SD State Park Wind Cave

http://www.nps.gov/wica/index.htm

This had to be one of our favorite places to stop on the trip. We wanted to spend a few days seeing Mt. Rushmore and some of the other sights near Keystone. Wind Cave had been recommended to me, and this place is awesome! The drive from Keystone was about an hour each way, so we did this in the morning and did Rushmore onthe way back in the afternoon.

As you drive to Wind Cave, you pop over the cattle grate and a whole world of prairie land opens up (watch your speed, they are VERY protective of the wildlife and will hand out hefty tickets...or so I am told). They have wild buffalo roaming around herds of antelopes (or that is what we were calling them...they were actually pronghorns), and there were more prairie dogs than you could shake a stick at. That alone was cool enough for us forest-dwelling, rain loving, left-coasters. We pulled up to the visitor center at Wind Cave, not completely sure what we were signing up for, but very excited.

The National Park Pass does not get you a free tour...they laughed when we asked. If I remember correctly, it was around $13/person, kids were less (check the website or call). If it is busy, you may be waiting a long time for a tour. Advice we were given, was to get there when it opens. Since we were there in the off-season (in fact everything in Keystone was closing, and I should have thought twice about what that meant as we continued our trip east...but that is another story), and we got there first thing in the morning, we were part of the first tour and had no trouble at all. They start by having you roam around their little museum area. Then they come and get you and walk you to the elevator house. People are strangely quiet walking to the place that is going to take you down a very long ways.

Once you are down there you learn about the way Wind Cave works and why it has the name it does. At one time, the Native Americans considered it a very sacred place. It really does seem that this is where the earth takes it's breaths. Depending on the pressure on the surface, the cave either blows air out (as it was the day we were there) or sucks air in. After the explanation, you are guided through a maze of tunnels that boast the most boxwork in the world, which is basically a relative to stalactites/mites, but in a honeycomb formation. This is also the 4th largest cave in the world.

After the tour, be sure to check out the only natural entrance to the cave. They told us to hop over the wall and check it out, and all 3 of us thought it was pretty cool (especially the 3-year old...he wouldn't stop giggling about how it blew in his face and hair). It wasn't just a little breeze coming out...it was more powerful than a giant hairdryer. This place is really incredible.

The tour schedule changes throughout the year, and different parts of the cave are explored at different times. Some are easier hikes than others too. If you are taking little kids (or are not comfortable with dimly lit spaces), take extra flashlights with you. We found the lad found it less scary if he had a light at first.

There are camp sights in the area, but we did not stay at them (it was on the way to get Dottie, so we were in hotels). Check the website for more info. I understand they have plug-ins for folks who need them. If we ever get back to SD, we will definitely come here and stay though.

 

Great recommendation and photos. We will definitely stop there next time through SD.

 

Thanks! It was so cool. There are hiking trails too, that I forgot to mention. You really could spend quite a bit of time exploring. Plus it is really close to so many other things.

 

Sounds great! It's now on my list of places to visit on my trip home in May. I was planning on going to Rushmore anyway and this will be a nice excursion. I love visiting caverns. Thanks!

 

Great story and beautiful pictures, this is a place to remember.

 

I've also visited Wind Cave, and I'll second Mick-n-Sarah's endorsement.

As they said, it IS busy (we were there in July), so go straight to the Ranger's desk and reserve your tickets. THEN poke around the museum and gift shop. I want to say we had to wait about an hour and a half.

Also, don't get into our situation: We arrived with NO FOOD. How we did that, I don't know -- it's highly unlike us. They sell nothing at this particular national park. And be sure to wear good hiking boots (or at least closed toe shoes).

If you're really into caves, Jewel Cave is also in the area, but we didn't visit it. Do not miss Custer State Park -- we enjoyed it more than anything else in the area.

 

Thanks everyone! It was one of our favorite days on that trip. I would say the other was Arches National Park.