WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, SD – Rangers at Wind Cave National Park will be leading programs
through early October listening for the bugle of the Rocky Mountain elk. The elk’s high-pitched
whistle heralds the arrival of fall and the elk’s mating season.
Beginning Wednesday, September 14, rangers are giving brief interpretive programs about elk
before leading a caravan to a nearby pullout to listen for them. These one-hour programs are
offered Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings through Saturday, October 8. Participants
meet at the Wind Cave Visitor Center front lawn at 7 p.m. and are encouraged to bring a
flashlight, a camp chair or blanket to sit on, and to dress warmly.
To listen to an elk’s bugling call, visit the park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/elk-bugling-wica.htm
Fall ranger programs also include Natural Entrance and Garden of Eden Tours of Wind Cave
throughout the day. Participants are encouraged to bring a light coat or sweater and good
walking shoes. The Natural Entrance Tour lasts approximately 75 minutes and involves 300
stairs. The Garden of Eden Tour lasts one hour and involves 150 stairs. Depending on current
transmission rates, visitors may be required to wear a mask in federal facilities, including on
cave tours, regardless of vaccination status.
Reservations for cave tours can be made up until 3 days before the tour at https://www.recreation.gov/.The park visitor center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Tours will be offered every thirty minutes throughout the day between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. through September 24. For a schedule of fall cave tours, or for information about current mask requirements and other COVID-19 precautions, visit the park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/wica/planyourvisit/guidedtours.gov
Rangers at Wind Cave National Park will be offering tours to listen for elk bugling in September and October. (NPS Photo)