Photo: National Park Service of the United States of America, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFreeFamily Favorite

Wind Cave National Park

Wind Cave National Park is an outdoor activity in Hot Springs, SD, part of the Black Hills guide. Cost: free.

26611 US Highway 385 · Hot Springs, SD

Why you should go…

Wind Cave National Park protects a cave with more than 168 miles of explored passages beneath the Black Hills, and about 95 percent of the world's known boxwork formations are found in it. Ranger-guided cave tours leave from the visitor center, 11 miles north of Hot Springs. Above ground, bison, elk and other wildlife roam a prairie you can explore by trail or scenic drive. No entrance pass is required, and the cave stays 54 degrees year round, so bring a jacket.

#national park
#cave tour
#bison
#prairie
#hiking

What's around here?

The closest stops to Wind Cave National Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Tours
Local Gem
Signature Black Hills Tours
$50+
Private, small-group guided tours of Mount Rushmore, the Badlands and the Black Hills led by a former National Park Service ranger.
8.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours
Stay
Family Favorite
Hills Inn
$50+
A family-run 35-room motel in downtown Hot Springs, South Dakota, with a heated outdoor pool.
9.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay
Museums
History Buff
The Mammoth Site
Under $25
An active fossil dig site and museum in Hot Springs, South Dakota, showcasing dozens of Ice Age mammoth remains.
9.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor Adventure
Custer State Park
$25–$50
Drive the Wildlife Loop past free-roaming bison, wind through the Needles Highway and walk the shore of Sylvan Lake.
11 mi awayMore like this
Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor Adventure
Black Hills Balloons
$50+
Sunrise hot air balloon flights over Custer State Park and the southern Black Hills.
16 mi awayMore like this
Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor Adventure
Needles Highway
$25–$50
Drive 14 winding miles past granite spires, Sylvan Lake and narrow rock tunnels in the Black Hills of Custer State Park.
20 mi awayMore like this