• Wind Cave National Park - Two Worlds

    Wind Cave

    National Park South Dakota

Wind Cave Room - What the Hell Lake

Jim Pisarowicz at the edge of What the Hell Lake
Jim Pisarowicz at the edge of What the Hell Lake
NPS Photo by Jim Nepstad
 
This was the expression from Stan Allison who initially came upon this small lake in 1996. It is located in a previously dry passage that had been known for over 20 years. This lake rose to the point that it sumped the route to the main Lakes area, the deep point in the cave, in July of 1999.  The Lakes area was not accessable until 2004 when the water in What the Hell Lake went down to open up the previously sumped passage.

Did You Know?

Natural Entrance of Wind Cave

Winds caused by changes in barometric pressure are what give Wind Cave its name.  These winds have been measured at the cave's walk-in entrance at over 70 mph. The winds at the natural entrance of the cave attracted the attention of Native Americans and early settlers.