Jewel Cave National Monument
With a name derived from the crystals that line its walls, Jewel Cave National Monument is even more significant as the third-longest cave in the world. Features of this South Dakota treasure include a variety of cave tours below the forest and a 1,279-acre park with nature trails above ground.
Please note that due to an elevator renovation project, there is limited access to the cave into fall 2021. Despite limited tours, there are still many things visitors can do. One can always learn about the cave and area at the visitor center. Enjoy a healthy stroll along the 1/4-mile Roof Trail (an easily-accessible trail near the visitor center that features picnic tables and benches) and the 3.5-mile Canyons Trail, which goes through Lithograph and Hell Canyons before winding back to the visitor center parking lot. View recently reintroduced Bighorn Sheep in the Historic Area.
During the summer, the visitor center, store, restrooms, surface trails and picnic areas are open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Historic Area is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Times are subject to change, so please plan accordingly. Also, regardless of vaccination status, visitors are required to wear masks inside all park buildings and the cave.
For additional visitor enjoyment, the monument released a series of interpretive podcasts via the official Jewel Cave Facebook page and the National Park Service's YouTube channel. Below you’ll find more trip planning tools & frequently asked visitor questions to help you plan your next great adventure to Jewel Cave National Monument!
An underground wilderness sparkling with brilliant color.
11149 US Highway 16, Bldg. B12
Custer, SD57730
United States
This striking South Dakota landscape boasts a maze of buttes, canyons, pinnacles and spires. Skeletons of three-toed horses and saber-toothed cats are among the many fossilized species found here. Wildlife abounds in the park’s 244,000 acres and can often be seen while hiking, camping and traveling the Badlands Loop Scenic Byway.
America's Shrine of Democracy, Mount Rushmore National Memorial features the 60-foot faces of four great American presidents who represent the birth, growth, development and preservation of this country. Beginning summer 2019 and lasting approximately 18 months, enhancements are being made to the park grounds. Mount Rushmore remains open during this time.
The third-longest cave in the world features a variety of cave tours below the surface and a 1,279-acre park with nature trails above ground.
Few truly wild places remain in this country. Custer State Park is one of them. Nearly 1,300 bison wander the park’s 71,000 acres, which they share with pronghorn antelope, elk, mountain goats and a band of burros.
Walk in the footsteps of historic Old West legends like Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Seth Bullock. This 1870s gold rush town became a National Historic Landmark in 1961. Today, it teems with Black Hills entertainment and things to do including concerts, casinos, museums, historic sites, spas and parades.
History and adventure abound along and on the waters of the Mighty Mo’. Free-flowing sections and four reservoirs – Lake Oahe, Lake Sharpe, Lake Francis Case and Lewis & Clark Lake – are prime for fishing, boating and water recreation.
The first cave to be designated a national park, Wind Cave National Park features the world's largest concentration of rare boxwork formations along with 33,851 acres of forest and prairie on the surface creating a sanctuary for wildlife.
Korczak Ziolkowski began work on Crazy Horse Memorial in 1948. Once complete, this tribute to the Lakota leader will be the largest mountain carving in South Dakota, and the world. The on-site Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Educational & Cultural Center also provide educational and cultural programming.
