south dakota cave tour

Wind Cave National Park Tours

Wind Cave National Park

Guided tours are the only way to experience Wind Cave. Advanced tickets may be purchased through this website. Additional tours and times are available for same-day ticket sales at the park visitor center. Visit the Guided Tours page of the park website for a current schedule. Tours often sell out prior to tour times. See Seasons & Booking for details.

Wind Cave National Park is home to the world’s seventh longest cave and one of the world’s most complex maze-cave systems. Most cave rooms are small, connected by narrow passages with low ceilings. Boxwork, a rare and delicate cave formation, emerges from the cave walls and ceilings throughout. The park’s surface is one of the last remaining islands of mixed-grass prairie in North America. Rare wildlife including bison, elk, pronghorn antelope, and prairie dogs roam over 30,000 acres. Several roads and 30 miles of trails are available to explore the rolling prairie and ponderosa pine forests. There is no fee to enter the park or hike the surface trails.

Notifications and Alerts

Due to a complete replacement and modernization of our elevator system, tours of Wind Cave will be closed beginning May 6, 2024, and continuing through September. There will still be plenty of things to do at the park including viewing new exhibits. Installation of our new exhibits is on-going and will be finished by June. These new exhibits tell a more inclusive story of this land using interpretive panels, video clips, and hands-on exhibits that are all fully accessible. Using LIDAR technology, rangers will be offering virtual cave tours in the visitor center auditorium throughout the summer. 

Need to Know

Tickets must be picked up 30 minutes prior to tour time. No refunds for late arrivals or missed tours. All tours begin at the Visitor Center. Allow extra travel time to the park for road work, reduced speeds, wildlife on roads, and parking. Please see the Directions tab for tips to avoid travel delays.

Check at the visitor center for current Covid-related safety precautions. Face coverings may be required during periods of high infection rates.

The cave is at roughly 4,000’ elevation (1219 m). All tours* include steep, dimly-lit stairs that may be uneven, wet, or slippery. Passages are narrow and low ceilings require frequent ducking. Wind Cave is 54°F (12°C) year-round. Sturdy shoes with non-slip soles and a light jacket are recommended. *Accessibility Tours are the only tours with no stairs. These tours are intended for those with limited mobility unable to negotiate stairs or stand for long periods of time. Please do not reserve this tour if you are physically capable of completing another tour.

Cave tours are moderately strenuous and not recommended for those with heart problems, breathing difficulty, knee, neck, or back pain, or claustrophobia. Even downward flights of stairs may be difficult for those with bad joints or limited stamina.

Please don’t bring any of these items into the cave: • Food, candy, or gum • Water or other drinks • Tobacco products • Firearms or weapons of any kind • Bags, purses, strollers, backpacks – including baby backpack carriers (front carriers allowed) • Walking sticks, tripods, monopods, or selfie sticks • Pets or comfort animals

Wind Cave National Park is located in the Mountain Time Zone of western South Dakota and observes Daylight Saving Time.

Flash photography is allowed in the cave for most tours.* Photographers must keep up with the group. No tripods, monopods, or selfie sticks.

Sturdy shoes or hiking boots and a light jacket or sweater are recommended. Sandals and flip-flops are NOT recommended.

White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease deadly to bats, has been detected at Wind Cave. All cave tour participants must walk across a decontamination mat when exiting the cave.

During April, May, and June the park experiences high visitation from schools. Large groups of students may be present on tours, especially during these months.

Booking Windows

Guided tours are the only way to experience Wind Cave.  

Advanced Reservations: Wind Cave tours are offered daily and are available up to 120 days in advance beginning at 8:00 a.m. Mountain Time on a rolling daily window (e.g., On March 3, Natural Entrance Tour tickets become available for July 1). Ticket sales close at midnight Mountain Time three days before the date of the tour (e.g., Wednesday is the last day to buy tickets for a tour that Saturday).

Ticket Availability: Tickets for approximately half the Garden of Eden, Natural Entrance, Fairgrounds, and Accessibility tours are available through advanced reservations. The remaining tours are set aside for first-come, first-served sales the day of the tour at the visitor center. (Example: If four Garden of Eden tours are offered per day, tickets for two of the tours can be reserved in advance, while tickets for the other two tours are first-come, first-served at the visitor center.) 

Some tours may only be available during specific times of year. 

Tours are not offered on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s days.

Changes and Cancellations

Refunds: Tours can be canceled for a full refund (less the $1 non-refundable reservation fee) up to three days prior to the tour time. Cancellations after that time will forfeit the tour fee. No refunds for late arrivals or no-shows.  (Example: Wednesday is the last day to cancel a reservation for a tour on Saturday.)

America the Beautiful Annual & Lifetime Passes: Annual and lifetime passes do not cover ticket fees.

Contact Information

Mailing address.

26611 US Highway 385 Hot Springs SD 57747

Phone Number

605-745-4600

Available Tours and Tickets

• Garden of Eden Tour
• Natural Entrance Tour
• Fairgrounds Tour
• Accessibility Tour
• Natural Entrance Tour (Fee Free Days)
• Garden of Eden Tour (Fee Free Days)
• Fairgrounds Tour (Fee Free Days)

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• SOUTH DAKOTA

Jewel Cave tours + tickets 🦇 What’s the best Jewel Cave tour?! 🦇 South Dakota travel blog

The specific cave tours that are offered at Jewel Cave National Monument when you are there will depend on cave access at that time.

It is worth it to do at least one Jewel Cave tour.

I went to Jewel Cave National Monument and did a cave tour, and this is what you need to know about cave tours!

How much does it cost to do a Jewel Cave tour?

There is no official entry fee collection for Jewel Cave National Monument, but there are fees for the cave tours.

If you have an annual national park pass , then it won’t do you any good at Jewel Cave National Monument, as it gives you no discount on the cave tours.

The cost of a Jewel Cave tour will depend on which tour you decide on.

The cost of tickets for the regular Jewel Cave tours is around $6 to $16 per person.

The adult prices are listed below, and there is a discounted rate for kids.

Number of reviews are at the time I created this list, also indicating the most popular tours.

Here are the best Jewel Cave tours based on popularity:

• The Scenic Tour is $16 per person. (1 hour 20 minutes, 0.5 miles, 734 steps, moderate, 296 reviews)
• The Discovery Tour is $6 per person. (20 minutes, 0.1 miles, 0 steps, easy, 45 reviews)
• The Historic Lantern Tour is $16 per person. (1 hour 45 minutes, 0.5 miles, 500 steps, difficult, 38 reviews)
• The Wild Cave Tour is $45 per person, age 16+ only. (4 hours, strenuous, 7 reviews)

See the current list of tours and fees.

Be sure to read the full description of any Jewel Cave tour you are looking to do to make sure you know what you’re getting into, and so you can be properly prepared for it.

How to buy tickets for a Jewel Cave tour

The important thing to know is that Jewel Cave tours do sell out.

So planning is best!

In 2023, the best way to buy your ticket for Jewel Cave tours is through the official National Park Service reservation website .

When you are on the national park reservations website for the individual tours, you can go to the calendar availability.

If you click on a certain date, it will tell you how many tickets are left for each tour time. So this can let you know how soon you should book.

If there is still availability of the cave tours, then you can also buy tickets to the Jewel Cave tours when you show up at the Jewel Cave Visitor Center.

The way to buy tickets can always change, so it’s important to check for updated Jewel Cave ticket info from the National Park Service website .

You may also try calling the Jewel Cave visitor center to speak with a park ranger to ask about how the availability of any of the cave tours for the day is looking.

The phone number listed for the Jewel Cave National Monument Visitor Center is 605-673-8300.

Do you need to buy tickets in advance for Jewel Cave tours?

According to the National Park Service:

Advance reservations are recommended, availability of walk-up tickets is not guaranteed.

See current updates.

The best Jewel Cave tour is the lantern tour?!

If you do the Jewel Cave lantern tour , it’s very likely it’ll leave a lasting impression on you!

Quite literally, you will be using a lantern to light your way through the cave!

The National Park Service calls this tour an “adventurous” tour.

It is called the “historic” tour so you can get a sense of what it may have been like in the past to explore a cave with your own lighting of a lantern.

Although for the purposes of the tour, you are using more reliable modern lanterns!

And since you’re in a group, you have a ton of lanterns. And you also have a guide to know exactly where to go.

But, you can still imagine what it was like to be to be one of the first explorers of Jewel Cave!

Jewel Cave is in mountain time zone!

Some of South Dakota is in mountain time, and some of South Dakota is in central time zone.

Can you go inside Jewel Cave without a tour?

So one of the most important things to know about Jewel Cave is that you cannot go inside Jewel Cave without a guided tour.

You cannot go inside Jewel Cave on your own.

So in order to see inside Jewel Cave, you must sign up for a Jewel Cave tour!

Your tour guide will be a national park ranger.

Or at least, in order to see anything meaningful inside Jewel Cave you need a tour. You actually can see a little inside Jewel Canve by going to the Jewel Cave entrance on your own . (You can’t actually go inside, though!)

In order to make a trip to Jewel Cave really worth it, you need to do a cave tour.

Yes, it is a cool experience to walk inside Jewel Cave!

And then the other important thing to know is that Jewel Cave tours do sell out.

So planning is required!

How should you dress for Jewel Cave?

In short, bring a layer or 2, and wear good shoes!

You will want to dress for cooler temperatures for Jewel Cave.

Even if it’s nearing 100F outside (possible in South Dakota in summer!), it is cooler in the cave.

It is said that inside Jewel Cave is consistently in the upper 40s.

The National Park Service says the Jewel Cave temperature is around 49F.

For this reason, you’ll want to bring some extra clothes for the tour.

You will likely want to wear a sweatshirt or light jacket inside Jewel Cave.

You will also want to wear shoes good for walking so your feet can be comfortable as you walk through Jewel Cave!

Along with narrow steps, you’ll be walking on the natural cave floor which means that the ground isn’t always completely flat. For this reason, you’ll want to be sure you wear good shoes (not sandals) for your Jewel Cave tour.

More specifically, the National Park Service also says :

For safety reasons: sturdy, low-heeled, rubber-soled shoes such as sneakers, tennis shoes, or hiking boots are required to take part in an Historic Lantern Tour. Due to the uneven, rocky terrain of the cave, open-toed shoes and close-toed sandals (including Crocs, Teva footwear, and KEEN hiking sandals) are prohibited.

Also, for the health of the bats, you are asked not to wear shoes you have worn in other caves.

It’s also best to bring as little as possible to the cave tour. (So don’t bring a backpack for example.)

Also while we are talking about what to wear, we will also talk about what not to wear on your next cave trip after Jewel Cave!

Take a full-body picture of yourself when you are inside Jewel Cave!

This way, you will know what NOT to wear the next time you go inside a cave!

And you are also asked to not wear the shoes you wear in Jewel Cave in any other caves of the future.

It is said that your shoes may be carrying disease harmful to bats that can be tracked into other caves.

There’s a disease that’s deadly to bats is called white-nose syndrome. (This doesn’t affect humans at all.)

White-nose syndrome is thought to have been mostly spread from cave to cave by humans who have entered a cave with the fungus and then tracked it into another cave.

This is why it’s best not to wear the same shoes (or even clothes) that you wore into Jewel Cave into any other cave in the world.

The most serious park I went to, Craters of the Moon National Monument , didn’t want you wearing ANYTHING into the Craters of the Moon caves that you wore into any cave in the last 15 years!

It was literally a question that was asked upon entry to the park!

So, by taking a picture of yourself, you’ll know what you wore into Jewel Cave so you’ll know what not to wear to another cave!

If you are going to both Jewel Cave and Wind Cave, consider bringing 2 pairs of shoes with you to South Dakota.

Save the bats!

Why save the bats?!

Jewel Cave tour offerings can change

It seems to be a thing across national parks that elevators for cave tours get broken.

When I made a visit to Jewel Cave in 2021, there was an elevator that was broken, and this meant that not all cave tours were offered.

Elsewhere, when I went to Wind Cave National Park , there was also an elevator broken that limited cave tours.

And while on a Jewel Cave tour, there was a kid who asked about broken cave elevators because when he went to Carlsbad Caverns National Park there was a broken elevator. Why are elevators always broken at cave national parks?  😆 Not his exact words, but that was basically the question! (I’m not sure when he went there.)

As for the Jewel Cave elevator, there were estimates that it would be fixed the following month so hopefully you won’t have that problem in 2023!

But to know the current Jewel Cave tours that are offered, you can check the National Park Service website for updates. And it can be good to check in the days leading up to your Jewel Cave visit too, in case there are any other alerts to be aware of.

That said, even with the limited cave tours in Jewel Cave available, I was happy about the cave tours that were available!

While not all cave tours were offered, there were some cave tours available.

There were 2 Jewel cave tours offered, and I did both of them.

My favorite walk inside Jewel Cave was the historic lantern cave tour .

The National Park Service calls this the “ adventure cave tour .”

You are holding a lantern as your only light to guide your way through the cave!

And that’s a little bit about doing a Jewel Cave tour!

I did Jewel Cave tours in August 2021. Your experience may vary!

Above ground: Things to do in Jewel Cave National Monument

More for your South Dakota road trip: Best places to visit in South Dakota

More national parks with caves:

• Wind Cave National Park
• Mammoth Cave National Park
• Craters of the Moon National Park National Monument

HAPPY DOING A CAVE TOUR IN JEWEL CAVE NATIONAL MONUMENT PARK!

Jewel Cave National Monument

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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Jewel Cave National Monument - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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Wonderland Cave SD

Open May 1st 2024 –  Start the Top of Your Summer Vacation Under the Ground!

About Wonderland Cave

Located in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. Great for families, single travelers, friends, and anyone who wants to explore an underground world. Escape the heat, the cold, or the madness of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally!

Guests are advised to bring a light jacket (the temperature inside the cave is 47 degrees), and to wear rubber-soled shoes. Please leave non-essential bags and backpacks in your vehicle.

TAKE A TOUR, VISIT THE GIFT SHOP, AND ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF VANOCKER CANYON

Greatest Show Under the Earth

Our tour guide Cadence was really awesome!

Very cool place, fair price for the 45 minute tour (ours was around an hour) of natural wonders, wonderland cave deserves a 5 star rating without a doubt, gaven was our tour guide. had lots of knowledge and knows about the cave., these caves are awe inspiring. this is a living cave., what a great cave experience.

Check Out Our Gift Shop While You’re Here

Opening Day for the 2023 Season is May 20th, 2023!

Guided tours, enjoy a variety of cave crystal formations up close on a guided tour.

Natural Underground Wonders

See cave formations naturally growing.

Breathtaking Experience

Enjoy an underground hike and view the caverns natural beauty.

We are open weekends through May 2024! Starting May 24th 2024, We are open 7 days a week.

The Black Hills Caverns was discovered in 1882 by gold seekers, however the Lakota Indians located the caverns centuries before. Even now the cave is actively explored revealing new wonders in the beautiful underground landscape.

The Adventure Tour

This is the complete tour of the Black Hills Caverns. It usually takes 1 hour to complete. It includes all 3 levels of the cave, approximately 3/4 of a mile. See the BEST VARIETY of cave formations on this tour!

Moderate walking is required to complete this tour

Children 6-12

Children 5 & under, the crystal tour.

An easy, 1/2 hour tour, 1500-ft walking tour, in the first level of the cave. See millions of Calcite Crystals and hear about the cave’s process of formation

Rock Formations Like You've Never Seen

At Black Hills Caverns we've got

• Stalagmites
• Stalactites
• Rare Frost Crystal
• Popcorn Crystals
• Dogtooth Spar Crystal
• Cave Flower
• Soda Straw Stalactites
• Nailhead Spar Crystal

Several tour options to see them all

Take a look at our affordable and family-friendly options and see which one works best for you!

More About Black Hills Caverns

• Geology & Chemistry
• Cave Conservation
• Prehistoric Area

Gift & Rock Shop

The Black Hills Caverns Gift & Rock shop features rare stones and crystals, fossils, cavern collectibles, gemstone and mining equipment so that you can continue your journey and much, much more.

Read What Other People are Saying

We're proud to have been given the Great Service Award and a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor!

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Exiting nps.gov

Alerts in effect, discover two parks in one.

Wind Cave National Park protects two very different worlds - one deep within the earth, the other a sunlit world of many resources. Bison, elk, and other wildlife roam the rolling prairie grasslands and forested hillsides of one of America's oldest national parks. Below the remnant island of intact prairie sits Wind Cave, one of the longest and most complex caves in the world.

Answers to frequently asked questions about viewing the cave.

Wind Cave has a vast surface to explore either with hiking trails, wildlife viewing, or driving loops.

During the winter, kids can join rangers to learn about nature through a variety of fun activities.

Fascinating stories of the geology, wildlife, and history of Wind Cave.

The 62-site Elk Mountain Campground is open year round. Payment is by credit or debit card only.

Learn about the park's most iconic animal, the American Bison.

Last updated: March 18, 2024

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Contact info, mailing address:.

26611 US Highway 385 Hot Springs, SD 57747

605 745-4600

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