Jewel Cave National Monument
Custer, SD · Black Hills$
Jewel Cave, 13 miles west of Custer in the Black Hills, takes its name from the calcite crystals crusting its walls, the kinds called nailhead and dogtooth spar. More than 220…
Photo: Source / Public domain (US Government work)
Caves
Wind Cave National Park
About
Boxwork, rarely found anywhere else in the world, hangs from the ceilings of Wind Cave in South Dakota and lines many of its walls. In 1903 this became the eighth national park, the first created to protect a cave. Garden of Eden is the one-hour tour, with 150 steps, and the 30-minute Accessibility Tour goes in and out by elevator. Summer tours can sell out. Tickets open on Recreation.gov 120 days ahead, and about half are held back for walk-up sale at the visitor center, 11 miles north of Hot Springs. The bison herd started with 14 animals from the Bronx Zoo in 1913 and 6 from Yellowstone in 1916.
Highlights
Boxwork, rarely found elsewhereGarden of Eden and Fairgrounds toursWind at the natural entranceOver 30 miles of prairie trailsBison and prairie dog towns
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Caves
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63 placesThe United States National Parks
All 63, for anyone keeping count, with the famous ones up top and the quieter ones further down.
22 placesAmerica's Best Caves
The Park Service runs eight of these 22 caves, and most of the rest are commercial show caves at $23 to $36 an adult. If you only pay for one, make it Ruby Falls: you ride an elevator 26 stories down inside Lookout Mountain and walk to a 145-foot waterfall.