In the Black Hills of South Dakota, unknown secrets lie below the surface. A true hidden gem is Jewel Cave National Monument.
Originally protected along with the Black Hills National Forest, Jewel Cave National Monument became a unit of the National Park Service in 1933. Thought to be a small cave for decades – around two miles – exploration throughout the 1960s and 70s proved it was a “small cave no more.” It is the 3rd longest cave system in the U.S. (Mammoth Cave being the largest). Over 200 miles of passages have been explored. However, scientists believe this is less than 5% of the cave.
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HOW TO GET TO JEWEL CAVE NATIONAL MONUMENT
Jewel Cave National Monument is open all year, but is busiest during the summer months. There is no entrance fee for the park. The closest major airport is Rapid City Regional Airport. Approximately 54-miles if is a 1-hour drive. A day trip to other Black Hills destinations, such as Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Memorial, or scenic drives on the Needles Hwy, or Iron Mountain, can easily be combined with a visit to Jewel Cave.
- From the Black hills, take U.S.16 south. Turn west onto U.S. 385 toward Hill City, SD. Continue on US 385 into the town of Custer City, SD. Turn right. Continue on Mt Rushmore Road/US 16 13-miles to the park. On your left, follow the signs for the visitor’s center.
- From Newcastle, Wyoming, take U.S.16 north. Follow for 26-miles. At the Jewel Cave entrance sign, turn right, follow the signs for the visitor’s center.
Discovering a Mysterious Underground Cave
The Michaud brothers discovered the mysterious cave in 1900. Frank and Albert, who described finding a small opening blowing air out of the ground. Like Wind Cave, Jewel Cave is also a barometric, or breathing, cave. This opening was too small, so they improvised by using dynamite to enlarge the hole. They soon discovered a cave filled with sparkling “jewels”. To have exploration funds, they attempted to make the cave a tourist attraction, but when they opened for business in the early 1900s, the tourists never materialized.
Wondering why it’s called “Jewel Cave”?
Millions of years ago, the Black Hills was covered by a shallow sea. Later, tectonic activity caused an uplift and created fractures. Water penetrates these fractures, combines with carbonic acid, enlarging the cave passages.
The “jewels” of Jewel Cave are composed of a mineral known as calcite, which is a component of limestone. The two types of calcite crystals commonly named nailhead spar and dogtooth spar. Both form when the carbon dioxide gets released, thus producing caused the water to become supersaturated with the dissolved limestone. It then becomes redeposited on the cave walls & ceilings created unique formations.
What Tours does Jewel Cave Offer?
Note: NOT allowed inside the cave are backpacks, bags, & purses, water bottle, food stuffs and selfie sticks. They only allow front baby backpack carriers.
Planning a trip to Jewel Cave? Plan ahead and make a reservation by booking tours online at recreation.gov. These tours fill quickly. Online reservations are available in the summer 60 days to 72 hours in advance. First come, first served tickets will be available on a limited-basis in the park visitor center. On the National Park’s website, you can find updated information about Jewel Cave tours and prices. Currently, they offer four tours at throughout the year.
- Discovery Tour-From the VC elevators is a short 20-minute, “Discovery Talk” in the Target Room.
- Scenic Tour-the most popular ranger-guided 90 minutes is moderately strenuous 743 stairs (0.5 miles). We choose this tour which starts at the VC elevators.
- Historic Lantern Tour (Summer only)-At the historic entrance, 2-hours lit by lantern only. Requires duck walking over 0.5 miles (~500 steps).
- Wild Cave Tour (summer only)-From the historic entrance, it crawls & climbs through tiny, narrow spaces ~24 inches wide and 8.5 inches tall. The most strenuous at 4-hours over 0.5 miles. For those that want an adventure!
Note: White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease deadly to bats, has been detected at Jewel Cave. All cave tour participants must walk across a decontamination mat when exiting the cave.
Don’t Forget: passport cancellation stamps and NPS Junior Ranger programs are available at the park’s visitor center. The Jr. Cave Scientist Program comes with a booklet full of info and activities and a special caving badge.
Get Your Day Started at the Jewel Cave Visitor Center
There are no entrance fees for Jewel Cave. The Visitor Center, Park Store, surface trails, and picnic areas are currently open every day 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There is no food service available at the park. Be sure to bring plenty of water or a refillable bottle. There are refill stations available, and snacks. A picnic lunch is always a good idea.
We arrived 30-minutes early to check in for our scenic cave tour. Since we have to wait a while before our 9:40 am tour, we walked the self-guided tour of exhibits, and previewed the award-winning introductory park film. The gift shop and bookstore features a great selection.
What Secrets Lies Concealed Below at Jewel Cave National Monument
Scenic cave tours begin at the visitor center. Look for the signs near the elevators. Ranger Aimee led our scenic tour today. Quickly going over the rules, the group (30) entered the elevators, descending 250′ deep underground into the subterranean labyrinth. Here she needed to appoint someone to be the caboose. We volunteered so we could take photographs without lots of people. It’s a constant 49°F inside the cave. You will need a jacket or a sweater. They allow cameras and flash photography.
Our experienced guide revealed a plethora of history about Jewel Cave. The highlight was when she turned out all the lights so you could experience total darkness. There is a wealth of knowledge to be learned about this cave and its intricate geology. Genuinely fascinating to see the unique formations in the expansive rooms, both wet and dry. The most interesting were calcium carbonate crystals that formed flowstone and the dazzling colors of cave bacon. Unlike Wind Cave, there were way more formations to see, which I found impressive.
Tip: The Ranger will assigned someone to help make sure no one lagged behind and checked with that person frequently. As the caboose, you get photos with no people in them.
Jewel Cave Historic Area & Hitting the Trails
Jewel Cave does not have a ton of trails. Only three trails ranging from short, easy short to moderately strenuous. The shorts, easiest trail if the Rooftop trail. Starts right outside the visitor center. A self-guided 0.25-mile loop it has picturesque views from the high ridge top of the plateaus and mountains. It’s hard to imagine you are walking on the roof of a massive cave system. The dirt trek moves through mature ponderosa pine forest. I can still smell the fresh scent of pine needles.
There is a wooden platform at the midpoint of the trail that overlooks Hells Canyon and the barren hills in the distance. The trail has plenty of park benches, perfect for watching deer, bighorn sheep, or other wildlife. We saw lots of different birds and wild iris flowers bloom in the early spring. This short loop trail is perfect if you are waiting for your tour to begin.
Hike the Charming Canyon Trail
This trail is a moderately strenuous 3.5-mile loop. From either the visitor center or the historic area, you can access the trail. As the historic area is less crowded, we recommend starting there. Both areas have restrooms, water fountains and picnic tables available. Before beginning the hike, you definitely need good hiking boots.
Without committing to the entire Canyons Trail, you can experience a portion of it. We suggest take the time to at least see the historic natural entrance. From the parking lot, climb the short rise to the ranger log cabin. The cabin was the original visitor center until 1972. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built it in 1936. This part of the trail follows a paved path down a set of stone steps to the natural entrance (0.3 miles). After the natural entrance, the path returns to a narrow gravel trail.
Throughout the Black Hills, the Jasper Fire, which started on August 24, 2000, destroyed over 83,000 acres and 90% of Jewel Cave’s surface. Nowhere is this more visible than along the rugged hills on the Canyon trail, especially Lithograph Canyon. The elevation gain is about 300 feet as you travel through beautiful wildflower meadows before entering the canyon areas.
Make Time for the Surprises of Hells Canyon Trail
The 5.5-mile loop trail is just outside the park boundary. There is a gate you have to go through at the trailhead to get on the trail. The rough and rugged trail follows the canyon floor for 2-miles before climbing 500 feet to the canyon rim. Considered a difficult trail because of the exposure to the elements for the entire length of the trail. Be sure to have plenty of water, wear a hat and apply sunscreen.
Final Thoughts-A Tale of Two Caves
Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Caves National Park are both in the Black Hills of South Dakota. There is a vast difference between Wind Cave and Jewel Cave in terms of distance and accessibility. Those that think I’ve seen caves before, why see another? Should think twice about missing this monument. Jewel Cave will always be special to us. It’s absolutely breathtaking, definitely the best cave we have ever done. Our ranger-guide was great; very knowledgeable, took her time in giving us all the details, answering questions and had the perfect pace. For us, the unknown surprise was exploring above ground. This monument is a charming hidden gem.
Have you seen some of the “jewels” in Jewel Cave? What hidden secrets of Jewel Cave National Monument did you discover? Tell us what you thought about the experience in the comments below.
