Project Profile: Enhance Recreation Resilience in Wind Cave National Park

The Casey Property at Wind Cave National Park.

NPS Photo

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Recreation | FY23 $200,000

The National Park Service will create additional recreational opportunities and relieve crowding by restoring up to 5,556 acres of recently acquired land that is currently closed to visitation at the historic Casey Property in Wind Cave National Park.

Why? Currently visitation at Wind Cave is heavily congested near the visitor center where people congregate to tour the cave, while other areas of the park remain empty of visitors. The project opens the land to hiking, backcountry camping, and ranger-lead tours of the historic 1918 ranch structures, and a 4,000-year-old buffalo jump.

What Else? The Sanson Ranch/Casey Addition was obtained by the park in 2010 and contains a prime example of a late 1800’s era ranch. The Sanson Ranch was an important homestead of the area, offering “get togethers” and other activities to the local community. This project is to open the ranch to the public and provide interpretive signs and tours; educating the visitor about life in the Blacks Hills of South Dakota.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Ecosystem Restoration

This project was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Ecosystem Restoration, signed on November 15, 2021. It is a historic investment in the restoration and protection of the environment.