Visitor Center - Wind Cave National Park

Our August 2017 trip to the Dakotas continued with a visit to Wind Cave National Park near Hot Springs, South Dakota. Our first stop was the visitor center. To reach the visitor center from downtown Hot Springs at the intersection of US-18 and US-385 drive north on US-385 for 10.2 miles before turning left onto the road signed for the visitor center and cave tour. Drive 0.6 miles to reach the parking area for the visitor center. The parking area is ¼ mile long with the visitor center located near the middle of that distance, so it can be up to a 700 foot walk to the door.

The visitor center has all the usual elements including an information desk, museum exhibits, bookstore, restrooms and an auditorium. Another excellent park service production, Wind Cave, Two Worlds, is shown in the auditorium. The museum exhibits are displayed on two floors of the center with the above ground exhibits displayed on the main floor and the cave exhibits displayed on the lower level. In addition, the visitor center has a ticket desk where tickets to three regular tours and two specialty tours are sold daily on a first-come, first-served basis. Adult tour difficulty and prices for 2017 are as follows:

• Garden of Eden - easy - $10 (age 6 to 16 - $5, under 6 free)
• Natural Entrance Tour - moderate - $12 (age 6 to 16 - $6, under 6 free)
• Fairgrounds Tour - strenuous - $12 (age 6 to 16 - $6, under 6 free)
• Specialty - Candlelight - strenuous - $12 (age 8 to 16 - $6, under 8 not allowed)
• Specialty - Wild Cave - very strenuous - $30 (age 16 and up, under 16 not allowed)

Senior, Golden Age, or Access pass holders are admitted for ½ the adult price. Interagency Annual Passes do not provide a discount. All cave tours leave from the visitor center or elevator building and are ranger-led.

The entire headquarters, visitor center, elevator building, picnic area, and campground complex are fenced to keep large animals out of the area. This has the advantages of keeping wild animals wild and allowing the above ground portion of the tours to proceed unimpeded.

Visitor center

Central stairs

Tour information

Cave tour ticket sales

Exhibit in main hall

Connected caves?

Above ground park information

Information desk

Auditorium with seating for about 50

Bookstore clothing

Books

Calendars and maps

Artwork for sale

Cave history exhibits

Wildlife photography

Main floor exhibit room

Free-standing displays

Where prairie meets forest

Prairie dog exhibit

Bison exhibit

Elevator building from exhibit room

Stephen Mather plaque

Entrance to the picnic area

Picnic tables and parking

Entry to Wind Cave National Park is free. Cave tours require a fee of $10 to $30 per adult depending on the tour. Prices are reduced for children and seniors. Tickets for the current day tours are sold at the visitor center on a first-come, first-served basis.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/wica.