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Third longest cave in the world, with 200.3 miles (322.4 kilometers) of mapped passageways
General Information
Summer: approximately 8:00am to 5:30pm
Rest of year: approximately 8:30am to 4:30pm
The cave is accessible by guided tour only; tour schedules vary by season
Cave tours require a ticket (Scenic Tour about $15 for adults; other tours priced separately)
Interagency passes give a discount on tour tickets
From Rapid City (55mi) Get on I-90 E from I-190 N. Follow I-90 E to Airport Rd. Take exit 109 from I-90 E. Take Loop 90 to Main St in Wall.
Overview
Jewel Cave National Monument contains Jewel Cave, currently the third longest cave in the world, with 200.3 miles (322.4 kilometers) of mapped passageways. It is located approximately 13 miles (21 km) west of the town of Custer in Black Hills of South Dakota. It became a national monument in 1908.
Things to Do
Explore One of the Longest Caves in the World
Jewel Cave National Monument, located in the Black Hills of South Dakota near Custer, preserves one of the longest known cave systems on Earth. With more than 220 miles of mapped passages and new sections still being discovered, Jewel Cave is renowned for its dazzling calcite crystals, intricate cave formations, and extensive underground labyrinth.
Take a Guided Cave Tour
The monument offers a variety of ranger-guided tours that allow visitors to experience the cave's spectacular underground environment. Tours range from easy scenic walks through developed sections of the cave to strenuous adventure experiences that explore more remote passages. Along the way, visitors can see delicate formations, sparkling calcite crystals, and fascinating geological features.
Visit the Visitor Center
The visitor center features exhibits explaining cave formation, geology, cave exploration, and the ongoing scientific efforts to map the monument's vast underground network. Educational displays provide insight into how Jewel Cave became one of the world's most significant cave systems.
Learn About Geology and Cave Exploration
Jewel Cave is famous for crystal-coated surfaces known as "jewels," along with flowstone, stalactites, stalagmites, gypsum formations, and rare cave features. Visitors can learn how groundwater, limestone, and geological processes created the cave over millions of years.
Enjoy Wildlife and Black Hills Scenery
Above ground, the monument encompasses forests, meadows, and rolling hills that support elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, and numerous bird species. Scenic drives and hiking trails allow visitors to experience the beauty of the surrounding Black Hills landscape.
Top Trails
Roof Trail
Length: Approximately 0.25 miles loop
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Difficulty: Easy
This short interpretive trail near the visitor center highlights the geology above Jewel Cave and explains the relationship between surface features and the cave passages below.
Canyons Trail
Length: Approximately 3.5 miles loop
Elevation Gain: Moderate
Difficulty: Moderate
This scenic trail travels through forests, meadows, and limestone canyons while providing views of the monument's rugged terrain and opportunities for wildlife observation.
Hell Canyon Trail Connection
Length: Variable distances available
Elevation Gain: Moderate to Strenuous
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Accessible near the monument, portions of the Hell Canyon Trail offer longer hiking opportunities through the Black Hills National Forest, passing dramatic rock formations, creek valleys, and scenic overlooks.
Monument Nature Walks
Length: Variable short distances
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Difficulty: Easy
Several short walking routes around the visitor area provide opportunities to enjoy wildflowers, wildlife, forest habitats, and views of the surrounding Black Hills landscape.
Cave Tour Overview
Jewel Cave National Monument preserves one of the longest known cave systems in the world, with more than 220 miles of mapped passages. Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the cave is famous for its dazzling calcite crystal formations known as "jewels," as well as remarkable displays of boxwork, flowstone, cave popcorn, and draperies. Visitors can only enter the cave on ranger-guided tours, which provide access to different sections of this extensive underground wilderness.
The National Park Service offers several guided cave experiences ranging from short introductory tours to adventurous wild caving expeditions. Tour options vary in length, difficulty, and physical requirements, allowing visitors to select an experience that best matches their interests and abilities. While there is no entrance fee for the monument itself, tickets are required for all cave tours.
Cave Tour Options
| Tour | Duration | Difficulty | Overview |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Tour | 20 Minutes | Easy | A short introductory tour featuring the Target Room and an overview of the cave's geology, formations, and history. |
| Scenic Tour | 1 Hour 20 Minutes | Moderate | The monument's most popular tour, showcasing spectacular crystal formations, boxwork, cave bacon, and extensive passageways. |
| Historic Lantern Tour | Approximately 2 Hours | Strenuous | An immersive lantern-lit experience that recreates the atmosphere of early cave exploration. |
| Wild Caving Tour | Approximately 3-4 Hours | Very Strenuous | An adventurous off-trail caving expedition involving crawling, scrambling, and navigating undeveloped cave passages. |
Tour Categories
- Introductory Experiences – Discovery Tour provides a brief but informative introduction to Jewel Cave.
- Classic Cave Exploration – Scenic Tour offers the best overall combination of geology, cave formations, and cave history.
- Historic Experiences – Historic Lantern Tour recreates the atmosphere of exploring the cave by lantern light.
- Adventure Caving – Wild Caving Tour allows participants to explore undeveloped portions of the cave system.
Pricing Overview
| Tour Type | Typical Adult Price |
|---|---|
| Discovery Tour | Approximately $6 |
| Scenic Tour | Approximately $16 |
| Historic Lantern Tour | Approximately $18-$20 |
| Wild Caving Tour | Approximately $35-$40 |
The average cost across the primary cave tours is approximately $20 per adult. The Discovery Tour is the most affordable option and works well for visitors with limited time, while the Wild Caving Tour is the most expensive due to its specialized equipment requirements and limited group size.
Tour Difficulty Comparison
| Tour | Distance | Notable Physical Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery Tour | Short Accessible Route | Minimal walking; suitable for most visitors. |
| Scenic Tour | 1/2 Mile Loop | 734 stair steps; moderately strenuous. |
| Historic Lantern Tour | Varies | Uneven surfaces, stairs, and lantern-assisted travel. |
| Wild Caving Tour | Varies | Crawling, scrambling, tight passages, and rugged terrain. |
Highlights
- Nailhead Spar and Dogtooth Spar crystal formations that give Jewel Cave its name.
- Extensive Boxwork Formations rarely seen in most cave systems.
- Massive Underground Passageways within one of the world's longest caves.
- Historic Exploration Routes showcasing the cave's discovery and exploration history.
- Adventure Opportunities for experienced cavers seeking undeveloped passages.
Recommended Tours for First-Time Visitors
- Scenic Tour for the best overall introduction to the cave's crystal formations and geology.
- Discovery Tour for visitors with limited time or mobility concerns.
- Historic Lantern Tour for visitors interested in cave history and a more authentic exploration experience.
- Wild Caving Tour for adventurous visitors seeking a hands-on caving experience.
Frank and Albert Michaud, two local prospectors, discovered the cave in 1900, when they felt cold air blowing out of a small hole in a canyon. It is unknown whether any previous inhabitants of the area were aware of the natural cave opening, which was not large enough for a person to enter.
After enlarging the cave entrance with dynamite, the Michaud brothers found a cavern lined with calcite crystals, which led them to name it "Jewel Cave". The brothers tried to capitalize on the discovery, widening the opening, building walkways inside, and opening it to tourists. Although their venture was unsuccessful, news of the discovery eventually reached Washington. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Jewel Cave a National Monument on February 7, 1908. The area around the natural entrance to the cave was further developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The National Park Service assumed management of the monument in 1933 and began offering tours in 1939.
As recently as 1959, less than 2 miles (3.2 km) of passageway had been discovered. That year, however, Herb and Jan Conn, local rock climbers, began exploring, and within two years had mapped 15 miles (24 km). Much of the new discoveries lay outside the boundaries of the monument, under land managed by the United States Forest Service. The two agencies performed a land swap in 1965, establishing the present boundaries of the park, and enabling the development of a new part of the cave. The Park Service sunk a 300 feet (91 m) elevator shaft to a previously remote cave area, and built concrete walks and metal stairs and platforms along a one-half-mile loop. The "Scenic Tour" was opened in 1972. Most modern-day visitors tour that part of the cave. In August 2000, an 83,000 acres (340 km2) forest fire burned 90% of the monument and the surrounding area. The visitor center and historic buildings were spared.
By 1979, Herb and Jan Conn had discovered, named, and mapped more than 64 miles (103 km) of passages. Although they largely retired from caving by the early 1980s, exploration has continued unabated. Because the areas being explored take many hours to reach, explorers now sometimes camp in the cave during expeditions of as long as four days. The cave is mapped by traditional survey techniques, using compass, clinometer and today with lasers instead of tape measures.
Its 198.00 mi (318.65 km) of mapped passageway make Jewel Cave the third longest cave in the world, after Mammoth Cave System in Kentucky and Sistema Sac Actun at the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), at 198 mi (319 km).
The discovered areas in the cave account for only about 3 to 5% of the estimated total air volume of the cave. The cave volume is estimated by measuring the amount of air that the cave "exhales" when the outside air pressure drops and "inhales" when the outside air pressure rises.
Jewel Cave is a "breathing cave," which means air enters or exits the cave with changes in atmospheric pressure from day to night or due to changes in the weather.
Most of the cave formed within the Mississippian Pahasapa Limestone deposited 350 million years ago. The later limestones, sandstones, and shales deposited in these Paleozoic and Mesozoic seas were eroded with the geologic uplift associated with Laramide Orogeny and the formation of the Black Hills. The main passages of the cave then formed in the early Cenozoic. Uplift continued in the Late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene lowering the water table and draining the cave.
Jewel Cave passages follow a pattern of joint development. The faults and joints are associated with the uplift of the Black Hills approximately 58 to 54 million years ago. After main cave dissolution, a thick layer of calcite lined the walls about 2.5 million years ago.
During cave development and afterwards, speleothems and speleogens formed, including the "jewels" or spar. Other examples include stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, cave popcorn, boxworks, helictites, scintillites, conulites, coralloids, cave pearls, rimstone, rafts, rims, vents, and frostwork. The gypsum formations include needles, beards, cotton, hair, flowers, and spiders. Finally, Jewel Cave contains a very rare formation called a hydromagnesite balloon. Those are created when gas of an unknown source inflates a pasty substance formed by the precipitation of the magnesium carbonate hydroxide mineral.
Jewel Cave is open year-round. The Park Service offers three tours: the scenic tour, a half-mile loop through a paved and lighted central portion of the cave accessible by elevator; the historic tour, a candlelight tour through the earliest-discovered part of the cave; and a wild caving tour, through an undeveloped part of the cave near the scenic loop. There are 3 surface trails varying in length and difficulty.
Sources: National Park Service official Jewel Cave National Monument information, including details on cave tours, geology, visitor center exhibits, cave exploration, wildlife, and recreational opportunities. https://www.nps.gov/jeca
Additional information verified through National Park Service visitor resources covering the Roof Trail, Canyons Trail, Hell Canyon Trail access, cave formations, and Black Hills hiking opportunities. https://www.nps.gov/jeca/planyourvisit
Information in this article is based on cave tour descriptions, visitor information, and fee schedules provided by the Jewel Cave National Monument Guided Tours, Jewel Cave National Monument Fees & Passes, and Recreation.gov Jewel Cave Tour Reservations.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Jewel Cave National Monument", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
