Wind Cave National Park


South Dakota

Fast Facts


▪️ What the Park Protects: Wind Cave | Mixed grass prairie | Forests
▪️ Year Established: 1903
▪️ Visitors in 2021: 709,001
▪️ Size: 53 sq. miles
▪️ Fun Fact: Wind Cave is the seventh longest known cave in the world and the third longest in the United States with over 150 miles of explored passageways

Tips & Recommendations

Despite being one of the longest caves in the world, Wind Cave offers a limited number of guided cave tours. Of the three national parks that feature a cave in its title, however, Wind Cave has the most beautiful surface to explore…

Notice: Click on an activity’s name for more information. All hikes, campgrounds, roads, and activities are accessible with RVs, campers, and large vehicles unless otherwise noted.

Must-Do Hikes

In spite of this national park’s name, the hikes listed here are all located on the surface. I mention available guided cave tours in the “Must-Do Activities” section.

🥾 Rankin Ridge (1.0 mile, 239 feet elev. gain): This hike guides visitors to the highest point in Wind Cave National Park, which sports an historic fire tower. On a clear day, hikers can spot Badlands National Park to the east from the trail’s namesake ridge.
🥾 Cold Brook Canyon (2.8 miles, 200 feet elev. gain): This trail winds through the prairie on the park’s western edge and offers a look at some interesting geography.
🥾 Prairie Vista (1.0 mile, 104 feet elev. gain): This easy trail offers gorgeous views of the prairie above Wind Cave.
🥾 Lookout Point Trail & Centennial Trail Loop (5.2 miles, 515 feet elev. gain): If you’re looking for a greater challenge than what is offered by the above trails, consider embarking on this hike. Combining Lookout Point Trail and the Centennial Trail creates an interesting trek through Wind Cave’s prairie and offers great views of the Black Hills.

Must-Do Activities

🦇 Guided Cave Tours: Wind Cave National Park offers three guided tours of the park’s namesake cave. If you are physically able and have enough time, try to do both the Natural Entrance Tour and Fairgrounds Tour. If short on time and/or physically challenged, try the Garden of Eden Tour. Cave tours meet at the Wind Cave National Park Visitor Center.
🦬 Wildlife Spotting: With an abundant population of bison and prairie dogs and chances to see burrowing owls and elk, Wind Cave National Park is a great place to look for wildlife. If you want to see as many bison as possible, check out the park’s aptly-named Bison Flats. Do not approach or feed wildlife, for your safety and theirs.

Nearby Activities

🏞️ Custer State Park: While it’s not a national park, Custer State Park is absolutely beautiful and worth a visit. The park is adjacent to Wind Cave, so it’s a short drive to Custer from the national park. The park features fascinating stone spires and a rewarding hike that takes you to the highest point in South Dakota.
🏞️ Jewel Cave National Monument: This beautiful cave sits just over 30 minutes from Wind Cave. Jewel Cave offers even more guided tours than Wind Cave and features a few hikes on its surface.
🗽 Mount Rushmore National Memorial: Though Mt. Rushmore is overhyped and overrated, it’s still worth stopping by for an hour if you’re in the area.
🏞️ Badlands National Park: South Dakota’s more popular National Park – and one of my personal favorite national parks – sits about 2 hours from Wind Cave’s Visitor Center. If you’re spending time in the area, be sure to check it out.
🏙️ Rapid City: The city sits a little over an hour from Wind Cave, making for a great “home base” if you’re visiting the area and are not interested in camping. There are plentiful outdoor activities located near the city, like those listed here. The city houses many hotels and restaurants.
🏞️ Devils Tower National Monument: Sitting a little more than 2 hours from Wind Cave, this impressive natural monolith is a great sightseeing and rock climbing spot.
🏞️ Theodore Roosevelt National Park: This park in North Dakota is almost 5 hours north of Wind Cave. If you are taking a trip to South Dakota, consider taking an excursion to this hidden gem of the NPS.

General Tips

📅 When to Visit: Summer is the most popular time to visit, despite the common afternoon thunderstorms and high temperatures. While we enjoyed our visit in July, I’d suggest also considering a visit in the Spring or Fall, when the weather is more mild.
⌚ How Long to Visit: One day is plenty of time to explore the highlights of Wind Cave National Park, but you can stretch a visit to two days if you want to explore the park’s trails more intimately.
🚗 How to Visit: To visit Wind Cave, you need a car to access the park and navigate its roads. Rapid City – which is about an hour north – is a great jumping-off point.
🛏️ Where to Stay: Elk Mountain Campground sits near the park’s visitor center and offers first-come, first-serve campsites which are usually available. Reservable campsites can be found at the nearby Custer State Park or at campgrounds in Black Hills National Forest. Those not wanting to camp should look for lodging in or near Rapid City.
🧳 What to Bring: Bring all your hiking essentials, including sturdy boots or shoes, water, and sunscreen. Footwear with grippy treads will be useful in the cave. Poison ivy and ticks are fairly common on the surface, so wear long pants and bring Tecnu & bug spray if hiking. Consider bringing a pair of binoculars for wildlife viewing.

Do’s & Don’ts

✅ DO avoid the afternoon sun & heat by enjoying the park in the mornings or evenings.
❌ DON’T approach wildlife. While this is always true, it’s especially important in Badlands. Bison may charge you, and prairie dogs can carry bubonic plague.

Wind Cave Review

Natural Beauty

Wind Cave is a perfectly fine national park to look at. On its surface, the untouched prairies and forests are beautiful. Under the surface, the park’s namesake cave is stunning. Still, it lacks the “wow” factor of other national parks in the area.

Things to Do

Wind Cave National Park can be explored thoroughly in only a day. The park’s primary attractions – cave tours, hikes, and wildlife spotting – will only keep you busy for a few hours… at which point you’ll be ready to move on to other nearby parks.

Accessibility

The park is easy to reach by car from Rapid City, and there is an Accessible Tour offered at the cave for those with limited mobility. It’s easy to navigate Wind Cave by car, and all hikes and overlooks are accessible from the road.

Wildlife

Wind Cave National Park is abundant with wildlife. Prairie dogs and bison freely roam the park’s surface, making it an excellent place to watch wildlife.

Escapism

The park doesn’t see the same crowds as other nearby parks or attractions, but its close proximity to several towns, lack of immersive hikes, and drivable nature gives it a low score in this category.

Personal Experience

Since we visited during the pandemic, Maria and I were unable to visit the park’s namesake cave. However, we enjoyed spotting wildlife on the surface and embarking on an electrifying hike on Rankin Ridge in a storm.

Gallery

Since the cave itself was closed when Maria and I visited, all of the photos I captured were of the park’s surface. Nevertheless, it was still pretty up there…

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