Wind Cave National Park
add photos4 Reviews for Wind Cave National Park
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'10, '12
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"Favorite stop on our trip!"
This had to be one of our favorite places to stop on the trip. We wanted to spend a few days seeing Mt. Rushmore and some of the other sights near Keystone. Wind Cave had been recommended to me, and this place is awesome! The drive from Keystone was about an hour each way, so we did this in the morning and did Rushmore on the way back in the afternoon.
As you drive to Wind Cave, you pop over the cattle grate and a whole world of prairie land opens up (watch your speed, they are VERY protective of the wildlife and will hand out hefty tickets...or so I am told). They have wild buffalo roaming around herds of antelopes (or that is what we were calling them...they were actually pronghorns), and there were more prairie dogs than you could shake a stick at. That alone was cool enough for us forest-dwelling, rain loving, left-coasters. We pulled up to the visitor center at Wind Cave, not completely sure what we were signing up for, but very excited.
The National Park Pass does not get you a free tour...they laughed when we asked. If I remember correctly, it was around $13/person, kids were less (check the website or call). If it is busy, you may be waiting a long time for a tour. Advice we were given, was to get there when it opens. Since we were there in the off-season-October (in fact everything in Keystone was closing, and I should have thought twice about what that meant as we continued our trip east...but that is another story), and we got there first thing in the morning, we were part of the first tour and had no trouble at all. They start by having you roam around their little museum area. Then they come and get you and walk you to the elevator house. People are strangely quiet walking to the place that is going to take you down a very long ways.
Once you are down there you learn about the way Wind Cave works and why it has the name it does. At one time, the Native Americans considered it a very sacred place. It really does seem that this is where the earth takes it's breaths. Depending on the barometric pressure on the surface, the cave either blows air out (as it was the day we were there) or sucks air in. After the explanation, you are guided through a maze of tunnels that boast the most boxwork in the world, which is basically a relative to stalactites/mites, but in a honeycomb formation. This is also the 4th largest cave in the world.
After the tour, be sure to check out the only natural entrance to the cave. They told us to hop over the wall and check it out, and all 3 of us thought it was pretty cool (especially the 3-year old...he wouldn't stop giggling about how it blew in his face and hair). It wasn't just a little breeze coming out...it was more powerful than a giant hairdryer. This place is really incredible.
The tour schedule changes throughout the year, and different parts of the cave are explored at different times. Some are easier hikes than others too. If you are taking little kids (or are not comfortable with dimly lit spaces), take extra flashlights with you. We found the lad found it less scary if he had a light at first.
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1 family found this helpful
"One big cave!"
Wind Cave National Park is the place you want to go with your kids. It is a unique opportunity for kids to see what it looks like to be inside a cave. Kind of remind me of Tom Sawyer adventures Tours are scheduled every one hour, so you do not have to wait long. Then a guide will take down the cave. It is not actually dark there. There are a lot of lights installed in the cave. The walk is not very long so little kids do not get bored. However, I would not recommend taking very small kids. They may easily get scary.
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"Beautiful Trek"
On my third visit to SD, we finally went thru Wind Cave and I'm so glad we did. I love the rugged beauty of SD and there were the usual prairie dogs and burros, buffalo, etc, but the caves and rock formations were amazing. If your family is bored of being in the car, there are plenty of opportunities to get out and take little walks. Bring some food for a picnic!!
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"We are already planning to go back!"
Our family loves visiting the National Parks, and this one is by far one of the most unique! We plan to camp here next time, as the campgrounds were neat and the rangers very knowlegable. We went on a cave tour, just the first one as our youngest girls were too young for any other tours. It was SO amazing, and there is just nothing else like it. The walk is easy, lots of stairs, and plenty to see. And there is even an elevator back to the surface at the end! Our ranger guide was very pleasant, answered the myriad of questions from our kids, and was just great! We also loved the evening tour to hear the Elk bugling. There were many buffalo roaming the plains that cover the web of caves underneath. Also several self guided trails are available, with maps and stations to read about where you are. Overall, just a wonderful experience, and we will definitely go back!
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