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 winter weather, visitors are advised to call ahead at [phone]. Visitor Center hours are subject to change during severe weather.

Early Winter Schedule (October 15 - December 16, 2018): Due to a planned construction project beginning Monday, October 15, 2018 within the cave, all cave 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), except the Monument is closed on Thanksgiving Day, November 22.

Cave Tours are not available from October 15, 2018 through about mid-April 2019.
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Winter Schedule (December 17, 2018 through mid-April, 2019): Due to a planned construction project within the cave during the off-season, all cave tours will be suspended until about mid-April 2019. There are no cave tours available through the off-season.

Visitor Center Hours - Open Wednesday through Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Mountain Time). The Monument is Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays, and Federal Holidays such as Christmas Day (December 25), New Year's Day (January 1), Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 21), and Presidents' Day (February 18).

Snowshoe Hikes are planned for the winter season. On Saturdays, January 12 and 26 and February 9 and 23, park staff will lead hikes at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
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