What Is Wind Cave National Park?
This park protects one of the oldest, longest, and most complex caves in the world!
What Makes It Beautiful?
To the Lakota Sioux, this cave was a source of creation, a nest, so to speak, where the first humans waited for the new world aboveground to be ready for them! There isn’t much evidence that anyone went inside the cave before the late 1800s, but if they had, they’d have seen a pretty dry cave, with the water table being 500 feet below the surface. That means there aren’t a lot of classic speleothems (stalactites and stalagmites) to be seen on most tours. Wind Cave is most famous for a honeycomb shaped ceiling formation called boxwork! In fact, most of the world’s boxwork is exclusively found in this cave! It’s well worth a look just to see something you won’t find anywhere else on Earth!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Volunteer at Wind Cave National Park!
- Donate to the Friends of Wind Cave National Park!
- Be a responsible visitor! Remember the old adages: Pack out what you pack in! Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints!
How Do I Get There?
26611 US-385
Hot Springs, SD 57747
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit the Park?
The visitor center is open daily from 8:00 AM until 4:30 PM in winter and until 5:00 PM the rest of the year!
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