We enjoyed the best family day in Wind Cave National Park! This is a fun park that can be enjoyed in a 1/2 day, full day, or more. Note: We receive a small commission for purchases made through links in this post.
Wind Cave, like Mammoth Cave, is named after the cave but includes a number of activities that are above ground and beautiful in their own right. While Wind Cave is a small park, it is close to a number of great parks in the Black Hills, South Dakota area including the Badlands National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Mount Rushmore, and the excellent Custer State Park. We stayed right in Custer and enjoyed down time at a great home VRBO home rental!
A long weekend is perfect for the area and gives you plenty of time to spend in each park. Wind Cave won’t take you all day unless you do some extended hiking, of which there are more than 30 miles of!
Best Family Day in Wind Cave
Wind Cave was the 8th National Park and one of many protected by my favorite President, Theodore Roosevelt. It protects the 6th longest cave in the world, home to 95% of the earth’s boxwork (honeycomb shaped calcite formations), and now the only remaining mixed-grass prairie habitat in South Dakota.
Choosing your tour
We chose the most popular tour, the Natural Entrance tour. The other regular tours are the Garden of Eden tour, which is shorter and easier than the Natural Entrance at 1/3 the length and with half the stairs. The Garden of Eden tour goes in and out by the elevator.
Both of these tours take a bit over an hour and there are no restrooms inside the cave. You will see boxwork on both and both are rated as “moderate” by the Park Service but it is primarily for the uneven paths, dim lighting, and stairs. Most all of the stairs are descending into the cave and an elevator hauls you back to the surface.
There are also a few specialty tours offered seasonally including the Fairgrounds tour (1.5 hours, 2/3 mile, 450 stairs, strenuous), Candlelight tour (2 hours, 2/3 mile, strenuous), Wild Cave tour (4 hours, very strenuous), and Accessible tour (1/2 hour, easy).
Natural Entrance tour
While you can’t actually go in the natural entrance (it is only 18″ in diameter) you do get to see it and feel it as the cave “breathes” and you will get to forecast the weather as it breathes air in or out based on barometric pressures. As you enjoy the guided tour you will descend 300 stairs and about 2/3 of a mile. You learn a lot of interesting history, some of which may be folklore, and enjoy the adventure of exploring underground.
While each cave is unique, I found the boxwork interesting, intricate, and beautiful in its’ own way. While it may not have the stunning colors you see in caves in other parks or the impressive stalagmites and stalactites of others, Wind Cave is unique in our National Park system and I’m glad it’s protected.
Backcountry Roads + Wildlife
A highlight for us was turning off Highway 87, the route we came into the park from Custer, onto the backcountry roads in the eastern part of the park. NPS 5 connects to Highway 87 and is a well maintained dirt road that heads east and connects to NPS 6, which heads back north and into Custer State Park. NPS 6 is also well maintained and both are fine with any type of vehicle. We chose to explore the roads after our tour and head back north, turn east onto NPS 5 and then north onto NPS 6 and reconnect back to the Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park.
The special part of these roads is that unlike in the adjacent Custer State Park, the bison and wildlife in Wind Cave are open range and free to roam. Once you see Custer and the large bison population there that is controlled you will appreciate seeing them free instead of fed. This route is particularly important if you visited Badlands and did not head off onto the Sage Creek Road, where bison often roam in that park.
Hiking Trails
While we didn’t have time to hike and instead chose to do so in Custer State Park, when we return I’d like to hike the Rankin Ridge Trail to the highest point in the park. It is short – just 1 mile and takes about 45 minutes to hike at a leisurely pace. You could do this on your way down if you have a later tour time and the trail is family-friendly!
Another hike I’d like to try is the Boland Ridge hike, which is off NPS 6 and is in an area where elk are commonly found and you get to see panoramic views of the Black Hills. This hike is 2.6 miles and takes a few hours to complete.
We hope you enjoy your time in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota! Let us know what you do for your day in Wind Cave National Park.
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