Walk Over and Under the Same Part of the Earth at this Awesome National Park
In the interest of total honesty, I will have to admit that Wind Cave National Park was not at the top of my list when we started planning a nine-day trip to South Dakota in the fall. The Badlands and Custer State Park get all the attention when you start reading blogs and guidebooks about this part of South Dakota. Wind Cave flies a bit under the radar in comparison.
In fact, I hadn’t even heard of Wind Cave until I got a wall map a few years ago that has all of the national parks on it for you to pin upon completion. (If you are at all into maps, parks, or need family vacation ideas, I absolutely recommend this. The kids are on a mission to complete the map.)
TripAdvisor reviews of Wind Cave weren’t all that encouraging either, at least some of them- “Nothing compared to Mammoth Cave“ and “Ehh- had to wait all day for a tour and didn’t think it was worth it.” Not exactly resounding endorsements.
But nevertheless, we were determined to check it out because a) we were there, b) I take TripAdvisor reviews with a heaping handful of skepticism, and most importantly c), we needed to stick a pin in our map!
And let me say, Wind Cave was awesome and totally worth visiting for our family. The kids loved it (except for the claustrophobic kid who rated it as really cool but wouldn’t want to do it again). One of the kids liked it so much, he wanted to go back to Wind Cave on our last day so he could do the tour all over again.
So, should you visit Wind Cave National Park with your family?
Yes, you should absolutely put Wind Cave on your South Dakota trip itinerary. Not only is the cave super unique and the cave tour awesome, but we found the scenery above ground to be beautiful and worthwhile as well. Plus, it was less crowded than some of its more famous neighbors.
Map of some of the great parks in such close proximity in the southwest corner of South Dakota. A target rich environment if you will. Map courtesy of OpenStreetMap
Why Wind Cave Is Worth Seeing
One Of The Most Unique Cave Systems In The World
Unlike most of the other caves I have been to in my life, Wind Cave is not carved out by water running through it. Instead, the cave system was caused by fractures in the rock and then water seeping through the fractures. Think more like a huge block of Swiss cheese that you get to walk through.
It is actually one of the oldest and largest cave formations in the world- 149 sq miles of known cave in 1.25 sq miles of land and goes about 500 ft deep. That’s one laaarge block of Swiss cheese.
Most Boxwork Formations In The World
Because of its unusual origins, Wind Cave has more boxwork formations than any other cave in the world. In fact, it has more than all of the other caves in the world put together (per the NPS website). So that makes it bucket list worthy right there.
Umm… What Is Boxwork?
It has a lot to do with how the cave was formed by rock fracturing and then water percolating through the rock. Our ranger explained it as if someone made a brick wall and then took away the bricks, leaving the mortar behind. I thought that was a great way to look at it and it made a lot of sense to the kids.
You can learn more in depth about the geology of the cave and the boxwork formations at the Visitor’s Center before or after your tour. There were some great exhibits on it if that is your thing. Otherwise, I found the tour to be detailed enough for the lay person and especially for kids to learn the how and why without going too much into it.
Because the cave passages are pretty narrow, even on the standard tour, and there aren’t any giant, cavernous rooms in the cave, it was unlike anything we had done before. So the TripAdvisor reviewer that said Wind Cave wasn’t like Mammoth Cave is technically correct, but the uniqueness is something we found very cool.
Beautiful Scenery Above Ground
I loved the rolling prairie in Wind Cave. And the lack of crowds.
Above ground, the park was pretty spectacular too. At first I thought I was overly impressed because it was our first day in South Dakota and I was enamored with the prairie (and the prairie dogs!) but I still thought it was a beautiful place when we returned on the last day of our trip too.
Even after having seen Custer State Park, the Badlands, Theodore Roosevelt Park, and having driven approximately 9 thousand miles around North and South Dakota, I still thought Wind Cave was absolutely worth a stop. (Just kidding, we only did about 1500 miles in 10 days, but it felt like so much more on our long days).
There isn't any one particular viewpoint or hike in Wind Cave National Park that makes it stand out. It was more that I really liked the rolling hills, the varied environments (prairie, pine forest, cave), the lack of crowds, and we got some great wildlife photos. The small size of Wind Cave made it a little easier to explore as well and feel like you really got to see it.
Wildlife Viewing
There were cute prairie dogs, less cute coyotes, and even the stereotypical "bison crossing the road while a tourist got way too close" scene. We saw far more bison here than in Custer State Park, although I know that has more to do with luck. Because we could easily pull off at viewpoints and sit for awhile almost by ourselves at many of them, we tended to linger and look longer so we saw more.
A Less Crowded National Park
We found Wind Cave National Park to be a lot less crowded than Custer or the Badlands so it was easier to park at pulloffs and trailheads, even on weekends. (It was fall, but we also did Custer and the Badlands in this same trip and found them way more busy than Wind Cave.)
The people were mostly at the Visitor Center waiting for the cave tours and not many seemed to get out on the trails. Even the easy Prairie Vista Trail that loops around right next to the Visitor Center only had a couple of people besides us on it.
IT’S FREE!!!
Unlike many national parks, there is no entrance fee for Wind Cave. The only fee is if you take a cave tour. So go hike and wildlife watch to your heart’s content without spending a dime.
What To Do At Wind Cave National Park
*This is a general overview of what the park has to offer and all the things I researched before our trip. I have all the details on what we did specifically in the next section if you want to skip ahead.
Brochure map of Wind Cave National Park, courtesy of the NPS
#1- A CAVE TOUR
Obvi, as the kids would say. This is why everyone is here. There are several tours to choose from and the times differ throughout the year so the NPS website is your best bet here.
There are 3 basic tours offered- Garden Of Eden, Natural Entrance, and Fairgrounds Tour. The Garden of Eden is supposed to be the easiest and is offered year round. Natural Entrance is more strenuous and not offered in the winter. And Fairgrounds is supposed to be the most strenuous and is not offered in Sept thru mid- October.
Tours are limited to 30- 40 people depending on the tour. Half of the spots are reserved for day of sales and the other half can be reserved in advance on recreation.gov. The desk for buying tickets is just inside the front doors of the Visitor Center. You need a credit/ debit card to buy- no cash or checks accepted.
We did the Natural Entrance tour- see below for all those details of that specific tour.
Wind Cave does entice the more adventurous with the Candlelight Tour and Wild Cave Tour that are much longer and very strenuous. They are only offered in the summer, have age limits, clothing requirements, and group sizes are more limited. Definitely need to reserve in advance.
All of the tours have stairs and narrow passages so if you have bad knees or other mobility issues, or suffer from claustrophobia, you might want to look carefully at the descriptions. They do offer an accessibility tour that takes an elevator down to part of the cave, the same elevator used on the other cave tours so you do get to see some of the same stuff, just not as extensively. You will need to call ahead to arrange this.
PRO TIPS
No backpacks, large purses, walking sticks, water bottles or food are allowed down in the cave.
It is 50 degrees in the cave so you will probably want a jacket and pants. It gets chilly by the end of the hour long tour.
Wear hiking boots or something with grip, the stairs made of damp rock = slippy.
Use the nice restrooms at the Visitor Center beforehand.
Lines start forming to buy tickets before the Visitor Center opens in the summer so get there early. Like an hour or more before it opens. Or plan ahead and buy one of the reserved tickets online. You can do that up to 120 days in advance.
I really enjoyed touring Wind Cave. It was unlike any other cave I have been in with almost all of the passages being very narrow plus the incredible box work.
HIKING
You will find a variety of hikes in the park, from easy 1 mile strolls to more difficult multi-mile jaunts. I absolutely recommend you do at least a couple of the easy ones to enjoy the very pretty scenery above ground too. We did not find the trails crowded, although we weren’t there in summer.
The Wind Cave NPS website has a good description of the trails and divides them into easy, moderate, and strenuous categories. Although the small nature of the park prevents long hikes, the Centennial Trail is an 111 mile long trail that connects Wind Cave to Bear Butte State Park so you super hikers won’t feel left out.
The most popular hike is Rankin Ridge Trail (1 mile loop) up Hwy 87, north of the Visitor Center. It has spectacular views over the park and should be number one on your to do list. It is an easy loop to a fire tower (closed) and there are interpretive signs along the trail. The small parking area can get busy in the summer. * I was bummed to not get to do this but the road there was closed during our trip.
Click to enlarge pictures
Cold Brook Canyon Trail (2.8 miles RT) is another popular one, especially because it crosses a prairie dog town and often has bison along the trail. Fun for the kids because of the prairie dogs. It starts in a pine forest before opening up into a meadow.
Click to enlarge pictures
The Lookout Point/Centennial Trail Loop combo (4.5 mile loop) is also one of the park’s most popular because you get to see a pine forest and open prairie. (*This trail is especially known for having poison ivy so wear long pants!) This trail is another one on our list for another time, but Earth Trekkers has a great blog about this hike if you are interested.
Prairie Vista Trail (1 mile loop) is right by the Visitor Center and is well worth doing even if you are super short on time. Great views, interesting interpretive signs, and a chance to be quiet and enjoy the sounds of the wind over the prairie.
The kids got a kick out of walking right over what we explored underground as well. The trail loops around, and I recommend doing it clockwise, heading to the picnic area first as it is a more gradual incline and then end with the stairs that lead back down to the path to the Visitor Center.
Click to enlarge pictures
PRO TIPS FOR HIKING IN WIND CAVE
Most of the trails in Wind Cave are open prairie so hot and sunny. Start early or late and bring sunscreen.
Trails can also be buggy so insect repellent is also needed.
Poison ivy is common along the trails so wear pants and be careful on overgrown trails.
Bison are very common so be prepared to turn around and cut a hike short. They really seem to like lying in the middle of the trail sometimes.
Rattlesnakes also like the trails so keep an eye and ear out.
Look For Wildlife (And Stay Away From It!)
Wind Cave has a variety of wildlife belying its small size and it has a reputation for wildlife viewing that rivals Yellowstone because of it. Bison, pronghorn sheep, prairie dogs, elk, birds of prey, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, burrowing owls, coyotes -- it’s a big list of creatures that call the park home.
Which is fantastic but please don’t forget that wildlife is in fact… wild.
Bison bulls can weigh up to 2000 pounds, are 6 feet tall, and can run up to 35mph. And they are unpredictable, aggressive during calving and mating season (May thru August), and you can easily be another inadvertent You Tube star if you get too close. Seriously, just Google it if you haven’t seen some of those videos already of tourist vs bison. The bison wins. Always.
Prairie dogs are super cute (at least I think so) but they carry fleas that carry the plague just in case you were thinking of getting up close and personal to one. Rattlesnakes are also common squatters in their burrows so watch where you step in a prairie dog town.
The Wind Cave website has some great advice about the best places in the park to view wildlife including some off the beaten track spots. And they will remind you how to watch safely.
Remember to stay at least 25 yards from all wildlife (more like 50 yards from a bison). Don’t feed anything because that encourages wildlife to come up to people which never ends well. Also, dispose of trash properly. Leaving things along trails and roadsides encourages animals to hang out there, leading to more and oftentimes, disastrous, interactions, like being hit by a car.
At one of the pullouts, I got to show the kids a real life example of what not to do with a bison. We were sitting in the car when a bison decided to cross the road near us. We continued to sit in the safety of the car to watch and take lots of pictures, but the tourist next to us obviously thought we were too far away. He kept walking closer to the bison while I am in the car yelling “Don’t do it! Don’t do it!” Luckily all okay, but the kids thought it was pretty memorable.
In the south this is what is known as a “Hey Jim Bob, watch this!” moment. He just kept walking closer and closer.
What We Did On Our Visit To Wind Cave National Park
Map to get an idea of Wind Cave is in relation to the other parks and towns in the area
Arrival
We flew into Rapid City at 11:15 am on a Saturday in early October. We got our car rental pretty fast in the small Rapid City airport, although we did get to the counter first from our aircraft. There was a bit of a line behind us by the time we finished the paperwork and only one guy working the desk.
We drove straight to Wind Cave National Park which took us about an hour and twenty minutes and we arrived at the Visitor Center at around 1:45pm. We brought snacks with us so we did not have to stop for food.
*Pro Tip* Do not put “Wind Cave National Park” as your destination in your phone as it often tries to take you to a dot in the middle of the park which will cause you to go on gravel roads off of Hwy 79 trying to get to this arbitrary center of the park. Put “Wind Cave Visitor Center” as your destination and remember that the fastest (and paved way) is to go all the way south to Hot Springs and then back up, or come in from Custer north of the park. The roads 5 and 6 on the map below are not paved.
First Stop - Visitor Center
Brochure map of Wind Cave National Park
We drove straight to the Visitor Center to see if we could get one of the first come- first served spots on one of the tours.
Surprisingly, we were able to get on the 2:30pm Natural Entrance Tour which is the one I really wanted so I was excited. The tour cost $48 (4 kids at $6 and 2 adults at $12) although prices are now $8 kids and $16 adults. I have heard that the tours book up completely as soon as the Visitor Center opens in the summer, so I am glad we were there in the fall and able to get a spot.
The only other tour offered at that time of year is the Garden of Eden Tour which would have been fine as well. In fact, we tried to get on this tour when we came back to Wind Cave on our second to last day of our trip. Unfortunately, it was booked until after 2 pm and we were there before 10 am.
We had other things to do on that day and couldn’t stay until the afternoon so we had to pass. I would have absolutely paid for a second cave tour though had it worked out. And several of the kids (except for the claustrophobic one) were all in for doing it again.
Before our tour, we wandered around the lower level of the Visitor Center to explore the exhibits. We learned about the cave geology, some of the early explorers of the cave, as well as the cultural significance of the cave to the Native Americans of the area. I would definitely carve out at least 30 min or more to see these exhibits as it was pretty interesting.
Also, this lower level of the Visitor Center has good AC, a super cold water fountain, nice bathrooms, and a bench so it’s not a bad place just to chill for a minute if exhibits aren’t your thing. The gift shop and more bathrooms are on the upper level of the Visitor Center where the main ranger desk is located.
The Natural Entrance Cave Tour
About 1 hour 20 min long, not that strenuous but lots of stairs down
We met our ranger guide just outside the Visitor Center in a trail shelter and he gave us a little history of the cave and the area before we got started. We then walked a short distance down the paved path from the Visitor Center to the natural hole marking one of the cave entrances.
Reading the sign explaining the Native American beliefs about Wind Cave. The hole down on the left of the picture is the natural entrance to the cave.
We heard about the Lakota legends about the cave and its role in the origins of their people. It is aptly named Wind Cave because air is constantly moving in or out of the hole because of the barometric differences between the interior of the cave and the outside. Our guide had a simple demonstration of this by letting one of the kids hold a bandanna over the hole.
From the natural entrance you proceed to the big revolving door marking the people entrance to the cave and everyone squeezes into a big anteroom waiting to go through to the cave itself. This keeps the airflow into the cave as natural as possible. It is single file as you go down the stairs once you enter the cave itself .
There are a ton of stairs to go down (about 150 in actuality which is more than 10 flights which is roughly equivalent to a ton right?). The stairs are uneven, damp, and dimly lit so everyone was going fairly slow but this section would give someone with knee trouble difficulties despite the slow speed.
Taking the steep and narrow stairs down at the beginning of the Natural Entrance cave tour
When you get to the bottom, you make your way through some passages until you get to the Post Office, a large room where the guide will stop and tell you more about the boxwork formations for which Wind Cave is so famous.
Click to enlarge photos
From the Post Office room, you wander through some more winding and narrow passages that occasionally have more stairs interspersed (almost all down). This was my favorite part of the tour because I loved all the narrow passages and all of the even more narrow passages branching off in all directions. You really did feel like a mouse in a crazy large maze. Albeit one almost 22 stories underground. Our claustrophobic kid did not like that factoid from the guide.
Click to enlarge photos
There were two more stops in large rooms near the end of the tour where the guide talked more about the geology and the environment in the caves, like how there is an underground lake almost 500 ft down that takes scientists 2 hours to reach, squeezing though passages barely big enough for them to wiggle through. The kids could easily visualize it after seeing the hundreds of tiny side passages along our tour and two of the kids wanted to know how they could sign up for that trip. Yeah, no thanks.
The tour ends when you take the elevator back up to the top and come out on a paved path on the other side of the Visitor Center from where you started. Lots of blinking in the sunlight and shedding of long sleeves as you re-acclimate to the topside world.
Second Stop- Prairie Vista Trail
Stopping and taking in the view from the easy Prairie Vista trail in Wind Cave
1 Mile, easy loop, 30 min if you stop and read all of the signs
So glad this park wasn’t busy as the twins decided to race each other down the paved path next to the Visitor Center
The kids were ready to run a little bit in some wide open spaces after being in a big tour group in a cave.
So we walked (I walked, them not so much) down the path by the Visitor Center, back by the Natural Entrance we entered earlier, and over to the Prairie Vista trailhead by the picnic area.
I chose this trail simply because it was closest, but Prairie Vista was a very pleasant surprise and I would absolutely recommend it.
You climb up a little to the top of the hill behind the Visitor Center and have a nice walk over the prairie with great views and some interesting interpretive signs.
The kids particularly liked the sign that mapped out the cave below where we were so they can say they have now walked over and under the same part of the Earth. Not something you can say too often!
You can see the Visitor Center in the background of the picture and the sign explains how we walked under it on the Natural Entrance tour. Pretty cool to think just an hour ago we were 20 stories below all this!
Third Stop- Overlooks and Pull Outs
On our way out of the park and back out to Hot Springs, we stopped at a couple of the pullouts to take photos. We were the only car at a few of the pullouts and took our time reading signs and watching for wildlife. We eventually were treated to the sight of a pack of coyotes hunting prairie dogs at a pullout near the Cold Brook Canyon TH. And plenty of bison and prairie dogs were seen.
They were pretty far away and my DSL picked that moment to decide to stop focusing manually but you can just pick out the 3 coyotes moving through this prairie dog town. It was super loud with all of the prairie dogs sounding the alarm.
Amazingly, this pull off with the sign about bison was one of the few places we didn’t see any.
Trip Back To Rapid City
We left Wind Canyon National Park around 5pm (we arrived around 1:45 pm) and felt like we got to see a lot in our short time there. We drove back to our hotel in Rapid City (about an hour and 15 min from Wind Cave) and had dinner in Rapid City at the most excellent Firehouse Brewing Company.
We had originally planned on doing the Rankin Ridge Trail in Wind Cave National Park before leaving (a 15 min drive north of the Visitor Center) but the road to it was closed for repairs. I was super bummed to miss this hike because pictures from it look amazing.
Had we been able to arrive earlier in the day to the park and the road north out of the park wasn’t closed, our plan was to take a cave tour, hike Rankin Ridge Trail and maybe one other short trail, then drive to the Blue Bell entrance to Custer State Park (15 min drive from Rankin Ridge TH).
We would drive the famous Wildlife Loop through Custer State Park (about 45 min without stopping) before heading back to Rapid City (about 40 min from Custer State Park). If you have a full day to spend at Wind Cave or have more snacks in your car for hungry kids than we did, this would be a great plan.
What We Did On Our Second Trip Into Wind Cave:
We returned to Wind Cave on the second to last day of our trip just before 10 am on a Saturday in early October. We were bummed to find out there were no available tours until 2 pm. We had things we had to do that afternoon so we explored around the campground, hiked some of Cold Brook Canyon Trail (it was rainy), and watched more bison. Still enjoyed our time in the park.
We headed over to Mammoth Fossil Site instead which was awesome if you have a rainy day or have an interest in fossils at all. Super cool!
Where To Stay Near Wind Cave
Heads Up- We do participate in affiliate marketing with some of the companies that we personally use (Booking.com, VRBO.com). They don’t pay us to write and you don’t pay a different price, we simply get the commission if we send you their way as opposed to Google. But we also recommend lodging where we don’t receive any commission, such as Airbnb or private rental agencies. If it’s good; it’s good. We don’t change our recommendations based on vendor.
Camping
ELK MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUND IN WIND CAVE NP
Elk Mountain Campground is a small, 63 site campground at the park that looked cute and definitely the most convenient for fully exploring the park. It is just up the road from the Visitor Center.
The campground wasn’t as compact as some campgrounds in other national parks (ahem, Smokies) so many of the campsites looked like they had a little more room. I could only explore about half of the campground as much of it was closed for the season when we visited in early October.
The recreation.gov website had decent descriptions of each site along with individual photos so be sure to scope out your choices there. Plus, there were some good reviews on the website and people listed exactly what site they had.
Only B loop is open from October to end of May, and it has no running water, only vault toilets. It is first come- first served but you have to pay using your phone which can be an issue in an area with poor cell phone coverage according to some campers.
So be aware you may have to claim a site and then drive to either the Visitor Center (it has WiFi apparently) or out of the park to get enough reception to pay. The entire campground is open from late May thru September and you get the added bonus of potable water plus flush toilets during that time. Fancy!
You can bring an RV or trailer but there are no electrical hookups or a dump station at the campground. And only a few sites can accommodate large setups so be sure to check lengths when you reserve sites on recreation.gov.
I was only able to explore some of the campground since we were there in October, but I’ll give you the sites that looked good to me as a tent camper. A loop is for tents only and would probably be my first choice as it looked a little more private and quiet.
Most of the B loop sites are along the main road in and out of the campground so I would take those last, although B34 and B32 are up a little hill from the parking pull out and are pretty private. B35 looked like a great site as well, with no other sites close by but not as far to haul stuff from the car as B32 and B34. Those sites would be choices in B loop.
I walked around C and D loops and would say C loop over D loop as it is a little smaller and more spread out, especially the campsites on the outer portion of the loop. D loop had 2 group sites in and among the regular sites and we all know those sites can get loud.
Click to enlarge photos below and the campsite numbers seen in the photos have changed. I labeled them with the new, correct numbers.
BACKCOUNTRY CAMPING
You are allowed to backcountry camp in the northwest part of the park and will need a free permit from the Visitor Center. See the Wind Cave NPS website for details.
OTHER CAMPGROUNDS IN THE BLACK HILLS
The Black Hills is a huge camping area with an enormous amount of options to choose from, whether primitive camping is your style or you would rather be in your 5th wheel enjoying your AC. This website has a nice rundown of all your options. Black Hill Parent- Family Friendly Black Hills Campgrounds
Hotels Near Wind Cave National Park
A word to the wise-- Hotel prices in the Black Hills seemed expensive to us. It also booked up quickly. I guess because there is a limited season (late May to about early October) and lots of tourists during that season. We had to do a lot of looking to find something for our large family of 7 that we felt was affordable and actually available. Rapid City was more competitive than Custer or Hill City but it meant a longer drive each day to get to Wind Cave or Custer State Park. We ended up doing one night in Hill City and several in Rapid City.
Map of the towns closest to Wind Cave National Park, map courtesy of OpenStreetMaps
CUSTER AND HILL CITY
The nearest town to Wind Cave National Park is Hot Springs, South Dakota. It isn’t a huge place and the hotel choice isn’t great, mostly budget hotels. I would pick Custer (25 min away) or Hill City (40 min away) instead. We typically stay in one of the larger hotel chains like Marriott or IHG because of credit card points, and we like the included breakfast buffets (hello bottomless pits masquerading as teenagers).
We stayed two nights at the Holiday Inn Express Hill City- Mt Rushmore and it was great. Exactly what you would expect from a Holiday Inn Express and walking distance to the main drag in Hill City where all the restaurants are located. There was also a Holiday Inn Express in Custer that we looked at as well. These were my top choices in those towns.
RAPID CITY
Outside of Downtown
We also stayed two nights at the Residence Inn in Rapid City. I like Residence Inns in general because they have a suite with 2 bedrooms, a small kitchen and most importantly- 2 BATHROOMS! And the rooms have a full kitchen, important for keeping picnic supplies and snacks for long days exploring.
You could even cook dinner in your hotel room, because they have stoves and dishes. The Residence Inn wasn’t downtown, but it was a quick 10 minute drive away since it is right by the interstate. We compromised on location for more room and a better price point, and we were really happy.
We also spent one night at the Fairfield Inn in this same area of Rapid City at the end of our trip. It was fine as well, although I liked the Residence Inn better because most of the rooms are bigger and have the full kitchens.
* Pro Tip- If you have kids that are into that kind of thing, there was a huge indoor water park (WaTiki Indoor Water Park) at this exit (exit 61 from I90) that seemed very popular. Both the Fairfield Inn and the Residence Inn are attached to the water park, but the Fairfield Inn is directly attached with rooms overlooking it whereas the Residence Inn has an indoor walkway connecting it. The Fairfield Inn also advertises the water park in its description, so it was more crowded at morning breakfast with lots of families in bathing suits.
Also gathered around this apparently super popular water park was a Home2Suites by Hilton Rapid City, a La Quinta by Wyndham Rapid City, and a Courtyard by Marriott Rapid City. I guess all those hotels right next to each other kept the prices competitive, because this little area by exit 61 off I90 had the best prices we found in the Black Hills.
In Downtown Rapid City
My choice would be the Alex Johnson Hotel, a historic hotel that’s walking distance to the restaurants and shops in Rapid City’s neat little downtown. The lobby is very cool with its Germanic Tudor vibe (as they call it) but the rooms have been updated and modernized.
It has a wonderful rooftop bar with the signature neon sign that’s a landmark for downtown. The hotel also has several suites that could fit a family up to 6 people. It is on my list for future stays in Rapid City as it looks amazing and I have heard great things about it.
Vacation Rentals Near Wind Cave
If you are spending a couple of day in the Black Hills, then you might think about renting a cabin. There are literally hundreds of cabin rentals in this area at all kinds of price points so it is easier to find a VRBO than a hotel sometimes. It is nice to have a homebase -- get to unpack once, more room, able to fix dinner at your lodging after a long day hiking instead of having to go back out to a restaurant, often cheaper to eat meals at your lodging too.
* A VRBO was our original plan but it didn’t work out because we had reservations at Cedar Pass Lodge at Badlands National Park in the middle of our time in South Dakota. So we had two days in the Black Hills at the beginning of our trip and two days at the end, which is why we stayed in hotels instead of a vacation rental. Next time, we will book our trip earlier and not have to plan around whatever available dates the Badlands park lodge has left. I bookmarked a lot of places I liked though.
A couple of tips to keep in mind when looking:
some of the more remote ones with gorgeous views are on iffy gravel roads not fun in rental sedans
check for AC if visiting during late summer and don’t want to deal with cooling down the cabin when you get back in the evenings
consider how far you want to be from restaurants/ grocery stores/ dollar stores. They can be few and far between in the Black Hills which is great when you want to get away from it all and not so good when a kid realizes he forgot to pack something important. Ask me how I know Hill City has a Dollar General that stays open late and sells underwear.
the price per night can vary widely throughout the year. The same cabin can be $500 a night in season and $100 a night in the off season. It means the nightly average can be way off for your specific nights.
NEAR WIND CAVE
Cabin Southern Hills Serene Getaway is a cute little 2 BR/ 1 BA cabin with wonderful reviews and borders Wind Cave National Park. It is small but has gorgeous scenery and is very secluded. 5 people max and averages $200 a night.
Wind Cave Cabin - Just Wonderful is a large 3 BR/ 2 BA cabin with a hot tub and awesome views. The A- frame cabin sleeps 6 in beds and has air mattresses for up to 10. Averages $200 a night.
NEAR CUSTER
Whitetail Springs Ranch- 3 BR Log Cabin On Private Acreage w/ Personal Pond is a large cabin on 17 acres of a beef ranch. Older cabin with stone fireplace and great reviews. Sleeps 10 and averages $258 a night.
Peaceful, Private Log Home With Exceptional Views And Amenities is a large 4 BR/ 2.5 BA log cabin set on a secluded hillside in a pine forest with gorgeous views. Cute fairy garden to explore for little kids and a few miles from Custer.. Sleeps 9 max and averages $379 a night.
Farmhouse Cabin In The Black Hills (Cabin #1) is a picturesque little cabin on a goat farm with 2 BR/ 1 BA. It is a little out from Custer but located in a beautiful valley. The owners have built several of these brand new and super cute cabins near each other, but you still have a little space and your own fire pit area. Great reviews. Sleeps 7 max and $225 a night.
NEAR HILL CITY
Creekside Cabin On The Mickelson Trail is a cute little cabin (looks to be a converted mobile home) with 2 BR/2 BA. It is right by a lovely creek and the awesome Mickelson Trail so it’s very convenient for bikers. 2 minute drive into Hill City. Sleeps 6 max and averages $156 a night.
Spacious Home- Centrally Located In The Black Hills- Hot Tub, ATV is a very large 4BR/ 3.5BA home that comes with a hot tub, bikes for the nearby Mickelson Trail, and an ATV. 10 minute walk to Hill City and nice views in a more modern development. Sleeps 12 max and averages $258 a night.
Where To Eat Near Wind Cave
*We visited in the shoulder season (early October) and many places were closed already or had severely cut back on hours.
IN WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK
There is nothing in Wind Cave itself except for basic snacks at the gift shop in the Visitor Center. There is a picnic area near the Visitor Center if you came prepared but it was down in a little shady spot and had no views. We took our snacks to one of the pullouts along the main road and ate there watching for wildlife.
HOT SPRINGS
In nearby Hot Springs you will find a few more options but it is a small town that looks like it was hit hard by the reduced tourism of the pandemic. It appears a few more places are opening back up so you might want to scope it out closer to your trip.
I thought Hot Springs was a picturesque town with a nice park and greenway along the creek, and I loved the old sandstone turn of the century buildings. I could definitely see going back and spending more time and even trying out the hot springs.
Although we did not actually eat here, the Upper Crust Bakery and Cafe on the main drag was recommended to us (offers breakfast and lunch and has to go baked goods like donuts). There were also a couple of ice cream places we passed that looked good to the kids (they all look good to them though!)
I thought the greenway running along the creek in Hot Springs was very pretty and the kids will get a kick out of the fact that the water is not cold thanks to hot springs in the area. Some of the pretty sandstone buildings can be seem in this picture too.
CUSTER
One of the larger towns in the area, Custer has quite a few restaurants on its main strip but it also has lots of tourists so can have long wait lists in season. We popped into Maria’s Mexican (recommended by our bike rental people. South Dakota Outdoor Shop, across the street). It was tasty and filling and perfect if you need to feed hungry kids fast without spending a fortune.
The most memorable meal was at The Custer Wolf, a highly recommended place serving good beer, wine and pub food. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and would go again in a heartbeat. Has a nice patio too that’s a perfect place to chill out after a long day hiking or biking.
Horatio’s Homemade Ice Cream is an awesome little place in the old bank building on the corner of Main and 6th. The ice cream was cold and delicious and the helpings were huge. It was the perfect end to a day biking on the Mickelson Trail. They also have sorbet and non- dairy ice cream so the lactose intolerant people can partake. They offer seasonal flavors like rhubarb and even bake their own waffle cones for goodness sake. Can you tell we loved this place?
HILL CITY
Bumpin’ Buffalo Bar & Grill is a family-friendly bar basically in the middle of all the action of Main Street in Hill City. It is a busy place and one of the few still open when we visited in mid- October when I guess many places really cut back for the off season. The signature buffalo burger was pretty good, and I would go for that again. It also offers a kids meal.
Mangiamo Pizzeria is a great pizza and pasta place also on the main drag. Delicious crusts with lots of fresh toppings to choose from. We liked the build your own pizza, but you could also do pasta or salad. Has a kids meal.
RAPID CITY
You will find a variety of restaurants in Rapid City’s great downtown. You could easily spend a whole day exploring the surprisingly packed Main Street and surrounding blocks. There were restaurants and art galleries, breweries and ice cream stores, as well as a nice park and greenway that ran along the river. The best was the statues of the Presidents on all the street corners, and the kids had a blast running around finding them all. Makes walking off dinner super fun!
We loved Firehouse Brewing Company in downtown Rapid City. So much so that we went twice in one week. A great casual vibe with a wide enough menu for everyone to find something they like, it has also has a large covered patio if the weather is nice. I love trying craft brews, and this is South Dakota’s oldest brewery so that was a plus for the adults and the kids liked the burgers.
Que Pasa Cantina was another good time for American style Mexican food on a fun patio enjoying lovely weather. We thought it was tasty and filling although nothing spectacular. I think it was more the cool patio than the food that we enjoyed.
Sabatino’s Italian Ristorante was a bit of travel magic for us, in that if I had known anything about the restaurant ahead of time, we probably wouldn’t have gone in as it is more upscale than what we typically look for after a day of hiking.
But one of the kids popped their head in as we walked by, they said they could seat our party of 7 right away, and it wasn’t until we were walking through the restaurant that I realized we were definitely under dressed. But they couldn’t have been nicer and the food was fantastic. Worth every penny (and it was fairly reasonably priced for good Italian). Everybody still remembers it a year later as a great family meal and that’s pretty magic.
Final Thoughts
Wind Cave National Park surprised us by how much we liked it. The cave tour was unique and so cool (literally!) while the above ground scenery held its own against other parks in the area. We thought the wildlife watching was some of the best in the Black Hills. In general, we loved this part of the country and can’t wait to return on another vacation, in which case, we will be back to see Wind Cave again.
Happy Trails! -- Amanda