Wind Cave National Park offers more than meets the eye. This park protects one of the largest and most complex caves in the world, and it was the first cave to ever be protected as a national park.
If you’re planning a trip to see South Dakota national parks, you’re in the right place! In my opinion, Wind Cave doesn’t get enough love compared to nearby national park sites such as Mount Rushmore and Badlands. However, it’s very much worth a visit.
A visit to the cave is certainly one of the best things to do in Wind Cave National Park. However, there is also plenty to do in the park above ground. There are some beautiful hiking trails, and the park is home to a lot of wildlife. It’s common to see bison, pronghorn, prairie dogs, elk, and more.
This is based on my experience visiting Wind Cave multiple times, most recently in 2026.
Things To Know Before Visiting Wind Cave National Park
- Please make it a priority to leave no trace while you’re visiting Wind Cave, or any outdoor destination. That includes packing out all of your trash, respecting wildlife and planning ahead. At Wind Cave, it’s especially important to keep your distance from bison. They can be very dangerous.
- There is no fee to visit Wind Cave, but there is a fee to take a cave tour.
- There are a few different cave tours to see Wind Cave and there is no option to explore it self-guided. Some tours are only offered in certain seasons. Most of the tours can be booked ahead of time on recreation.gov, and they often sell out, so make sure to book ahead of time. Some of the summer-only tours, such as the Wild Cave Tour and Candlelight Tour, need to be reserved by calling the visitor center during operating hours.
The Best Things To Do in Wind Cave National Park
Take a Tour of the Cave
One of the best things to do at Wind Cave is to take a tour of the cave! This one of the longest and most complex cave systems in the world, and you can explore a small piece of it with a guide. On a ranger-led tour, you can admire the intricate boxwork and winding passageways.
How to Reserve your Tickets for a Cave Tour
When it comes to reserving your spot on a cave tour, you’ll want to reserve in advance. However, the process is different depending on the tour. The Garden of Eden, Natural Entrance and Fairgrounds Tours can all be purchased in advance through recreation.gov. They are typically made available 120 days in advance, and sell out during busy times.
However, the Candlelight, Wild Cave Tours and Accessible Tours must be reserved over the phone during Visitor Center hours.
About half of all cave tickets are held for same-day sales and usually sell out soon after the visitor center opens. So if you didn’t snag a ticket ahead of time, make sure to arrive at the visitor center as soon as it opens.
The Cave Tour Options at Wind Cave
As of this writing, there are six different tours typically offered of Wind Cave, and some of them are only offered in the summer. Here are the options and a quick description of each.
Accessibility Tour
The Accessibility tour is a 30-minute tour that does not include any steps. This introductory tour includes boxwork. Reservations for this tour can only be made during visitor center hours over the phone.
Natural Entrance Tour
This tour was not being offered during my visit (it tends to be offered between May and September), but I’ve heard it’s one of the most recommended tours. The tour includes a visit to the natural entrance of the cave, and you’ll enter the cave using a man-made entrance instead of the elevator.
You’ll get to see boxwork and explore the middle portion of the cave. At the end, you’ll exit using the elevator.
This tour is moderate and lasts an hour and 15 minutes.
Fairgrounds Tour
Both the Fairgrounds and the Garden of Eden Tours enter and exit the cave via the elevator. The Fairgrounds Tour is strenuous, and involves exploring both the upper and middle portions of the cave. You’ll be climbing up and down steps, bending down and navigating through some narrow areas.
This is the tour that I did and I loved it. You get to see a lot of boxwork and get a nice little workout in with all of the steps. This is the perfect way to get a feel for what this intricate cave is like.
This tour is strenuous and lasts an hour and a half.
Garden of Eden Tour
The Garden of Eden Tour is a little bit easier and shorter than the Fairgrounds Tour, but it still involves steps, bending and uneven surfaces. The tour lasts an hour and provides a great sampling of the cave, including boxwork, popcorn and flowstone.
Candlelight Tour
As the name suggests, this unique tour involves exploring the cave via candlelight. You’ll explore a less developed section of the cave that doesn’t have lights, and carry a candle bucket. This tour only allows for small groups and includes steps, tight areas and uneven surfaces. It is only offered during the summer and you’ll need to call to make your reservation.
Wild Cave Tour
This is the most adventurous tour in Wind Cave National Park. Most of the tour is spent crawling on your hands and knees as you navigate undeveloped sections of the cave. You’ll get an introduction to safe caving and will be provided a helmet, knee pads and a headlamp. This tour is only offered in the summer and you’ll need to call to make your reservation.
Go Hiking in Wind Cave National Park
The world above the ground in Wind Cave National Park has just as much to offer as the underground portion. The park is home to rolling prairies, forests, streams and lots of wildlife. The park has 30 miles of hiking trails.
Rankin Ridge Trail
The Rankin Ridge Trail is my favorite trail in the park (so far)! On this short loop trail, you’ll hike through a forest to the highest point in the park. Compared to the rest of the park, this area felt particularly green.
At the peak of the trail, there is a fire tower. It isn’t accessible from the public, but there are still some spectacular views from the top.
Lookout Point and Centennial Trail Loop
This loop combines the Lookout Point and Centennial trails, and offers a great opportunity to explore the rolling prairies in the park. You also have a pretty high chance of seeing bison along this path (maybe a lot of them).
I actually had to turn back early due to the bison. This was during bison rutting season (which peaks in July and August), and the bison were running around at high speeds. We were afraid they were going to come up over a blind hill and that we would be in their path, so we turned back. A ranger told us later that this was definitely the right call.
Make sure to keep a large distance from bison while you’re exploring in this park. The park recommends staying at least 25 yards away from all wildlife, but ideally even further away from bison.
If you’re able to safely complete this trail, it includes lots of nice views of the Black Hills region.
Prairie Vista Loop
The Prairie Vista Loop is a nice, quick trail, if you’re on short on time. It leaves from the visitor center and leads you past the cave’s natural entrance. You’ll stroll through grasslands and enjoy interpretive signs and views of the area.
Cold Brook Canyon
This trail is highest on my list for the future. The hike leads you through Cold Brook Canyon and provides views of a prairie dog town. It’s also a great place to see prairie falcons.
Wind Cave Canyon Trail
This trail follows along a former road and includes views of limestone cliffs. It’s a great spot to see several different types of birds. This is another trail that is on my list for next time.
Check out the Wind Cave Visitor Center
As with any national park, make sure to stop by the visitor center! This will be easy if you’re doing a cave tour, as the tours leave from here. But even if you’re not, there are nice exhibits to check out.
In the basement of the visitor center, there are several exhibits about the cave and its geology. It’s especially cool to see a 3D map of some of the cave passageways. And don’t miss the exhibits upstairs. There are displays that talk about how the native people utilized bison, how the park manages the prairie, and more.
You can also stop by the gift shop and watch the park film. The film here is called One Park, Two Worlds.
A short walk from the visitor center, make sure to stop by the cave's natural entrance. Here you can read about why this is a spiritual place to many native people. It is considered the birthplace of the Lakota nation.
How to Spend a Day in Wind Cave
If you’re building your Wind Cave itinerary, here is what I recommend the most! Most visitors will be satisfied by spending one day in the park, as you can easily take a cave tour and go hiking on the same day.
Here is what I recommend for spending one day in Wind Cave:
Start your morning with a hike to Rankin Ridge and/or the Lookout Point and Centennial Trail Loop. If you’re visiting in the summer, it’s best to hike in the early morning to avoid the heat.
Then, take a cave tour! I recommend taking the Natural Entrance Tour or the Fairgrounds Tour. Before or after the tour, spend time exploring the visitor center. If you’re looking for another easy hike after your tour, hike the Prairie Vista Loop.
Pack a picnic to enjoy in the picnic area near the visitor center. Or, if you’re done exploring, the town of Custer is a great place to visit for lunch or dinner.
There is so much more to do in this area besides Wind Cave National Park. I’ll list more options below, but if you’re looking for an evening activity, I highly recommend driving the Custer State Park wildlife loop drive at sunset.
Wind Cave vs Jewel Cave
If you’re researching the area, you might be wondering how Wind Cave National Park compares to Jewel Cave National Monument. These parks are only 40 minutes apart, and it makes sense to visit them both on the same trip. In fact, there’s a chance that the two caves are connected in an area that has yet to be explored.
After touring both caves, here are my thoughts. Jewel Cave is a more classically beautiful cave. You’ll enjoy crystals, stalactites, and more. Wind Cave is a more unique cave, as the winding passages feel like you’ve dropped a handful of string. Plus, the amount of boxwork is quite impressive.
Fun Fact: Wind Cave has 95% of the world’s known boxwork.
If you enjoy caves and have the time, I recommend visiting both caves. However, if you only want to take a tour of one cave, I recommend touring Jewel Cave, and spending your time in Wind Cave hiking and looking for wildlife.
When to Visit Wind Cave
Wind Cave is open year round, and typically experiences cold winters and hot summers. While cave tours generally operate year round, they are much more limited in the winter months.
I have visited this park in both March and July, and definitely preferred July. The park was much greener in July, and the wildlife was much more active. Overall, I think anytime between May and September is a good time to visit this park, but June, July and August are the best for the most cave tour options, and a chance to see bison rutting.
How To Get To Wind Cave
Wind Cave is located in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. If you’re flying in, you’ll probably want to fly into Rapid City Regional Airport, which is just over an hour from the park.
If Rapid City doesn’t have good flight options and you’re willing to take a longer road trip, you might consider flying into Denver, which is 5.5 hours from Wind Cave. From Denver, you could combine this trip with a visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. I would also recommend making some stops in Northwest Nebraska to break up the long drive, such as Scotts Bluff.
Where To Stay to Visit Wind Cave National Park
If you’re primarily visiting Wind Cave National Park, I recommend the small town of Hot Springs, which is located just 15 minutes south of the park. I stayed at the Highland Meadows Resort and loved the property. Plus, Hot Springs has a really cute downtown with great restaurants and galleries, a waterfall, and a natural spring.
Wind Cave National Park also offers camping at the Elk Mountain Campground, which has 64 sites available.
If you’re also visiting Badlands National Park and exploring more of the Black Hills region, Rapid City is a good base. Check out the Big Sky Lodge for a beautiful view looking down on the city. You can even see the Badlands from there if the sky is clear! To be centrally located downtown, look at Hotel Alex Johnson, a historic 1920’s building one block from Main Street.
Other towns in the Black Hills to consider are Deadwood, Custer and Spearfish. Each of them has something to offer.
More Things To Do in the Black Hills Region
- Visit Jewel Cave National Monument
- Explore Custer State Park
- Visit Mount Rushmore
- Visit Crazy Horse Memorial
- Explore Spearfish Canyon
- Visit the town of Deadwood
Read my itinerary for visiting the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota
Final Thoughts
I hope this guide helps you plan a fun trip to Wind Cave National Park! This unique and underrated park is full of subtle beauty, and is home to a lot of wildlife, a very unique cave, and many special stories. While nearby Badlands National Park tends to get more attention, I hope you take the time to explore this unique national park as well.
For More Midwest National Park Guides, check out these blogs:
- The Perfect South Dakota Road Trip Itinerary
- A Guide to Visiting Badlands National Park in October
- How to Spend One Day in Theodore Roosevelt National Park
- A Guide to Backpacking at Isle Royale National Park
- An Adventurous Itinerary for Voyageurs National Park
- The Best Hikes in Indiana Sand Dunes
- The Best Things To Do in Cuyahoga Valley National Park
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