4.5Jewel Cave National Monument(1.415 reviews) - A Must for Cave Lovers! Saturday: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM Spent More than 3 hours National Parks • Caverns & Caves
Jewel Cave National Monument is home to one of the longest caves in the world. Offering an assortment of cave formations and recreational opportunities, many visitors are truly amazed by this underground wilderness. Most impressive is the fact that exploration and discovery continue to take place at this significant natural resource. Please be advised that during the off-season (2020-2021), the visitor center, Park Store, surface trails, and picnic areas are open Thursdays through Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MDT. However, cave tours are suspended, due to an elevator construction project. For those visiting the monument, a one-way flow path is set up inside the visitor center, with directional signage for visitor awareness. Park rangers are on-site to answer questions and to assist with the ever-popular Junior Ranger and Pee Wee Ranger Programs. For specific questions and/or assistance, do not hesitate to contact the monument by phone or email in advance.See more..
4.5Wind Cave National Park(713 reviews) - Intricate Formations Spent 1-2 hours National Parks • Nature & Wildlife Areas • Caverns & Caves
We took the Natural Entrance tour. Our tour guide Abby was excellent! This tour takes you down through the caves to view the various formations including the popcorn, frost and box cut which was very intricate and different from anything else I have seen in other caves. The gallery is interesting and worth the walk through before the tour. I would recommend buying your tickets on line ahead of time if you don’t want to spend a lot of time waiting around. We arrived at 9:20 (on a Weekday) and the first available of any tour was 11:30. After purchasing our tour tickets, we were able to drive around the rest of the park and enjoy the views-including several bison! Enjoyable and worth the ride.See more..
We really enjoyed this smallish but interesting cave! Our guide was the best! Some of the lines she used were a bit corny, but she could pull it off & her smile let us know she was enjoying her own silly humor. The history of the cave is very interesting, especially the parts relating to the CCC projects of the 30s. The formations are typical of many caves we've visited, & the lighting & easy access allowed us to see them up close. We were surprised at the cost (a bit more than we expected) but were given a small discount either for AAA or for seniors, not sure which. It was worth the price & I have no reservations about recommending this adventure to others. Do this if you can.See more..
Outside of its length, Wind Cave does not stack up as exciting and marvelous as other caves in the NP or NM systems. However, it has one of the coolest and most amazing features of any cave and that is that its natural entrance is pressurized. This means that air either blows into or out of the cave depending on its air pressure relative to the outside. This works because the natural entrance is so small. Our Ranger guide took a piece of ribbon to show how hard it was blowing, amazing. However, you really did not need that because you could feel it. The day of our visit, the high temperature was in the 90s; however, there was a steady stream of 54 degree air that blowing out. It felt great. In addition the entrance has a wonderful Indian tradition, that the cave was the birthplace of its people and the entrance shrunk to prevent people from going back. Anyway you look at it, the natural entrance is a MUST SEE at Wind Cave National Park.See more..
4.0Bethlehem Cave Wild Adventure Park(2 reviews) - Another smaller cave Caverns & Caves Its okay considering its a small cave. I would spend a little more at a larger cave and get a greater variety of formations to enjoy.See more..
5.0Community Caves(1 review) - A superb hike/climb to one of the natural treasures on the Spearfish Canyon Rim. Spent 1-2 hours Caverns & Caves
A wonderful Hike, but also demanding. Not for small children or those with physical issues. This trail is steep and rocky. But worth the view. This wonderful location is not marked by highway signs! But, with some local help and web info you can find it. The caves are about three miles from the local country club in Spearfish. Located on the east rim, near the top of the canyon and tucked back into an narrow ravine, you can see these caves if you know what to look for or have a spotting scope. From an unmarked parking area along the highway, you cross Spearfish Creek. The pathway is not marked, but just follow the trail others have left. (this is an adventure, and will add to your story) eventually you will come to the main unmarked, but well used pathway heading through the trees and up the draw between the canyon walls. The trek becomes more demanding as you climb and there are points where you actually are on the rock field itself. A small stream flows through this area and over some of the rocks too, which adds to the difficultly in some spots. A normal time is around 30 minutes for the ascent to the caves. Bring your camera as you will want to have it when you reach them, For the very brave their is a "goat trail" leading off to the right of the caves that brings you out on the face of the canyon wall, looking directly down on the highway far below. The view is worth the adrenaline rush. Please be careful, this is a fatal plunge to the canyon below from this point. However, hiking families do come up to the caves.With care and respect for the conditions, it will be a lifetime experience for all who enjoy this adventure. And, please respect Mother Nature here. Birds and other creatures make this place their home. The caves are a great serene and beautiful place to rest and contemplate the wonders of our earth. This is one of the spots in the Black Hills that still remains as it was when the Hills were formed.See more..
