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 Tourism - Jewel Cave National Monument - Custer, South Dakota Posted by:  Hikenutty
N 43° 44.191 W 103° 49.549
13T E 594554 N 4843278
This cave was thought to a be a small yet exquisite cave in 1908 when it was made a National Monument. Now 137 miles have been explored and it may possibly be the longest continuous cave in the world.
Waymark Code: WM1WEX
Location: South Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 07/20/2007
Views: 67
The exploration of Jewel Cave began about 1900 when two South Dakota prospectors, Frank and Albert Michaud, and a friend, Charles Bush, happened to hear wind rushing through a hole in the rocks in Hell Canyon. Enlarging the hole, they found a cave full of sparkling crystals. They filed a mining claim on the "Jewel Lode," but they found no valuable minerals, so they tried turning the cave into a tourist attraction instead. The business was never a success, but the cave did attract attention, and in 1908 Jewel Cave National Monument was established to protect the small but extraordinarily beautiful cave.
Fifty years later exploration of the cave intensified. Led by the husband-and-wife team of Herb and Jan Conn, modern-day cavers have discovered new wonders and explored many additional miles of passages. Today the cave is among the world's longest and is renowned for its variety of formations. The current length of Jewel Cave is 137.16 miles.
The cave was proclaimed a National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt on February 7, 1908.
These coordinates are for the historic section of the park. This was the original Visitor center and entrance to the cave. It is a great walk and you can even do a little spelunking in the smaller surrounding caves.
You can explore Jewel Cave on any of the park's ranger-guided cave tours. Tickets for the Scenic Tour are sold at the main Visitor Center. Tickets for the Spelunking Tour are sold on a reservation-only basis. Reservations may be made up to one month in advance by calling, writing, or stopping by the Visitor Center. Fees range from $4 to $10 for talks and tours. All cave tours free for members of the military, veterans and their families. The Visitor's Center is open from 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Scenic Cave tours offered at 9:00 A.M., 10:20 A.M., 12:20 P.M., 1:20 P.M., 2:20 P.M., and 3:00 P.M.
Discovery Talks offered at 10:35 A.M., 1:55 P.M., and 3:55 P.M.
No advanced sales and no reservations. Tickets available first come, first served only.
The "Official Tourism" URL link to the attraction: [Web Link]
The attraction’s own URL: [Web Link]
Hours of Operation:
The Visitor's Center is open from 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Scenic Cave tours offered at 9:00 A.M., 10:20 A.M., 12:20 P.M., 1:20 P.M., 2:20 P.M., and 3:00 P.M.
Discovery Talks offered at 10:35 A.M., 1:55 P.M., and 3:55 P.M.
Admission Prices:
Monument is free, however, the different tours have varying prices so check the attractions Website.
Approximate amount of time needed to fully experience the attraction: Half of a day (2-5 hours)
Transportation options to the attraction: Personal Vehicle Only
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