is also known as the "Rimrock Highway" or "Rimrock Drive" and connects Rapid City with U.S. Highway 385 at Pactola Junction, just north of Pactola Lake. One of the most scenic drives in the Black Hills, SD 44 follows Rapid Creek, a blue-ribbon trout fishery, much of the way, and also follows much of the alignment of the old Rapid City, Black Hills and Western Railroad, also known as the Crouch Line.
A number of small, unincorporated communities lie along or near SD 44, west of Rapid City, including Upper and Lower Hisega, Big Bend, Johnson's Siding, and Placerville. Several tourist attractions also are found on the highway, including Black Hills Caverns (formerly Nameless Cave), Crystal Cave, and Thunderhead Falls, a waterfall created by mining in an underground tunnel. SD 44 connects, via the Norris Peak Road, with Nemo Road between Rapid City, Nemo, and Brownsville, SD, but otherwise has no connections with any other major roads in the Black Hills. The area served by the highway is a major bedroom community for Rapid City.
SD Highway 44 is also referred to as the "South Dakota High Road" in the transportation industry. It is the only highway which traverses the entire state without a single overhead obstruction (excluding power lines).
Highway 44 also traverses the state, with its eastern terminus at Interstate 29 right before entering the town of Worthing.
Highway 44 also crosses Lake Francis Case reservoir.
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