NPS Website; Local Website
WHAT IS IT?Two Parks in one. Above ground is both a thriving mixed-grass prairie ecosystem and an encroaching ponderosa pine forest. East visibly meets west. Below ground is one of the world’s longest and most complex cave systems, noted by the abundance of the rare boxwork cave formation.
BEAUTY (7/10)
The passageways and formations in Wind Cave are unique. More than a hundred miles of passages weave and interlace within a space of a couple square miles. Picture a chunk of Queen Anne’s Lace Swiss Cheese. Within this labyrinth, boxwork, popcorn and frostwork are abundant. We had to keep reminding ourselves that this magical world was not a man-made attraction.
HISTORICAL INTEREST (3/10)
Wind Cave was not discovered by settlers until 1881. This might explain why so much of the delicate cave formations are still intact. Wind Cave is the seventh oldest National Park and the first to be created to protect a cave.
CROWDS (4/10)
The size of our tour was manageable – about 20 people. With the exception of one loud pre-teen boy, we enjoyed their company. The Visitors Center was large enough to accommodate groups wandering in and out of it before and after the cave tours. We encountered no one on our hikes above ground. A large section of the campground was taken over by a school bus filled with children ranging from 8 to 13. Although we camped a distance away, their noise and evening wanderings kept us away from the evening Ranger talk at the Amphitheater.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (3/5)
Wind Cave is tucked away in the south section of South Dakota’s Black Hills. The closest major interstate is I-90 through Rapid City, S.D. The small towns of Custer and Hot Springs are nearby. Purchase any camping supplies or groceries there, as there is nothing near the park. The Visitors Center is accessible. Special short tours of Wind Cave can be arranged to accommodate visitors with any physical disabilities.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (4/5)
A nice selection including some very cool WPA posters and prints advertising Wind Cave and other National Parks. We picked up some postcard copies as well as a beautiful leather bound pocket-sized atlas of the National Parks and other tourist destinations. The bookstore was out of Wind Cave magnets, so no perfect score.
COSTS (2/5)Cave tours are not cheap. Wind Cave’s range from $6-$9, half that for children. The Wild Cave spelunking tour a/k/a “The Crawling Tour” costs $20. These prices are much lower than we found at Mammoth Cave NP in Kentucky.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (5/5)
Wind Cave was staffed with a nice mix of Rangers and seasonal volunteers. The volunteers we met were university students who received scholarships for their time with the park. They were eager to be there and their enthusiasm was contagious. The front desk was always fully staffed and we never had to look far to find someone to answer our questions.
TOURS/CLASSES (9/10)
During summer hours, the NPS runs up to 27 tours per day that follow five different routes. We took the Natural Entrance tour and enjoyed a terrific volunteer tour guide. Although only a rising junior university student, his corny jokes, infectious enthusiasm and broad geological understanding made for a great time. It still would have been nice to have had a second Ranger a la Mammoth Cave NP to herd the tour through the cave and to answer further questions.
The Wind Cave Museum is first class. It is housed along with the Visitor Center in a charming yellow Civilian Conservation Corps building. The museums set up mimics the park, as the wildlife portion is located on the first floor while the cave portion is found in the basement. The Wind Cave introductory film is shown in dazzling hi-def; the images just jump off the screen. We especially appreciated the film inclusion of the Park’s Rangers. They explained their love of Wind Cave and what the place means to them. We have found that Rangers are usually lost in the NPS films, an unjust omission.
Volunteer college-aged Rangers were posted all day outside the Visitor Center with rotating hands-on displays warmly welcoming all to the park. We touched porcupine quills, bison horns and a porcupine skull and had all our questions answered. We appreciated the displays just as much as the astounded kids all around us who thought they were just coming to a cave.
Wind Cave also has a few self-guided walking trails, Ranger talks, scenic drives, prairie hikes and slide shows. Good stuff.
Be careful as the number of cave tours offered drops dramatically when it is not summer.
FUN (7/10)
Wind Cave offers a wide range of activities and actually has the staff to support them. Between the hands-on displays, short nature walks and the guided cave tour we were kept informed and entertained. We would have liked to have gone to the evening ranger talks, but opted against it since there were only two chaperones for the busload of kids who were also attending.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (6/10)Wind Cave is a short hour-long drive from Mount Rushmore NMEM. The drive is scenic, but slow going due to the winding road and varied terrain. We arrived late in the afternoon and were able to join the next scenic cave tour which left just minutes later. In the heat of summer, this might not always be possible – brochures warn visitors to arrive early to avoid a wait for cave tours. So our recommendation would be to come early or come late. Midday might be tricky.
We spent two nights at the Wind Cave campground, but one day would be plenty of time to take a tour underground, a walk above ground and a stroll through the Visitors Center exhibits. Remember to bring a jacket. Wind Cave is always a cool 53 degrees.
TOTAL 50/80
www.usa-c2c.com
© 2004-06