Jewel Cave National Monument

This was the highlight of– my trip to the black hills and I enjoyed it a lot more than Mount Rushmore, I went on the 1 hr and 15 minute tour– and loved it. It was in Sept after labor day so not to crowded. It was a last minute change from wind cave to jewel cave because Jewel cave offered a twenty minute talk tour down in the cave that my elderly parents could do. I think one parent could have done the tour with me no problem just the parent with really bad knees and a walker not a chance — this was a way for them to get a taste and not sit in the car for a hr waiting. The ranger was really nice young bearded guy who you could tell enjoyed his job. The ranger for my parents talk also did a good job. I would say you will spend two hours in general with the cave tour and looking around the visitor center. I didn’t have any trouble getting a ticket– arrived about forty minutes before-​it was the morning in the middle of the week. This was a neat and I am still thinking about the place weeks after I visited. I will say that once might be enough. If I was really young skinny and limber and not scared of the dark– I would do one of the exploration tours.

This was one of my favorite things besides hiking up to Saddle Pass! We went on the Historic Lantern Tour (2 hours), which was moderately strenuous. The ranger gave each group either an LED or oil lantern, your preference. We felt like explorers as we descended steep staircases deeper into the cave and really made us appreciate the work involved to map the cave itself. We were able to see flying bats and at one point, the ranger had everyone turn off their lights to experience the cave in its natural state of pitch-​black darkness.
Make sure to wear closed-​toe shoes and have a warm jacket. The last cave we went into was so cold that we saw our breaths. I think the temperature is usually around the 40s.

I am sure this would have been a fun place to visit. We arrived in the afternoon and were told all tours were sold out. Jewel
Cave staff was less than sympathetic in the delivery of this information. They are stuck in the 19^th century with their first come first serve reservation system. I saw 10 families in 10 min be disappointed on not able to see the cave. We were told that «you need to come back tomorrow at 8am to reserve a tour in the afternoon». This cave is 13 miles west of Custer SD, 26 miles from were we were staying. No family will go in the am hoping to get a tour that afternoon which may or may not happen. I suggest an online reservation system where people pay up front for their tour. Make it Nonrefundable and provide a waiting list for those who pop in and realized all tours are booked.

This was probably one of my favorite things I did while on my trip to South Dakota. Firstly let me start by saying that 12.00 for an hour and a half scenic tour is a great price. The tour was very informative and I was impressed with how many rooms we were able to see. The total walking distance was only a half mile and was a pretty easy walk for everyone on the tour.
Jewel Cave is the third longest cave in the world and has a mixture of both wet and dry formations, stalagtites and mites, amazing calcium carbonate crystals, and some of the largest cave rooms I’ve been into in my travels. The first room you go in feels literally like walking into a cathedral with beautiful high ceilings. The walkways are all really well lighted and built.
They have several different tour types to choose from and I think the lamplight tour where they take you to the original cave opening at night would be another fun one.
Overall I think if you’re in the area to see Mt. Rushmore and other such monuments, Jewel Cave is a must! Just be sure to get there early to get your tickets! They don’t take reservations and frequently sell all their tickets for the day (on a weekend) a few hours after opening. So even if you want to take an afternoon tour, be sure to stop in early in the morning before going about your other activities.

This is a large cave tour with very cool formations. Their are a few stairs on this tour but they are wide with good handrails, elevators take you down to the cave eliminating much of the work. National Park managed and guided well worth the price, and the beauty of the cave made this a highlight of our trip.

Really cool tours done here. I went on the full 80 minute scenic tour, which was well worth it.
As far as caves go, it was very interesting, but not incredibly scenic. Fascinating rock formations and plenty to look at.
At one point, they turned off the lights and you experienced pitch black, which was very cool. Bring a jacket on the tour, because it’s very cool down there.
Out your guide was Lydia, and he was very fun, energetic, and knowledgeable. She made the tour interesting and was passionate about caves.
Great experience all around.

Being more than 300 feet under the Earth’s surface was of course awesome! My family and I loved the Scenic Tour. We had the best Ranger guiding us that day. Thanks Ranger Logan for a great experience.
There was road construction (summer 2014) and reservations were not available so call ahead to make sure the tours are not sold out.

For the tour and cave management, this cavern gets 4 stars. Coincidentally, it’s number 4 on GORP’s top caves in the US list. There is a little bit of «false advertisement going on here, yes, it is a cave of «jewels», however some of their formations which I was specifically looking forward to seeing were not included in the tour. I am not sure if it was because we just didn’t get to go into the parts of the cave where they existed or if the guide just forgot to mention them. In any case, I enjoyed my visit, but given that they do not open new sections of the cave to touring despite their discoveries I don’t think I will feel compelled to go back unless it is terribly convenient. Still impressive, none the less.

We were told to make reservations — so we called and it took several tries before anyone answered the phone. She said no more reservations, it’s first-​come, first-​serve.
So, we drove out to this cave (almost 2 hours from where we were staying) and found out that the tours were booked for several hours and we would have to wait almost 4 hours to even start a tour. We couldn’t wait that long as we had a dog waiting for us back home so we missed out on this tour.
Plan to get there EARLY in the day (they open at 8am) or plan to wait!

First of all, I really wanted to go to the other nearby cave, whose name escapes me… Anyway, it was closed due the fires. I’m really glad we ended up at Jewel Cave because of the following:
— We took the lamplight tour, which was awesome!!! The guide was knowledgeable, helpful and really took care of us
— the cave is the largest repository of boxwork, not that impressive in itself, but pretty cool anyway
Tips and Hints:
— make a reservation — you can by phone or online, it’s worth it because the tours book up, don’t be disappointed
— build in extra time to see the video and exhibits in the visitor center
— take a sweater (even if it’s 100 like it was the day we went) and wear hiking shoes/​comfortable shoes.
For me, this was definitely a highlight of our Black Hills trip!

My only complaint is that we couldn’t stay down there longer. I would have paid our guide by the hour to show my family and I around all day. We went on the lantern tour, which was by far, my favorite cave experience ever.
The first day we tried to go, they were booked, and reserved us a time for the following day.
This tour was great for my family, kids 11 & 14. It was fun, mysterious, and exciting. Totally incredible.

It’s really difficult to give something like this less than five stars especially since Earth took MILLIONS OF YEARS to make it. I mean, I can’t even focus on something for more than half an hour without a break.
The name is a little misleading, but there’s an interesting reason behind it. Don’t expect to see beautiful colors and sparkling formations that you may see in other caves. Jewel Cave is largely calcite deposits and the colors run from the deep yellow to bone white with a few different formations with some red.
Several different tours are offered. We went on the scenic tour which was the easiest and only clocked in at 80 minutes. Another tour runs a bit longer but goes into less developed portions of the cave with only torch light for guidance. A more expensive, less offered tour involves caving lessons involving crawling through cramped passageways and bringing equipment (I think that one cost $ 25-​$ 30).
The park service does a great job administering this area. They explain both political and geological history (and why, precisely, the name «Jewel Cave»). Entrance fee is affordable.
Also of note — on one point during the scenic tour, the guide turned out all of the lights inside of the cavern. It was quite exhilarating to be in total darkness.

Another one of the don’t miss sites in the Black Hills. Second longest (behind Mammoth Caves) in the world at 161 miles long.
80 minute tour is very nice and runs frequently throughout the day. Best to have your walking shoes on because there are over 700 steps on stairs.
Not that easy to find. Google map is totally worthless because it says the caves are in Custer, when they actually are 15 miles west of Custer. Also, there are NO signs until you turn down the driveway to the caves. NO signs along the road and very few road signs telling you where the US highway goes from Custer.

A cave? Of JEWELS?! I’m in.
And it was pretty sweet, but there aren’t as many glittery rock formations as I had hoped for. I don’t care who you are, caves are pretty incredible regardless of their sparkle factor. This is the second largest cave in the world (that we know of) and is definitely worth a visit.
If you only have time to swing this cave or Wind Cave, I have a hard time choosing. Jewel cave is larger and has more varied formations, but Wind Cave’s smaller rooms and story is fascinating. You can definitely knock both out in one day or even in one morning if you time it correctly!
Taking photos in the cave while on a tour is incredibly difficult and can be frustrating. Be OK with picking up a postcard or finding an online photo from a professional who was able to get a really long exposure!

Hard not to be awed when you go spelunking. Jewel Cave is a fantastic cave, with a fairly easy path full of large expansive cave rooms and rife with crystals and geological complexities of all varieties. Like any National Park/​Monument, you will be pleasantly surprised with your visit.

I went on the scenic tour and it was really spectacular ! I never knew these sites existed in such a large area in SD. The tour guide, Latischa was funny and she made it more exciting. Be sure to book your tickets in advance as they sell out fast!

Jewel Cave offers a choice of 4 guided tours. I went on the scenic tour. In an 80 minute trip we saw the highlights of the cave, including boxwork, popcorn, draperies, and the infamous 20′ long strip of cave bacon. Well constructed walkways, stairs, platforms, and lighting make the caves easy to navigate and appreciate without detracting from the natural beauty. An elevator ride in & out lets you access relatively deep parts of the cave system without huffing and puffing too much on stairs. Definitely the best implementation I’ve experienced on any cave tour.
For visitors who want even less between them and nature, there are 2 more aggressive tours, the lantern tour and the wild caving tour. The latter is several hours long and involves crawling through some extremely tight spaces. There’s also a tour with minimal walking that’s suitable for handicapped people and families with very small children.
Jewel Cave takes reservations for tours, a huge benefit. In the summer the tours fill up hours in advance, even on weekdays, so making a reservation lets you plan your trip much better.

Jewel Cave is an amazing cave system — right now it’s the 2^nd longest in the world. Once they finish exploring it — and after 100 years they’ve only been able to explore & map out approximately 2%-5% of the estimated system — it could end up being the longest.
The National Park Service runs four different tours, which they charge for. There is no entrance fee to the Monument if you don’t want to go on a tour. You can book the tour ahead of time — I highly recommend you do so. There’s limited space on each tour, and they sell out quickly.
Jewel Cave is filled with calcite formations that are the jewels of the cave. We went on the Scenic Tour, and it was worth more than we paid for it. The tour starts & ends with an elevator ride, and you’re walking on metal stairs that the Park Service put in to help keep the damage to the cave to a minimum. It’s a decently light cave tour, with high enough ceilings that one shouldn’t get claustrophobic. It is 49 degrees F in the cave year-​round, though — so don’t go in there dressed for a SD summer day.
Remember: It might only be a ½ mile or so walk, but you’re going up and down lots of stairs. If you’re not very mobile, or concerned that you can’t keep up a decent walking pace, this tour isn’t for you.