Jewel Cave was discovered by Frank and Albert Michaud in 1900. The brothers enlarged the natural entrance and gave tours showing off the cave formations. President Theodore Roosevelt established Jewel Cave National Monument on February 7, 1908. Only about two miles of passages were known to exist in 1959 when Herb and Jan Conn started exploring the cave.
After twenty years of exploration, the Conns had discovered and mapped more than 64 miles of passages in Jewel Cave. Further exploration by other teams has expanded the known map of the cave to over 190 miles as of August 1, 2017, making it the third longest cave system in the world.
In 1965, the park service began construction of a 300 foot elevator shaft into an area discovered by the Conns. After building concrete walks and metal stairways, and platforms along a route suggested by the Conns, the Scenic Tour guided tour was opened to the public in 1972. The current visitor center was part of the construction boom.
The visitor center houses an information desk, bookstore, exhibit area, elevator and assembly area for two of the guided tours. An adjacent building houses public restrooms. Tickets for the tours are sold daily on a first-come, first-served basis at a kiosk at the end of the parking area.
Although there is paved parking for nearly one hundred visitor vehicles, the lot is often full by noon during the summer tourist season. Tickets for cave tours also sell out during the summer, so arriving early is the preferred option for those wishing to tour the cave. I'd also suggest you buy your tickets first and then tour the visitor center or take in a "sidewalk talk" given by a volunteer or ranger on a wide variety of topics.
Jewel Cave National Monument is located about 12.5 miles west of Custer, South Dakota on US-16. The visitor center is located at the end of a 3/4 mile access road south of the highway. We visited the monument during our August 2017 trip to the Dakotas.
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| Ticket kiosk at parking area |
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| Visitor center and restroom buildings |
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| "Last Frontier" display |
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| Passport to National Parks display |
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| Wildlife habitat exhibit |
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| Cave tour assembly area |
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| Bookstore and gift shop |
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| Books and clothing |
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| Junior Ranger vestss, games, and maps for sale |
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| Passport books and stickers |
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| Museum entrance |
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| Cave history |
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| Modern cave exploration tools |
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| Only about 5% of the volume of the cave has been explored |
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| Keeping the cave pristine |
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| Touching damages the cave formations |
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| History, exploration, and scientific questions |
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| Cave Popcorn |
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| Dogtooth Spar |
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| Frostwork |
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| Draperies |
Entry to Jewel Cave National Monument is free. Cave tours require a fee of $4 to $31 per adult depending on the tour. Prices are reduced for children and seniors. Some tours have a minimum age requirement. Tickets for the current day tours are sold at a kiosk outside the visitor center on a first-come, first-served basis.
The monument website is https://www.nps.gov/jeca.
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