Tourism - Wind Cave National Park - Black Hills of South Dakota
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 44° 00.679 W 103° 15.102
13T E 640142 N 4874615
One of the world's longest and most complex caves and 28,295 acres of prairie, ponderosa pine forest, and associated wildlife are the main features of the park. The cave is well known for its boxwork, an cave formation composed of thin calcite fins.
Waymark Code: WM1WEM
Location: South Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 07/20/2007
Views: 70
One of the world's longest and most complex caves and 28,295 acres of mixed-grass prairie, ponderosa pine forest, and associated wildlife are the main features of the park. The cave is well known for its outstanding display of boxwork, an unusual cave formation composed of thin calcite fins resembling honeycombs. The park's mixed-grass prairie is one of the few remaining and is home to native wildlife such as bison, elk, pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes, and prairie dogs.
American Indians of the area have many stories about a hole in the Black Hills that blows wind. Tipi rings near the natural entrance indicate that they knew of Wind Cave. In 1881, two settlers, Jesse and Tom Bingham, were also attracted to the whistling sound of the wind coming from the cave entrance. As the story goes, the wind was blowing out of the cave with such force that it blew off Tom's hat. A few days later when Jesse returned to show this phenomenon to some friends, he was surprised to find the wind had switched directions and his hat was sucked into the cave. Today, we understand that the direction of the wind is related to the difference in atmospheric pressure between the cave and the surface.
The first person reported to have entered the cave was Charlie Crary in the fall of 1881.
On January 3, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the bill creating Wind Cave National Park. It was the seventh national park and the first one created to protect a cave. The parklands at that time were small and there were no bison, elk, or pronghorn. They came later as the park boundaries expanded.
Wind Cave Visitor Center is open daily from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm all year. The park itself is free, but the tours have varying prices.
The "Official Tourism" URL link to the attraction: [Web Link]
The attraction’s own URL: [Web Link]
Hours of Operation:
Park is open daylight hours
Visitor Center is open daily from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Admission Prices:
Free admission, but cave tours have varying prices. See Website for further information.
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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