News Release

Cave tours, hikes, and talks around a tipi highlight Wind Cave’s summer ranger programs

National Park rangers will be presenting a variety of interpretive programs this summer at Wind Cave National Park.

NPS Photo

News Release Date: June 10, 2022

Contact: Tom Farrell, 605-745-4600

WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, SD – National park rangers at Wind Cave National Park will offer a variety of interpretive programs this summer. Upwards of forty cave tours will be offered daily through the world’s seventh-longest cave beginning at 8:40 a.m. and the last tour entering the cave at 5:40 p.m. In addition, there will be guided tours of the Sanson Buffalo Jump, and talks about the Native American culture and Lakota Emergence story.

Free three-hour walking tours of the Sanson Ranch and Buffalo Jump will be offered every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday until mid-August. To participate, visitors will meet a ranger in front of the park visitor center at 8:45 a.m. They should dress for the weather with water, sunscreen, hiking shoes, and insect repellent. Participants will then car-caravan 20 minutes, including driving on a dirt road, to the Sanson Ranch. This moderately strenuous mile and a half hike will explore an historic bison jump and homestead.

Darrell Red Cloud, a member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe, will be a featured speaker at Wind Cave this summer. Darrell and park interpretive rangers will tell the Lakota Emergence story every day at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m. There is also a tipi set up on the visitor center front lawn with talks given by rangers or Darrell throughout the day.

Walking tours through the cave along the Natural Entrance, Fairgrounds, Garden of Eden, and Candlelight Tours to the Pearly Gates will be given daily. Fees range from $14 to $16, with children 5 and under free, 6 to 15 and those over 62 half price. The minimum age for the Candlelight Tour is 8 years old.

More adventurous half-day cave crawling tours are led through a non-developed section of cave Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday through mid-August. Each participant is lent a headlamp and elbow and kneepads before following their guide into a wild section of cave. Cost of this tour is $45; participants must be at least 16 years of age. Those under 18 must have a signed permission by a responsible adult.

All cave tours begin at the visitor center that is open 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The building will be closing earlier beginning in August; call the park for times. Visitors will need a light coat or sweater and sturdy shoes. Reservations for tours can be made at www.recreation.gov. Each day, approximately half of the tours are available for same day purchase. Reservations are strongly recommended for the more strenuous Candlelight and Wild Cave Tours.

Beginning June 15, only credit or debit cards will be accepted for cave tours and campground fees.

Rangers will end the day with a nightly program at the Elk Mountain Campground Amphitheater. Through August 13, campfire programs begin at 9 p.m. From August 14 to September 5, the program will begin at 8:30 p.m. Topics vary nightly with information posted on the park’s Facebook page or call the park for topics.

For those wanting to wander off the beaten track, the park hosts 44 square miles of prairie and forest. People can use the 30 miles of existing park trails or strike off cross country on their own. Horses are allowed in the backcountry by permit only, available at the park visitor center before beginning your ride. For more information, call the park at [phone] or visit www.nps.gov/wica.