Operating Hours & Seasons

Entrance to the cave requires a ranger-guided tour, a minimum of two visitors, and tours are scheduled by season (listed below). Tickets are required to enter the cave, and are sold on-site on a first-come, first-served basis (check tour schedule below). Reservations are not taken over the phone by a park ranger. Working in collaboration with Black Hills Central Reservations, visitors can purchase Scenic Tour tickets in advance between 72 hours and 90 days using an online service: www.blackhillsvacations.com or a call center at 844-245-6179. Note: Reservations will not be available from October 2018 through April 2019.

Tickets are limited by tour type and cave tours do sell out at any time during the day. During the peak season or a holiday weekend, it is advised that you arrive in the morning to purchase tour tickets or go through the reservation service (mentioned above). When planning a visit to Jewel Cave, it is important to know there is no food service at the Monument.

 

SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE due to staff availability, emergency situations, construction projects, inclement weather, and/or special events. In the event of inclement weather, visitors are advised to call ahead at [phone]. Visitor Center hours are subject to change during severe weather.

Early Winter Schedule (October 15 - November 11, 2018): Due to a planned construction project beginning Monday, October 15, 2018 within the cave, Scenic Tours will be suspended until about mid-April 2019.

Visitor Center Hours - Open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Mountain Time).

Cave Tours are not available from October 15, 2018 through about mid-April 2019.
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Winter Schedule (November 12, 2018 through mid-April, 2019): Due to a planned construction project within the cave during the off-season, Scenic Tours will be suspended until about mid-April 2019. There are no cave tours available through the off-season.

Visitor Center Hours - Open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Mountain Time). The Monument is closed on Federal Holidays such as Thanksgiving Day (November 22), Christmas Day (December 25), New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Presidents' Day.
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