Wind Cave: World’s First Cave National Park
Wind Cave Guide
Use our realistic Wind Cave Guide to plan your next adventure in this national park.
Wind Cave National Park is a cave system in South Dakota.
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Sights & Places of Interest
Wind Cave has attracted people for centuries. Native Americans long regarded it as sacred. However, it was not until 1881 when the pioneers rediscovered the cave. Strong wind due to differences in the atmospheric pressures inside and outside the cave led to its discovery and naming.
Wind Cave Features
Wind Cave became a National Park in 1903. It was the 6th National Park in the United States. Wind Cave is also the first cave in the world to receive this designation. One might think that it was a recognition of the cave’s significance or beauty. But one would be wrong.
Wind Cave is not the longest, deepest, or prettiest cave in the Black Hills region, let alone the world. The nearby Jewel Cave claims all of these titles in the Black Hills. Still, Wind Cave’s 150+ miles (241 km) of passages are enough to make it the 7th longest cave in the world.
Hiking Trails
Wind Cave National Park protects a large area both below and above the ground. The park features 30+ miles (48 km) of above-ground hiking trails, which is fairly uncommon for a cave park. There are 8 designated trails that range from 1.4 miles (2.2 km) to 8.6 miles (13.8 km) in length.
Hikers can also go outside of the designated trails. This is even more uncommon for a national park. You can enjoy the vivid colored meadows and foothills using a path that works for you.
Wildlife Spotting
When hiking in the park be on the lookout for wildlife. You will likely see bisons, elks, and prairie dogs during your visit to Wind Cave. It is best to observe the animals from a distance for your and their safety.
Cave Tours
Despite the surprising variety of above-ground activities, Wind Cave is still an underground park. You can only explore Wind Cave on a ranger-led tour. There are plenty of cave tours to choose from.
The tours differ in durations and route. Most visitors take the Garden of Eden or Natural Entrance tours. Our Wind Cave Guide will follow the path of the Natural Entrance tour.
Natural Entrance Tour
The Natural Entrance tour started above the ground. The tour involved an introductory session with a ranger as we walked to the cave’s entrance. We spent almost 30 minutes of the 75-minute tour above the ground. Hopefully, you will have better luck during your visit to Wind Cave.
Once we finally entered the cave, we proceeded to the Post Office chamber.
This chamber put boxwork on full display. This is Wind Cave’s signature formation. Few other caves feature as much boxwork as Wind Cave.
There is an unfortunate tradeoff for the abundance of boxwork. Wind Cave features few other formations. You will see almost no stalactites, stalagmites, or columns during the tour. This makes Wind Cave less memorable than other caves in the US and around the world.
On the bright side, the cave trail was not physically demanding. For the majority of the time, the tour proceeded downhill from the Natural Entrance.
The Devil’s Lookout was the next chamber we visited. The Lookout’s location makes it somewhat special. It is directly underneath the Visitor Center building.
The Methodist Church was one of the last chambers we visited on the tour. The tour ended with an elevator ride to the ground. We walked for another few minutes to reach the visitor center and the parking lot.
Continue with our Wind Cave Guide to learn more about ways to get to the sights, entrance requirements, and places to stay.
Getting to Wind Cave
Wind Cave National Park is in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. The park is about 7 miles (11 km) north of Hot Springs, SD. Highway US-385 is the fastest way to the park from either Hot Springs or Custer. If you are coming from Rapid City, consider taking a scenic route via Custer State Park. Just like with the rest of the Black Hills sights, Denver, CO is the closest airport hub to the park.
Where to Stay
Wind Cave National Park’s 100+ year history ensures that you have plenty of lodging options. Hot Springs, SD is the closest town to the park with hotels and vacation rentals. You can also consider towns north of the park for places to stay. Take a look at Custer, SD, Hill City, SD, Keystone, SD, and Three Forks, SD. For the ultimate selection proceed to Rapid City, SD.
Entrance Requirements & Passes
Wind Cave National Park is open every day of the year. However, the visitor center is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Days. Cave tours do not run on these holidays. We visited Wind Cave National Park during our summer trip to the Black Hills region.
The park does not charge admission fees to explore the above ground sights. But it requires cave tour tickets. Wind Cave National Park offers 6 cave tours:
- Garden of Eden Tour: 60-minute moderate tour that covers 150 stairs over 0.25 miles (0.4 km), $15 per adult
- Natural Entrance Tour: 75-minute moderate tour that covers 300 stairs over 0.75 mies (1.2 km), $17 per adult
- Fairgrounds Tour: 90-minute strenuous tour that covers 450 stairs over 0.75 (1.2 km), $17 per adult
- Accessibility Tour: 30-minute easy tour with no elevation gain over 100 ft (30 m), $7 per adult
- Candlelight Tour: 2-hour summer only strenuous tour that covers 424 stairs over 0.75 (1.2 km), $17 per adult
- Wild Cave Tour: 4-hour summer only very strenuous tour, $46 per adult
Cave tours often sell out. It is a good idea to reserve tickets in advance to secure your a spot. Prices are accurate at the time of writing.
Unfortunately, America the Beautiful annual pass does not reduce or waive cave tour fees. Unless you visit during one of the year’s fee free days, you will pay the full price.
The tour schedule differs from season to season. Check the park’s website before your visit.
Takeaways: Wind Cave
Wind Cave National Park is a nice place to visit. However, we found it a bit too crowded and overrated. The park’s longstanding history might suggest plentiful and versatile formations. In reality, boxwork is one of the few common and unique formations in Wind Cave.
About half of the Natural Entrance Tour takes place outside of the cave. Look into the Garden of Eden or Fairgrounds Tours if you would like to spend more time in the cave. And, if you manage to book a tour spot at the nearby Jewel Cave, you might not lose much by skipping Wind Cave.
Take a look at our Wind Cave Video Guide and visit our YouTube channel for the latest videos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wind Cave is the 7th longest cave system in the world. While Wind Cave has few stalactites and stalagmites, it has plenty of boxwork formations. This honeycombs like structure is Wind Cave’s signature formation.
Wind Cave National Park has both under and above ground places of interest. Wind Cave’s underground sights might pale in comparison to Jewel Cave and other caves in the nation. But the park’s wildlife spotting and hiking opportunities are worth a trip.
Unfortunately, Wind Cave is only open on ranger led tours. You need to purchase a ticket and join a tour group to explore the cave.
Wind Cave National Park offers 6 tours that differ in duration and route:
– Accessibility Tour: 30 minutes
– Garden of Eden Tour: 60 minutes
– Natural Entrance Tour: 75 minutes
– Fairgrounds Tour: 90 minutes
– Candlelight Tour: 2 hours
– Wild Cave Tour: 4 hours
Natural Entrance and Garden of Eden are two of the most popular tours of Wind Cave.
A couple of hours to half a day is enough to visit the cave, spot wildlife, and hike a short trail in Wind Cave National Park.
Late spring and early fall are best seasons to visit Wind Cave since you can enjoy cave tours without summer crowds.
It takes 10 minutes to drive through Wind Cave on Highway US-385.
Safe realist travels!
