Wind Cave National Park
VISIT Wind Cave National Park:
Park Details
Wind Cave National Park was established on January 9, 1903, and has a total area of 33,971 acres (53 square miles, or 138 square kilometers).
| Address | 26611 US Highway 385, Hot Springs, SD, 57747 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 605 745-4600 |
| Hours | The park is open all day, every day for you to explore. Winter may close roads. |
| Entrance Fee | Entrance is free, but Cave tours $7-$45 per person |
| Learn More | Official Website |
When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation
Wind Cave National Park is the 109th most visited park in the country.
We crunched 30 years of historical weather and/or park service data to find the best months to visit Wind Cave National Park. We looked for the optimal temperatures, the least amount of snow and rain, and stayed away from peak visitation months if we could help it. All this data then helped us paint a picture as to what the absolute best time to visit Wind Cave National Park is.
Our data shows the best months to visit Wind Cave National Park are October, May, June & September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Visits | 14,840 | 10,836 | 16,430 | 43,241 | 77,241 | 121,608 | 154,509 | 119,271 | 89,468 | 31,657 | 16,374 | 13,527 |
| Precipitation | 13 | 21 | 37 | 67 | 86 | 65 | 48 | 40 | 41 | 37 | 19 | 12 |
| Avg Temp | 38 | 40 | 49 | 59 | 70 | 81 | 89 | 88 | 77 | 62 | 47 | 38 |
| Max Temp | 53 | 56 | 67 | 78 | 87 | 96 | 100 | 97 | 92 | 80 | 65 | 53 |
| Avg Temp | 21 | 23 | 29 | 38 | 48 | 58 | 66 | 64 | 54 | 41 | 29 | 21 |
| Min Temp | 0 | 4 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 44 | 54 | 52 | 35 | 22 | 9 | 1 |
Wind Cave National Park Road Trips
Many family vacations consist of stringing one or more national parks together during a week-long trip. Creating these types of trips is our specialty! Here are the road trips we've created where Wind Cave National Park is visited.
| Trip Name | Trip Miles | Trip Days |
|---|---|---|
| Devils Tower, Wind Cave, Mt. Rushmore to Badlands | 444 | 7 |
Other Nearby National Park Sites
From national monuments, to historic sites to seashores and more, here are the other parks closest to Wind Cave National Park.
| Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Jewel Cave National Monument | 21 mi |
| Mount Rushmore National Memorial | 22 mi |
| Badlands National Park | 51 mi |
| Agate Fossil Beds National Monument | 80 mi |
| Minuteman Missile National Historic Site | 81 mi |
| Devils Tower National Monument | 94 mi |
| Fort Laramie National Historic Site | 107 mi |
| Scotts Bluff National Monument | 119 mi |
| Niobrara National Scenic River | 166 mi |
| Theodore Roosevelt National Park | 235 mi |
Nearby Campsites & RV Parks
If you are looking to pitch a tent or park an RV at a campsite near Wind Cave National Park, here is a list of the closest campsites in the surrounding area. They all have slightly different amenitites, so its best to check them all out instead of just chosing the first on the list.
| Name | Details | Miles Away |
|---|---|---|
| Elk Mountain - Wind Cave National Park | Hot Springs, SD more | 1 miles |
| Rifle Pit | Custer, SD more | 4 miles |
| Cottonwood | Hot Springs, SD more | 9 miles |
| Blue Bell - Custer State Park | Custer, SD more | 11 miles |
| Legion Lake - Custer State Park | Custer, SD more | 14 miles |
| Game Lodge - Custer State Park | Custer, SD more | 15 miles |
| Stockade Lake N - Custer State Park | SD more | 15 miles |
| Stockade Lake S - Custer State Park | Victoria, SD more | 15 miles |
| Angostura State Rec Area | Hot Springs, SD more | 15 miles |
| Bismarck Lake | Custer, SD more | 15 miles |
Nearest Ski Resorts
For those of you who are the diehard outdoors type, visiting a national park on a ski trip can be quite the adventure. Here are the ski resorts within 100 miles of Wind Cave National Park:
| Name | Location | Summit | Difficulty Score™ | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ski Mystic Miner | Hill City, SD | 6,850 ft | 33% | 37 mi |
| Terry Peak | Lead, SD | 7,100 ft | 41% | 56 mi |
Nearest Airports
When visiting a National park, many people are faced with either a very long drive across country, or a much shorter flight. For those of you looking to fly into Wind Cave National Park, we've listed the closest airports in the area.
Large Airports
A large airport has scheduled major airline service with millions of passengers per year. This type of airport always accepts international flights. Here are the closest large airports to Wind Cave National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver International Airport | DEN | Denver, CO | 262 mi |
Medium Airports
A medium-sized airport has scheduled regional airline service. This type of airport may or may not accept international flights. Here are the closest medium-sized airports to Wind Cave National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid City Regional Airport | RAP | Rapid City, SD | 40 mi |
| Gillette Campbell County Airport | GCC | Gillette, WY | 116 mi |
| Western Neb. Rgnl/William B. Heilig Airport | BFF | Scottsbluff, NE | 116 mi |
| Casper-Natrona County International Airport | CPR | Casper, WY | 157 mi |
| Pierre Regional Airport | PIR | Pierre, SD | 169 mi |
| Cheyenne Regional Jerry Olson Field | CYS | Cheyenne, WY | 179 mi |
| Laramie Regional Airport | LAR | Laramie, WY | 191 mi |
Credits: Campground data provided by USCampgrounds.info. Map shapes from CartographyVectors. Weather data from NOAA. Airport data from OurAirports.com. Images from Unsplash, Flickr and Parks&Trips. All data has also been updated and augmented by Parks&Trips.