Trekking South Dakota's Wind Cave

When explorer Alvin McDonald confessed to his journal in 1891 that he had “given up the idea of finding the end of Wind Cave,” he wasn’t complaining in a private moment of despair.

He was showing admiration.

McDonald was the first systematic explorer of Wind Cave. After daily forays into its deep passages, he had become intimately familiar with the complexities of the giant cavern.

Incredible formations
More than a century later, McDonald’s words are as relevant as ever. With more than 122 miles of mapped passages, Wind Cave is the world’s fourth longest. And yet air volume studies suggest that less than 5 percent of the cave’s total passages have been mapped, which means that Wind Cave explorers will have plenty of work to do in the years to come.

In the meantime, casual visitors to Wind Cave National Park, six miles north of Hot Springs, S.D., can do a little exploring of their own. Although public tours don’t reach the unknown depths of the cavern, they do offer outstanding views of incredible cave formations, including some rare geological features.

Wind Cave is especially known for its boxwork, delicate calcite honeycombs that lace the edges of the passages. There are more boxwork formations in Wind Cave than any other cave in the world, but it isn’t the only geological standout. Flowstone, frostwork, popcorn and helictites are among the other features present in the passages of Wind Cave.

Public tours
Visitors can choose from five ranger-led tours through Wind Cave. The Garden of Eden Tour, a one-hour trip with 150 stairs, is the most popular and least strenuous walk. For better views of boxwork formations, many visitors opt for the Natural Entrance Cave Tour, which covers 300 stairs in a little over an hour.

The cave’s larger rooms are highlighted in the 450-stair, 1½-hour Fairgrounds Cave Tour. More adventurous visitors will opt for either the Candlelight Cave Tour, a two-hour, one-mile journey through undeveloped passages lit only by candle, or the Wild Cave Tour, a four-hour trip through rarely-visited narrow passages away from the developed trails.

The cave is named for the constant flow of air in and out of the passages, which is affected by the atmospheric pressure aboveground. Despite the regular breeze, the cave maintains a fairly constant temperature of about 53 degrees, which means that rangers advise visitors to wear a jacket. Humidity is very high, especially in summer, which makes some of the paths wet, so rangers also suggest sturdy rubber-soled shoes.

Explore the park
The underground passages of Wind Cave National Park may be the park’s star, but the grassy prairies and forest hillsides above shouldn’t be ignored.

More than 28,000 acres of wild backcountry is preserved here, bordering Custer State Park to the north. The ecosystem supports herds of wild bison, pronghorns, prairie dogs, deer, elk, coyotes and mountain lions, among others.

There are 11 developed trails within park boundaries, ranging from the mile-long loop of the Rankin Ridge Trail to the 8.6-mile one-way trip up the Highland Creek Trail. The most popular trail is the Prairie Vista, another mile-long loop that starts in the picnic area near the visitor center and affords likely views of the park’s wildlife.

Details
Hours: Wind Cave National Park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. The visitor center, however, from where cave tours depart, is open at different times depending on the season. Generally the visitor center is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in winter, but rangers usually stay later in summer. Call (605) 745-4600 for information about specific days.

Admission: There is no fee to explore the park aboveground, but cave tours run from $7 to $23, depending on the tour, with discounts for children. Call park headquarters (605-745-4600) for more information.

Directions: From Rapid City, follow U.S. 16 west for about 40 miles. At the junction, turn left onto U.S. 385. The park border is about 20 miles south. The access road for the visitor center is another three miles south off the highway.

Parking: There is plenty of free motorhome parking at the visitors center, and the park almost never feels crowded, even in summer.

Wind Cave National Park
www.nps.gov/wica

Visit Rapid City
www.rapidcitycvb.com/index.php