Wind Cave National Park

The Park

Established in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt, Wind Cave was the seventh U.S. National Park and the first cave to be designated a national park. The Park also includes over 28,000 acres of mixed grass prairie and Ponderosa Pine forest, and is home to bison, elk, pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes and prairie dogs. Wind Cave National Park is open year round, 24 hours a day. Cave tour tickets can be purchased at the Visitor Center.

Park Sign
Wind Cave National Park

Park building
Wind Cave National Park

Visitor Center
Wind Cave National Park

Visitor center information desk

Visitor Center lobby

Cave tour ticket line

Gift shop

Museum entrance
Wind Cave National Park

Museum display

Map of Wind Cave

Gypsum flowers and
cave popcorn speleothems

Geode with Dogtooth Spar Interior
Fossilized Coral

Branching Helictite

The Cave

Wind Cave has over 140 miles of explored cave passageways, making it the sixth longest cave in the world and one of the most complex. The cave got its name from wind at its entrance, which changes direction with changes in barometric pressure. The cave is famous for its concentrations of unique spleothems (cave formations) such as frostwork, cave popcorn, and especially boxwork. Wind Cave probably has the largest concentration of boxwork in the world. Boxwork is made of thin blades of calcite that project from cave walls and ceilings, forming a honeycomb pattern.

Tour Starts Here

Lakota Nation and Wind Cave

Our ranger tour guide

Neat Spleothems

Could be cave popcorn

Don't know

Boxwork

Could be cave popcorn

Boxwork

Flowstone

Boxwork

More boxwork

Cave formation

Last tour stop

Boxwork display at tour's end

Cave Video

Thanks to the National Park Service and Wikipedia for much of the content in this presentation
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