Top Things to do in The Black Hills
Top Hotels in The Black Hills
- 1. Bavarian Inn, Black Hills
- 2. Best Western Plus Rapid City Rushmore
- 3. K Bar S Lodge
- 4. Deadwood Gulch Resort, Trademark Collection by Wyndham
- 5. Best Western Golden Spike Inn & Suites
- 6. Comfort Suites Conference Center Rapid City
- 7. Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Rapid City, SD
- 8. La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Rapid City
- 9. The Lodge at Deadwood
- 10. The Rushmore Hotel & Suites, BW Premier Collection
Top 5 Caverns & Caves in The Black Hills, The Black Hills
Discover the best top things to do in The Black Hills, United States including Community Caves, Jewel Cave National Monument, Wind Cave National Park, Wonderland Caves, Black Hills Caverns.
Restaurants in The Black Hills
1. Community Caves
2. Jewel Cave National Monument
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,367 reviews
Jewel Cave National Monument is home to one of the longest caves in the world. Offering an assortment of cave formations and recreational opportunities, many visitors are truly amazed by this underground wilderness. Most impressive is the fact that exploration and discovery continue to take place at this significant natural resource. Please be advised that during the off-season (2020-2021), the visitor center, Park Store, surface trails, and picnic areas are open Thursdays through Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MDT. However, cave tours are suspended, due to an elevator construction project. For those visiting the monument, a one-way flow path is set up inside the visitor center, with directional signage for visitor awareness. Park rangers are on-site to answer questions and to assist with the ever-popular Junior Ranger and Pee Wee Ranger Programs. For specific questions and/or assistance, do not hesitate to contact the monument by phone or email in advance.
Reviewed By northernneckinn - Tappahannock, United States
You can’t beat the setting! Absolutely unique! Travel down 300 ft in an elevator and spend 80 minutes hiking the underground trail through these caves - very safe but lots of steps - about 723 to be precise. Great tour leader National Parks ranger Kim made about six stops and explained the process of discovery, prepping the caves for visitors, and the precautions taken to preserve the delicate ecosystems in the cavern. We experienced less than one mile through the caves.... the full extent mapped so far exceeds 180 miles!
3. Wind Cave National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 609 reviews
Reviewed By Hokie67 - Lexington, United States
Driving through the park to get to the cave is half the fun... as there are some spectacular vistas... and loads of wildlife like... a ton of prairie dogs, lots of mule deer, two big groups of wild turkeys and a few buffs in the distance. The other half of the fun is the cave itself. We arrived after lunch on a cool and rainy Friday... and got tickets for the 2:00 Natural Entrance tour. The guide makes all the difference in tours like this... and we had an excellent one... knowledgeable with plenty of personal insights into the cave's and park's history... plus a great sense of humor. The signature formation of the cave is its Box Work. The cave doesn't have any stalactites or stalagmites because of the way the ground water is absorbed by the limestone. Its popcorn formations are equally interesting There are some steep stairs going down, but you get to ride an elevator back up. There are also some low bridges to duck through. Unless you're a hard core chlosterphobe, you should be OK. Kind of interesting in that it was warmer in the cave than it was outside. The tour takes about an hour. I'd suggest having a time reservation during the season.
4. Wonderland Caves
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 137 reviews
Reviewed By 901austinr
Took the whole family there! Was great for all ages from the adults to the little ones! Tour guide was amazing and will definitely recommend this tour to anyone who goes to the black hills.
5. Black Hills Caverns
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 167 reviews
Black Hills Caverns has been amazing its visitors in the Black Hills of South Dakota since 1939. Visitors have enjoyed the natural beauty of the Caverns and by the variety of different formations. The Caverns continue to be explored and new passages are found within the cave’s underground wilderness. Black Hills Caverns offers our Adventure Tour and our Crystal Tours daily from May thru September. We also offer the best Gemstone Panning experience in the Hills! Our Adventure Tour – This fun & educational underground guided tour of Black Hills Caverns showcases the amazing natural formations. Your Guide will take you on a beautiful journey of all three levels of the caverns, sharing local history, fun stories, some folklore, and caverns geology. Our Crystal Tour is the main level of Black Hills Caverns and is an easy walking tour with few stairs and is a moderate passed tour, for our visitors who want to experience the caves natural beauty on this 30 minute, shorter tour.
Reviewed By Jal4950
Our visit on the "Long Tour" at Black Hills Caverns was excellent. Our guide Cooper was very knowledgeable and did a fantastic job explaining all the rock formations and the history of the caverns to us. One needs to be in decent physical shape to do this tour as there are slippery inclines and declines to walk up and down and many stairs to climb on the long tour. We are senior citizens and my wife has osteoporosis. She was scared of slipping and/or falling but my holding her hands, walking slowly, reassured her and she did fantastic walking the tunnels and steps during our whole time here. The tunnels are very narrow at some points where you have to duck your head and enter very narrow areas so I don't believe you can carry small children on this tour if they cannot walk on their own. Also bring a light jacket or sweater with you as the temps drop to 50 degrees when you are in the caverns, quite a contrast to the 90 degree weather we had outside on that day. All in all we had a great time exploring the caverns with Cooper.
