Wind Cave National Park was the first national park designated to protect a cave! This cave is amazing, and I can’t wait for you to discover all of the amazing things to do at Wind Cave.
My name is Ash, and I’m a former park ranger. I lived in South Dakota for several years, and I love returning to the area to explore.
This article includes information on family activities, hiking, biking, winter activities, and so much more.
Keep reading (or if you want to fast-forward, click on the links below) to find the perfect activities for your specific interests!
The Top 5 Things To Do at Wind Cave
When you visit Wind Cave, you may just expect to tour the cave and then leave. Many people don’t realize there is more to do here!
If you have a few extra hours to spend in the park beyond your cave tour, you’ll be able to see beautiful views and lots of wildlife on the surface of this park.
When you are ready for more detailed information on the top things to do, including driving directions and trip planning help, click over to this list of things you can’t miss on your first visit to Wind Cave.
Cave Tour
You’ll definitely want to tour Wind Cave while you’re here! This cave has a massive amount of a rare, honeycomb-like formation called boxwork.
A ranger-led tour is required to see the cave — find out how to get a reservation here.
NPS 5 & 6 Roads
Take an adventurous drive through the beautiful Wind Cave landscape.
These dirt roads travel through a lesser-visited area of the park that is full of wildlife!
Bison Flats
If you want to see bison at Wind Cave National Park, drive to Bison Flats!
You never know what you’ll see out here, but hang out for a minute and enjoy the view.
Prairie Vista Trail
Enjoy the wide-open breathtaking prairie at Wind Cave! This easy trail travels through the rolling fields and then takes you past the natural entrance to the cave.
Rankin Ridge
The Rankin Ridge Trail may be only a mile long, but it’s jam-packed with some of the best views the park has to offer. This is my favorite hike at Wind Cave!
The viewpoint at the end of the hike stretches 40 miles east—all the way to the badlands!
For more trip-planning information (including driving directions) on each of these stops, check out this list of things you can’t miss on your first visit to Wind Cave.
How long does it take to see the top five things at Wind Cave?
You can get to all of these activities in one day!
If you’d like more help, I have a whole article devoted to helping you figure out how many days to spend at Wind Cave.
Traffic and crowding in the Black Hills can be terrible.
Did you know that it’s common for parking lots to be full and sights to be packed with people, especially during the busy summer season?
Are you hoping to see the best sights without getting stuck in traffic, circling parking lots, or being surrounded by people?
Stay ahead of the crowds with this South Dakota National Parks Itinerary. You will see all the can’t-miss spots, plus get lodging and dining guides, driving directions, and insider tips!
Wind Cave National Park has activities for adventurers of every age and skill level! Now that we’ve covered the top 5 things to do in the park, it’s time to dig deeper into your own personal interests.
Things to Do at Wind Cave With Kids
Wind Cave is a great national park to visit with kids of any age—there are plenty of family-friendly activities at the park that you don’t want to miss!
Check out the Adventures in Nature activity for children ages 4-10. Your kids will have a chance to interact with park rangers and learn about the park through fun activities!
Wind Cave National Park has a great selection of short and easy hikes! My favorite trail is Rankin Ridge, but you’ll find some other great ones outlined in this article.
Stop in at the visitor center to grab a junior ranger activity book. After completing the activities in the book, you can earn your very own ranger badge!
And lastly, be sure to catch a tour of Wind Cave. The Garden of Eden tour is the easiest and shortest cave tour offered, so that’s a great choice if you have young kids. If you’re up for a little more adventure, get reservations for the Natural Entrance or Fairgrounds tour instead.
Things to Do at Wind Cave if You Love to Hike
Wind Cave is a small park that isn’t particularly known for its hiking trails, but you will find some great longer trail options if you want to dig deeper into this park.
The Highland Creek Trail is an awesome 8.6-mile-long trail that takes you through Wind Cave Canyon. On this trail, you’ll find grasslands, ponderosa forests, and of course, the amazing canyon. This is a big hike with a lot of elevation gain, so be sure to prepare for a strenuous hike and rewarding experience!
East Bison Flats is another unique trail at Wind Cave—get ready for some bison sightings! You’ll want to bring your camera and with you on this amazing hike down Wind Cave Canyon and back up to the prairie land, where you’ll have panoramic views.
Lookout Point Trail is one of the more popular trails in the park. This trail is 2.2 miles long and, as the name implies, offers an amazing lookout at the end!
Wind Cave has an open hike policy, so why not make your own backcountry hike? Check out the park’s guidelines for backcountry hiking either online or at the visitor center, and then go wherever your heart desires!
Do you love to have a plan?
Get the inside scoop for your upcoming vacation —> this itinerary is the most detailed, epic, and easy-to-follow guide to the park!
Things to Do at Wind Cave if You Don’t Want to Hike
If hiking isn’t something you can do or want to do at Wind Cave, you can still see so many amazing things! Enjoying a cave tour, driving a scenic road, and looking for wildlife are some of my favorite non-hiking activities in the park.
Don’t miss out on a cave tour while you’re here! If you’re not able to hike or have limited ability, the park offers an accessible cave tour by request.
If you’re looking for a great scenic drive, I love the Wind Cave Geology Driving Tour. As you follow this route, you’ll drive along Highway 385, Highway 87, and NPS 5 to learn more about the geology in the park. These roads are scenic, so even if geology isn’t your thing, you’ll have plenty to enjoy along the way!
Regardless of where you go in the park, you’ll likely encounter some wildlife. Keep your camera out and ready! Bison, elk, and prairie dogs are the most popular animals to see in Wind Cave National Park!
Winter Activities at Wind Cave
Wind Cave National Park doesn’t get as many visitors in the winter as it does in other months, but it does receive a lot of snow! Winter is a unique time to visit the park, especially if you are looking for solitude.
Cave tours run year-round at Wind Cave, so you can visit during the winter and tour the cave. This cave stays a constant 54 degrees, so it will actually feel warm in the cave compared to outside!
You can also hike the park’s popular trails if they aren’t closed due to snow or ice, so I’d recommend checking some of the easier trails that are better for winter hiking, like the Praire Vista Trail or the Elk Mountain Loop. Check-in at the visitor center for current conditions before venturing out.
Some roads and trails close down when icy or if a big storm is blowing through — you can find out more about what to expect during the winter here.
You’ll also find some fun winter activities in nearby Custer State Park and Hot Springs.
Things to Do at Wind Cave if You Love Ranger Programs
Good news! If you love ranger programs, Wind Cave is the perfect national park to visit. Rangers lead all the guided tours through the cave, so you’ll have a wonderful chance to learn more about the park from someone who knows it well.
You’ll find a complete schedule of the ranger-led cave tours here. All of these tours are fascinating! If you can, reserve your tour in advance online to ensure that you can see the cave when you visit. Cave tours often sell out during the busy summer months.
Evening ranger programs are offered nightly in the Elk Mountain Campground amphitheater on a range of topics. In September, you can also join an Elk Bugling ranger program! Click here for more information about these ranger programs.
Wheelchair-Friendly Things to Do at Wind Cave
You’ll find some great wheelchair-friendly options for exploring Wind Cave National Park.
The best way to experience Wind Cave in a wheelchair is to request an accessible cave tour. These cave tours utilize the elevator to cut out the stairs portion of the cave. You’ll love talking to a ranger as they show you the beautiful boxwork that this cave is famous for.
As far as getting out on a trail, Wind Cave doesn’t have very many accessible options. But I highly recommend visiting the natural entrance of the cave. You’ll find a ramp behind the visitor center that connects to a wheelchair-friendly path that leads to the natural entrance.
The Elk Mountain Campground, the visitor center, the picnic area, and the scenic overlooks in the park are accessible. You can find out more information about accessibility in the park here.
Things to Do at Wind Cave With Your Dog
Dogs aren’t permitted on cave tours, so you’ll be limited in what you can do if you bring your dog to the park. Check out this article for detailed information about traveling to Wind Cave with your dog.
High Adventure Activities at Wind Cave
Wind Cave has some unique adventures above and beyond the normal hikes and tours, so check out these great activities if you’re looking for an added dose of adventure!
Wind Cave has an open hike policy! That means you can go off-trail and make your own adventure in the park’s backcountry. Learn more about this here. Camping out under the stars, hiking through the rolling hills, and spotting wildlife like elk and bison are amazing ways to spend your time at Wind Cave.
If you’re looking for an incredible adventure in the cave, sign up for a Candlelight Tour or a Wild Cave Tour. The Candlelight Tour takes you through an unlit portion of the cave — you carry your own candle! It’s so much fun to see the cave in the same way the early explorers did.
The Wild Cave Tour is a half-day adventure through some of the craziest passages in Wind Cave. To take this tour, you have to be able to squeeze through a space that is 10 inches tall by 3 feet wide. That is super tight! This tour is perfect for you if you are looking for adventure.
Things to Do at Wind Cave if You Love to Bike
If you love to bike, you’ll find several great options at Wind Cave National Park. Biking is allowed on paved and dirt roads but not on any trails.
My favorite biking route through Wind Cave is along the NPS 5 and 6 backcountry roads. These roads are unpaved, making them less busy than the other roads in the park. These roads take you through prime wildlife habitat and provide gorgeous views of the area!
Highway 385 is another great option for biking through the park. This road is wide, with a good shoulder and some nice scenic pullouts.
Highway 87 is beautiful but a little trickier to see on a bike — this road gets very narrow and curvy the further north you get. The scenery is fantastic, but you’ll want to save this route for early or late in the day to avoid the busy traffic.
You can find more information about your biking options at Wind Cave National Park here.
Things to Do Near Wind Cave
The Black Hills area of South Dakota has enough to see and do that you’ll never run out of options! While you’re in the area visiting Wind Cave, give yourself some extra time to explore some nearby points of interest.
If you love exploring caves, check out nearby Jewel Cave National Monument! Many people find Jewel Cave to be more to their liking than Wind Cave because it is more traditionally beautiful with large stalactites and stalagmites. (Arguably, the boxwork in Wind Cave is not as beautiful as a traditional cave formation, but remember, it’s super RARE). You can tour both and see which cave system you prefer!
Most people visit many different national park sites during their time in the Rapid City area — this area is full of so many amazing parks! Check out Mount Rushmore, Devils Tower, Badlands, and the Minuteman Missile Site while you’re here.
A few more of my favorite places to visit in this general area are Historic Deadwood, Spearfish Canyon, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse, and the Mammoth Site.
Have an incredible time working through this list of things to do at Wind Cave. Safe travels!
More Wind Cave Trip Planning Information
South Dakota Parks Itinerary — a detailed hour-by-hour sightseeing schedule.
How to Get to Wind Cave — the best airports and roads in the area.
How Many Days Should I Spend in Wind Cave? — itinerary ideas.
The Best Time to Visit — what to expect during each month of the year.
Weather, Hours, and Closures — important weather info and common closures.
Where Should I Stay? — the best options in and around the park.
All About Camping — learn about the park’s campgrounds and how to get a site.
5 Things You Can’t Miss on Your First Visit to Wind Cave — the top 5 spots.
The Best Easy Hikes — the perfect trails for kids, wheelchairs, and beginners.
The Ultimate Wind Cave Trip Planning Guide — everything you need to know.
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