Prairie Vista Trail - Wind Cave National Park

Wind Cave National Park was our second stop on our May 2021 trip to the Dakotas and Montana. Our first activity at the park was to hike the Prairie Vista Trail. This easy, one-mile loop trail can be accessed from either the rear of the visitor center or from the small picnic area about 1000 feet north of the visitor center. We chose to start at the picnic area and hiked the loop in the clockwise direction.

Starlily (Leucocrinum montanum)

The trail

Prairie

Prickly pear

One of several support buildings near the visitor center

Looking back toward the visitor center complex

One of the administrative buildings

Prairie isn't always flat and devoid of trees

Prairie

More prairie

A sparrow on the trail

Fence keeps the bison out of the visitor center complex

Prairie and trees

More prairie in the Black Hills

Prairie vista

Elevator building

Visitor Center

Visitor Center road and parking area

Path across the prairie

Another park service building nearly hidden in the trees

More prairie

Looking back at the hill we are descending

There is no entrance fee at Wind Cave National Park. There is a fee to tour the cave.

The Wind Cave National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/wica/index.htm.