Thunderhead Falls

We are writing this review to recommend Thunderhead Falls as a great stop. Seeing a waterfall underground was flipping amazing. Not only was it the best place I saw In the Black Hills it had the friendliest staff. A girl named Kandi was very helpful and sweet and explained the history of it to my father and I. I honestly loved this place please go and check it out it was by far the cheapest and best place we went to in Rapid City. Thanks Thunderhead Falls. Ill post pictures soon.

So disappointed!!! Sign off hwy said open and drove the mile or so to the entrance to discover it’s closed. Website said open as well. This is out of the way so very annoying experience !!!

There isn’t a lot here, and the bathrooms weren’t functional when we visited. The waterfall is cool though, and the admission is cheap. The staff were super friendly, and this is a nice diversion during a trip.

Tried to go but was closed even though the hours said it should be open. I hear this happens a lot from town people. Disappointed.

I’m a fan. I admit it. It’s a great place to start if you’ve never been in a cave before. I mean it. It’s a great place to start!
This was my first time in the area. This wasn’t my first cave on this trip, but wow!
Yes, the other reviews are correct. It’s not much, but it’s cheap. Yes, the outside falls are more picturesque. Yes, it’s a pretty drive.
However…
There are things in this cave that I did not see in any other cave! It is a local attraction that is privately owned, and the owners do a great job keeping it up. The drive alone is worth the trip!
Okay, let me explain things. Let’s go back in time, shall we? (I’m typing the rest of this in my dramatic movie trailer voice…)
In a world… Before the iPod. Before the laptop. Before cruise control. There was Thunderhead Falls… and gold!
Imagine if you will, coming upon a trickle of water coming out of a rock. You have nothing with you but a pick and a dream.
– TIME OUT –
Go to your local mountain down the street in your big city and try this. Then tell me this cave isn’t cool. Okay…
– TIME IN –
You start to pick away at this mountain, BY HAND, and expand the hole a bit. After a while, your efforts are paid off, and you strike GOLD! Encouraged, you continue. Finding enough to keep you affloat and continue your quest for more…
(Normal voice again)
600 feet into your quest your efforts are thwarted by mother nature and a raging waterfall within the mountain!
– CUT TO THE SALOON SCENE –
Ya know what boys? I was talking to my friend Webster the other day… He’s wrtin’ all these words down in this book of his. Craziest thing. Anyway, he’s come up with this new fangled word…
TOURIST
He says it’s someone willing to pay money to see these falls that have thwarted our efforts!
END. Credits…
Seriously, though. Can you imagine? This was one of the first attractoins in the area that charged to see the wonders of the falls. There’s a smooth 600 foot walk to see the falls. The river flows beside you as you walk in. It’s a lit trail. True, the falls at the end of the trail are barely lit, but that adds to the allure.
Imagine for a minute that you didn’t have Unilocal to read this review. Imagine that you had to rely on the free maps from around town at your local Motel (you still those as you drive out, by the way, not the big hotel chains).
If you’ve never been in a cave, this is the one for you. It’s a great price, and you get a chance to experience what it’s like to be under ground. There are a few steps to climb down from the parking lot, but other than that, there are no steps in the cave. It’s a straight shot.
Are you going to spend a whole day here? No. A solid half hour will do you just fine. But you’ll be missing out if you don’t stop by and see it. Come on, what else are you going to do? Sit in your hotel room and read about it on the internet?
I don’t think so…
Thunderhead Falls FTW!!!

As someone who hasn’t explored a lot of caves or mines, I found Thunderhead Falls to be spectacular. The admission price was $ 7 per adult (plus taxes) when I visited. You get to walk along an old mining tunnel 600 feet to where they breached a water way. As a result, the back of the tunnel has a water fall flowing down and draining out the entrance of the mine.
The tunnel has modest lighting every 8 feet or so that leaves a dark tunnel feel but allows enough light to make your way and read the occasional informational sign. The walls show the telltale scrapings of a mining crew. The walls and ceilings are filled with various colors hinting at mineral deposits held within.
The site was unique and interesting and I felt it was worth the money for the experience and photography opportunity.

We found this on the free Black Hills maps that float around town, and decided to check it out.
The drive out was pleasant, with granite rocks poking out in the sky above us. I love that sort of country.
Once you get to the falls, there’s actually two to see. There’s one outside, which is the nicest, and then one inside that you can walk to pretty quickly on a lighted pathway. I decided that I was willing to spend the money to go because it should be a unique enough experience — an underground waterfall! However, it ended up feeling like one of those miner rides you see at an Amusement Park.
I’m glad I saw it once, but it wasn’t worth $ 6 plus tax.

Thunderhead Falls is a private tourist attraction several miles outside of Rapid City along state route 44. The drive out to it is lovely, a green canyon topped with granite outcroppings. The falls promises to be something out of the ordinary, an underground waterfall! It’s an old gold mine where the miners accidentally struck water. Alas it’s really not very exciting. For an entry fee of $ 6 (plus tax) per person you get to walk 600 feet back and see maybe the bottom 8 feet of the falls in poor lighting. There’s a much prettier falls with about a 15′ drop outside the mine that you can see for free.