Wind Cave National Park

Very interesting Native American sacred place. The trails and roads are one of the best in USA to see wildlife far from crowds. The caves are not as charming as the Jewel Cave NP, but still the guided tour is a good experience. The campground is peaceful, clean and packed with wildlife.

This is an amazing national park and well worth a visit. Try to get there early in the day, as the tours sell out pretty quickly. We got a tour from Ranger Ryan, who was incredibly cool and knowledgeable. We also got a huge amount of help from a supervisor named Jennifer, who was absolutely wonderful. So yes, staff is generally amazing! The caves are fascinating and tours of all levels from accessible (no stairs) to four-hour advanced are offered. Well worth the time.

Beautiful views and wildlife! There are several hikes that you can do above ground, and ranger led tours for the cave system. You can purchase tickets for the tours online or in person at their visitor center! They have designated times for tours for each cave that vary in difficulty (mostly due to more stairs within the cave), and they do have accommodations for people with disabilities! While we were here we saw MANY prairie dogs, bison, and antelope!

While the cave tour was sold out, I was surprised by the ample of wild life in and around the park. Navigate to the visitor center. When I navigated to the park I go into it through gravel roads (not recommended). The trails are clearly marked. Service center staff was helpful. Meeting a bison on one of the trail was surprising and somewhat scary (the last pic). Lucky me, the bison chosen to continue his way not in my direction.

We’ve done all of the cave national parks and one of the monuments and this one was very unique. It had a close up feel and intimate tour even though it was a larger group. To be honest I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to do another, but this was totally worth it. As one of our daughters put it, “it felt like we were truly exploring the cave.” It takes about a half day to do this one and is well worth it!

A wonderful visit that wasn’t on our agenda. We decided to do the Natural entrance tour and Alexander Coleman gave us an enjoyable tour experience. After you do Custer State Park wildlife loop(start at the east entrance)turn right and go down to Wind Cave. Well worth it.

Wind Cave National Park – South Dakota The drive up to Wind Cave was absolutely beautiful—scenic views, rolling hills, and plenty of wildlife. We saw lots of bison and prairie dogs along the way, which made the journey feel like part of the adventure. Unfortunately, we arrived a little late, so the cave itself was already closed for the day (it closes after hours for safety reasons), but we still hiked the trail that leads down to the cave entrance. The trail was peaceful and had some really cool features, even without going inside the cave. The only downside—and the reason for the 4-star rating—is the ticks. Be prepared. My stepson had four of them on him and was understandably freaking out. The next day, we even found another one in the car where he had been sitting. Overall, it’s a gorgeous area and worth visiting—just make sure to check tour hours ahead of time and take precautions for ticks, especially in the warmer months.

Smaller park that doesn't have a pay station entrance. Bison roam and prairie dogs holler. Guided tours available. Beautiful grasslands. Leashed pets are allowed on two trails, Prairie Loop and Elk Mountain. Decent size visitor center with gift shop and information center about the cave is located downstairs.