Wind Cave

ILNP Rating

Scenery

Uniqueness

Wildlife

Diversity

ILNP Park Review

In a Word “Uncrowded”

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” -Isaiah 40:8

Our Visit. I visited Wind Cave in July as part of a week-long adventure in the Black Hills of South Dakota

Our Weather. Mid ’80s and overcast.

Bison herd adjacent to Rankin Ridge in the northwest portion of the park

About the Park. Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, established in 1903, was the first national park protecting a cave anywhere in the world. It’s the sixth longest cave in the world, but it’s unique for the amount of intricate boxwork (the most in the world) and lacework that line the cave. In addition, Wind Cave offers thousands of acres of unspoiled prairie, forest and granite hills that are home to creatures big and small including wild American bison.

Favorite Spot. Rankin Ridge Trail

Minimum Time Required. Wind Cave lies at the intersection of two highways in the southern Black Hills (US 385 and SD 87), so driving through topside only takes 30-60 minutes. Along the way you’ll drive through some beautiful scenery and probably see a herd or two of American bison, perhaps up close. The Visitors Center is a quick detour off US 385, and the Park Rangers can give you pointers on where the bison herds are hanging out. While you’re there, take a quick hike on the Prairie Vista Trail to the Natural Entrance to the cave. You can walk from the Visitors Center, but if it’s an uncrowded day, park at the nearby picnic area instead. The entrance is a mere hole in the rock about the size of a beach ball, but on a calm day you can hear the air rushing in and out of the cave (hence the name) and read about the the Lakota Sioux legend of their people coming into the world from this spot.

This is the cave’s natural entrance, and it’s only about the size of a beach ball

Cave tours launch from the Visitors Center as well. Because the cave was closed when I visited, I can’t speak to the process for booking tours or seeing the caves, but the general rule-of-thumb is these tours fill up fast during peak seasons, so reserve your tour early.

A Longer Visit. Because most people come to Wind Cave to see the cave, its topside features are remarkably uncrowded. If you have an hour, you can drive every paved road in the park. Highway 87 connects Wind Cave with nearby Custer State Park. The drive is slow but beautiful as it winds through granite hills, forests and prairies offering plenty of pull-outs for scenery and animal watching. I found bison herds at both the pullout at the west end of the park on US 385 and to the west of Rankin Ridge on SD 87. I also had a surprise encounter with a large male bison at a pullout in the forest along SD 87 (more below).

Rankin Ridge Trail is a beautiful hike along the ridge and through rocks and forest

There are several hikes of varying distances and difficulties in the park. My favorite was Rankin Ridge Trail in the northwest portion of the park because it climbs up through woods and rocks to a fire tower and the highest point in the park where you can see for miles. I also spent some time on Cold Brook Canyon Trail in the southwest portion of the park. This narrow and uncrowded trail winds down into a beautiful valley full of wildflowers in the summer and takes you through a prairie dog town.

If you don’t mind dirt roads, there’s a wildlife loop you can take through the eastern side of the park where the prairie is more open. It takes a little more than an hour.

Suggestions. Reserve your cave tour in advance (if the cave is open)! Check with a Park Ranger first to see what’s been spotted recently before taking the wildlife loop–I was fortunate enough to run into a family at a pull-out who had just driven the loop and saw only pronghorn, so I skipped it. WATCH OUT FOR BISON! They’re everywhere to include on the roads. Signs direct you to stay 50 yards away, but I had one surprise me. I parked at a pull-out in the middle of the forest and hiked out to a little granite overlook. When returning to my car, I heard a loud “clomp, clomp” on the road and looked up to see a huge male bison about 15 yards away! He saw me too and stopped to take a look. I was about 15 yards from my car as well, so I slowly started walking that way to put something between me and him. He walked on without incident, but it was unnerving to see him stop every few yards to eye me.

This is the rather massive male bison that surprised me returning to my car along Highway 87

If you’re pressed for time in the Black Hills and want to see beautiful scenery and wildlife, skip Wind Cave and spend your time at adjacent Custer State Park. Custer SP is the only state park I’ve been to in the U.S. that could be a National Park in its own right. You can’t beat the bison viewing on the park’s Wildlife Loop or the scenery of Needles Highway and Sylvan Lake! After you’ve seen Custer, Wind Cave is a great additional opportunity in the area.

If you really want to see a cave and both Wind Cave NP and Jewel Cave NM caves are closed (as they were for me), you can still see one of the privately operated caves in the area. We chose Black Hills Caverns near Rapid City and were not disappointed.

So, is it worth it to see Wind Cave even if you can’t go into the cave? Absolutely! While there are more beautiful areas of the Black Hills nearby, Wind Cave offers some great trails, great scenery, and great wildlife in an open and pleasantly uncrowded setting.

Nearby Towns Hill City, Custer, Rapid City (SD)

Other Nearby Attractions Mount Rushmore NM, Custer State Park, Badlands NP, Jewel Cave NM, The Mammoth Site

Official NPS Website Wind Cave National Park

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