Wind Cave National Park

Overview

About

Wind Cave National Park is in southwestern South Dakota. The cave has more than 160 miles of surveyed passages, one of the longest in the world.
Wind Cave is fairly dry, so it has few stalactites, but it has many beautiful mineral crystal formations.

Above ground, the park sits where prairie meets forest. Wildlife is plentiful, with large mammals such as bison, pronghorn and elk.

Map

Travel tips

Getting there: The park is in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota, about an hour by road from Rapid City, which has the nearest airport.

The cave: The cave can be seen only on ranger-led tours, in a choice of lengths and difficulty, such as the Natural Entrance, Garden of Eden and Fairgrounds tours.

Booking: Cave tours fill up in summer; some tours should be booked online ahead, and the rest are ticketed on the day at the visitor center.

Features: The cave stays at about 12 C all year, so bring a jacket. It holds rare boxwork formations, and air moves in and out of the entrance, which gave the cave its name.

Above ground: The surface is prairie and pine forest at the southern end of the Black Hills, with bison, pronghorn and prairie dogs often seen along the roads.

Time: Half a day for a cave tour and wildlife viewing; allow a day or two if combining it with Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park to the north.

Season: The cave is open all year, with fewer tours offered in the off-season; summer is busy and spring and autumn are quieter.

Where to stay: Elk Mountain Campground is in the park; hotels are in Hot Springs to the south and Custer to the north.