NPS Photo

Boxwork in Wind Cave

Wind Cave Visitor Center is open daily from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm all year except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. During the summer the Visitor Center hours are expanded (schedule).

All cave tours are ranger-guided and leave from the visitor center. Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

During the summer months long waits may be encountered. To avoid waits, the best time to visit the cave is during the early hours of the day. During the summer weekends are good times to visit; Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the busiest days.

The Visitor Center is located 11 miles North of Hot Springs, SD. Stop in at the visitor center for information, cave tours, exhibits, slide and video programs, maps, books, backcountry permits, Senior and Access Passes, and Federal Recreational Lands Passes.

The Visitor Center contains three exhibit rooms featuring cave exploration, cave formations, early cave history, the Civilian Conservation Corps, park wildlife, and resource management. An 18-minute movie: Wind Cave: One Park, Two Worlds; is shown throughout the day.

Cave Tours are offered daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. All cave tours leave from the visitor center.  All cave tours are ranger-guided and leave from the visitor center. Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. During the summer months long waits may be encountered. To avoid waits, the best time to visit the cave is during the early hours of the day. During the summer weekends are good times to visit; Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the busiest days.

The visitor center and the cave are accessible to people with disabilities, please inquire at the visitor center. The park is opened all year. There are 30 miles of hiking trails where visitors can view the native plants and wildlife of the prairie ecosystem.

Click here for a discription of park activities.  For scripts of the major walking tours for the hearing impaired click here.

Tent area of Elk Mountain Campground

Elk Mountain Campground offers campers a unique opportunity to view the plants and animals of the southern Black Hills. The campground is open all year although flush toilets and water are only available during part of the year. The campground fee is $12.00 a night per site when water and toilet facilities are available. In late fall through early spring when the water is turned off, the fee is $6.00 a night per site. Visitors holding a Senior or Access Pass, or a Golden Age or Golden Access Pass pay half price a night per site. For more information go to the campground information page.