wind cave national park

We had a great drive through the area. We didn't have time to stop at the cave, but saw buffalo and other wildlife out and about. Glad that we drove this way to get to Crazy Horse.

We were here on President's Day, so it was a nice surprise that it was free. Our tour had about 45 people in it, so it was difficult to get good interpretation in it since we were strung out in the narrow cave route. The ranger, when he could talk to us, was excellent. Would love to come back and explore in a more thorough tour.

Great historical place to visit the underground amazing formation of the caves. Informational guide. A lot of ducking if your tall, not for the claustrophobic. Nice museum area in the main building.

Lovely drive through the park. Roaming buffalo and elk can be seen from the highway. The occasional badger and coyote can be seen in the prairie dog towns. This is a wonderful, scenic drive any time of the year. We visit often and see something new every time. The drive on the gravel from the Centennial trail road into Custer State Park is a must. It is easily driven in trucks or SUV's but we manage it quite nicely in a small car during nice weather. Photo opportunities are around every corner!

After traveling from the Badlands and trying to see everything in Custer State Park and Wind Cave, a whole day in a motorhome made for tired and restless people. The little ones (ages 2,4,9) only wanted to get to the next KOA so they could swim or play on the playground, but the adults wanted the whole tour thing. We opted for the last Garden of Eden tour at the end of the day. There wasn't much walking or climbing to speak of, and the kids would have preferred to keep moving. They thought the cave was pretty neat, as did the adults. The tour guide was excellent.BUT...there was too much standing around while we listened to the guide. Most of the tour was just standing and listening. Of course the kids wanted to talk, or touch things, or climb the stairs, especially the 2 year-old. She was squirmy and got cold, so holding on to her without bothering the other tourists was a challenge since there was no other place to go.Advice...if you have young kids and can manage it, go early in the morning when everyone is fed, fresh, and happy and the wait won't be as long. I would see if one of the other tours moves around a little more, because all thee kids enjoyed going from room to room and would have liked a longer, more strenuous tour.This cave and park are certainly worth the stop, although late in the day we didn't see any wildlife other than a large flock of turkeys. Time your trip well, and you'll give it five stars.

So glad we made a point to visit Wind Cave National Park during our road trip to South Dakota. We opted for the Garden of Even cave tour figuring that would best for our five year old, and that was a good choice. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we were able to see a few types of rock formations during our tour. After visiting the caves, we did drive around a bit hoping to see some animal life, but I guess we weren't lucky that day. Still, for the cave tours alone, so worth it! Next time we hope to do the candlelight or caving tours, for a bit more adventure!

When you have to pull the car over to allow the roaming bison to cross the road - breathless. I believe it happens more-so in the morning - timing is everything

Another execeptional National Park. The wide open plains contrast with the massive caves system underneath your feet. Our first real sighting of bison, Proghorn and Prairie dogs plus a host of other birds and insects. It was a delight to see the swaying prairie grasses, forested hillsides and one of its few remaining intact prairies. Then to delve into the subterreanean environment of the Wind Cave. We took the Natural Enterance Tour and really enjoyed our Ranger led tour - which ends in an elevator ride back to the surface!!!!

What a great place to visit! The grounds of the park are very scenic and beautiful, with breath taking views. They also have buffalo that ram the park. The cave had very interesting features. Wind cave is the only cave with "box work". The ranger was very knowledgeable and fun. Take your own flashlight, so you can look into the creviouses. Take a light jacket and Watch your head!

When you come upon this area, the above ground looks like a lot of grassy fields, but you'll be surprised by the beauty under the ground. The hike isn't as strenuous as the nearby Jewel Cave and you get to see many features. Would recommend!

This place is simply awesome! Top know that it is one of the world's largest/longest caves is quite neat. The tour guides were very informative and well-versed for the tours. We went through all of the daily tours, a couple twice. Very interesting place. We were personally invited back for a very small, more in depth tour [this winter] that we are currently planning.

Easy to get to, Wind Cave National Park is well worth a visit. We did the Fairgrounds tour, approx. 90 min long. You descend and return by elevator. According to the NPS website, there are 450 stairs along the one-half mile route with one flight of 89 steps going up --not particularly strenuous if you're in reason shape. This tour explores portions of both the middle and upper levels, which have dramatically different types of formations: lots of amazing boxwork in the mid level, frostwork and popcorn in the upper. Our guide was knowledgeable, friendly and entertaining. The amount of walking and confined space (with strict instructions to not touch the walls of the cave) might make it a bit much for very young children, but my 5th grader thought it was fantastic.

Wind Cave National Park is absolutely fascinating. It is without a doubt one of the most impressive caves I have ever explored. You may want to watch the movie "The Descent" before visiting this attraction if you want to give yourself the creeps. I have never before seen the unique lattice like formations on the roof of the cave. It was reminiscent of an apple pie's crust. I wish the tour was longer and wish I could come back again to explore.

We didn't go underground at Wind Cave National Park, so I can't review the caves. Instead, we drove through the park in the evening on our way back to Rapid City. (There was no fee to drive through from the Hot Springs side.) Wow! What a spectacular wildlife display. (We spotted lots more animals at Wind Cave than at Custer State Park.) There were plenty of buffalo, some in larger groups and others very close for video and photographs from the car. Mule deer, too, were grazing close to the road. Best of all, we saw a dazzling courtship ritual between two pronghorns. They chased each other across the road in front of our car and we stopped to watch their game playing for some time. They sprint so quickly and gracefully---like dancers. Just magnificent. Wind Cave National Park was a highlight our South Dakota trip.

Definitely go here and see the amazing boxwork in these caves! Easy walking and ducking on paved path and stairs. Not too cold either! Fascinating!