Wind Cave National Park may not be the only national park with a cool cave, but that doesn’t make it any less special.
“I think caves are a little like people,” said Tom Farrell, the park’s Chief of Interpretation. “Everyone is a little different. “They have their own story to tell.”
Wind Cave, for example, is the sixth longest cave in the world and one of the most complex.
“Larger caves are spread over a larger area. “We have 167 miles of caves crammed into 1.2 square miles on the surface,” he said.
And that’s not all there is to see in the Wind Cave. Here’s what travelers should know about the latest national park in KeynoteUSA’s annual series.
What’s so special about Wind Cave?
“We have the best example of a box that has been found anywhere in the world,” Farrell said. “I like to brag that we had the best box in the solar system because the Mars Rover sent back some pictures that look like clunky boxes, but ours are better.”
He compared the honeycomb-shaped calcite formations hanging from the cave ceilings and walls to fragile, brittle peanuts.
“Unlike a stalactite and a stalagmite that might keep growing if they had more water dripping on them, these things, once you break them, they break, so they’re very rare and very delicate,” he said.
How much does it cost to enter Wind Cave National Park?
Admission to Wind Cave National Park is free, but fees apply for ranger-guided tours of the caves. Most tours cost less than $10.
Can you enter Wind Cave without a tour?
No. “It’s too dangerous,” Farrell said. “Either people would go off the path and get lost, or people might vandalize the cave, so to protect the cave and protect the visitor, you have to go with a ranger.”
Guided tours range from the 30-minute Accessibility Tour to the Wild Cave Tour, “where we give you a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads and take you crawling through the cave for three or four hours,” he said.
How big is Wind Cave National Park?
Wind Cave National Park spans approximately 34,000 acres above ground. Below the surface, the cave that bears his name extends at least 167 miles. Farrell said there are still about 3,000 leads waiting to be explored.
“We’re gradually expanding and learning a little more about the cave,” he said. “It’s an exciting place to be.”
Just don’t follow your GPS to get there.
“You will get lost,” the park’s website warns in bold letters. “Many GPS units locate the park visitor center north of South Dakota Highway 87. The Visitor Center coordinates are N43 33′ 22″ W103 28′ 38″.
The park is about 11 miles north of Hot Springs, South Dakota. The closest commercial airport, Rapid City Regional Airport, is more than 60 miles away in Rapid City.
How much time do you need in Wind Cave National Park?
“If you’re just going to explore the cave, you could do it in half a day,” Farrell said. “If you’re going hiking or anything else, you definitely need at least a day.” There are more than 30 miles of trails in the park.
Travelers should note that the cave itself is closed this summer to allow for elevator upgrades. Instead of guiding visitors inside the cave, rangers will conduct interactive virtual tours in the park’s auditorium, allowing visitors with mobility issues or claustrophobia to see parts of the cave they would never otherwise experience.
There’s much more to see above ground, including black-footed ferrets, prairie dogs, elk, and “a unique herd of bison.”
“This time of year is great because they have new tan calves,” Farrell said.
Additionally, new exhibits are expected to open at the park’s visitor center later this summer, sharing more of the land’s native history.
“If you can’t find something here that you’re passionate about, you just don’t try it,” Farrell said.
Who are the natives of Wind Cave National Park?
According to the park, more than 20 Native American tribes are historically tied to the land:
- Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation
- Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
- Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma
- Crow Creek Sioux Tribe
- Crow Tribe
- Eastern Shoshone Tribe
- Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe
- Fort Belknap Indian Community
- Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma
- Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
- Lower Sioux Indian Community
- Northern Arapaho Tribe
- Northern Cheyenne Tribe
- Oglala Sioux Tribe
- Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
- Ponca Tribe of Nebraska
- Rosebud Sioux Tribe
- Santee Sioux Nation
- Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate
- Fort Totten Spirit Lake Tribe
- Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
- Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation) Fort Bethold
- Upper Sioux Community
- Yankton Sioux Tribe
What are some fun facts about Wind Cave?
Farrell shared these five facts about the park:
Keynote USA
For the Latest Local News, Follow Keynote USA Local on Twitter.