Planning your Wind Cave tour
Six ranger-guided tours, from a step-free elevator walk to four hours of crawling. Compare them, see what they cost, and book in a couple of minutes.
Wind Cave hides more than 160 mapped miles of passages under one square mile of prairie. It holds the largest known display of boxwork on earth, a fragile calcite honeycomb. You will not see it like this anywhere else. The cave has no self-guided routes. Every visit is a ranger-guided tour from the visitor center. The six tours are not interchangeable, so start with the table below.
Compare the six Wind Cave tours
Every tour is led by a ranger and starts at the visitor center. Stair count and difficulty are what people most often misjudge. Carefully consider those for the abilities of everyone in your party.
Wind Cave ranger-guided tours at a glance. Exact times are set on recreation.gov.
| Tour | Time | Distance | Stairs | Difficulty | Ages | Best for | How to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden of Eden | 1 hr | ~1/4 mi | 150 | Moderate | All ages | Short on time, fewest stairs | Reserve open_in_new |
| Natural Entrance | 1 hr 15 min | ~2/3 mi | 300 | Moderate | All ages | Best all-round first visit | Reserve open_in_new |
| Fairgrounds | 1 hr 30 min | ~2/3 mi | 450 | Strenuous | All ages | Most cave, if you are fit | Reserve open_in_new |
| Candlelight (summer) | 2 hr | ~2/3 mi | 424 | Strenuous | 8 and up | Atmosphere, history buffs | Call 605-745-4600 |
| Wild Cave (summer) | Up to 4 hr | ~2/3 mi | Crawling | Very strenuous | 16 and up | Real caving adventure | Call 605-745-4600 |
| Accessibility | 30 min | ~100 ft | None | Easy | All ages | Mobility limits, no stairs | Call 605-745-4600 by request |
Skip the cave tours if you have claustrophobia, or heart, breathing, knee, or back trouble. Worried about stairs? The Garden of Eden and Accessibility tours use the elevator instead. Full descriptions of each tour are below.
Getting there and booking a tour
Wind Cave sits 11 miles north of Hot Springs on US-385. It is about 50 miles south of Rapid City, roughly an hour, and a short drive from Custer. The park is free to enter. The cave tours are ticketed, and they sell out. So plan your booking before you drive out.
Three tours are sold on recreation.gov: Garden of Eden, Natural Entrance, and Fairgrounds. Reservations open 120 days out. They close two days before the tour. Times and dates shift with the season. Recreation.gov shows the real schedule for the day you want. Here is the rest of the booking picture:
- Reserve ahead in summer. Tours sell out days or weeks ahead from spring through fall, and on winter holiday weekends. If your dates are fixed, book early.
- About half of each tour is held for same-day walk-up at the visitor center. It is first come, first served. Those tickets often sell out soon after the doors open. So arrive early. The first tour of the day also tends to have the smallest groups.
- The two specialty tours are phone only. Candlelight and Wild Cave run in summer. Book them by calling 605-745-4600, up to one month ahead. They are small and fill fast.
- The Accessibility Tour is arranged by request. Call 605-745-4600 up to three days ahead. Or ask at the information desk when you arrive.
- Payment is by card or digital wallet. The park takes credit, debit, and digital payments for tours.
Give yourself time to park and use the restroom before your start time. There are no restrooms in the cave.
The standard tours
These three run most of the year and are sold on recreation.gov. They cover the developed parts of the cave. You need no special gear, just stairs in your legs and a warm layer.
Garden of Eden Tour
The shortest and gentlest standard tour. It runs about an hour with roughly 150 stairs. The elevator carries you down and back, so you skip the long stair descents. You still pass boxwork, popcorn, and frostwork. NPS rates it moderate. It suits short visits, families with younger kids, and anyone who would rather avoid hundreds of steps.
Natural Entrance Tour
The most popular tour, and a strong first visit. It runs about an hour and 15 minutes over 2/3 mile, with 300 stairs heading mostly down. You start near the historic natural opening, the breathing hole that named the cave. From there you follow some of the best boxwork on any route. The elevator brings you back up. NPS rates it moderate.
Fairgrounds Tour
The most demanding of the developed tours. It runs about an hour and a half over 2/3 mile, with around 450 stairs. The route crosses two levels of the cave, including the large Fairgrounds and Grand Avenue rooms. NPS rates it strenuous, with narrow passages and climbs between levels. Choose it if you are fit and want the fuller picture of the cave.
Specialty summer tours
Two tours run only in summer, and both fill quickly. Each takes a small group. Book them only by phone, at 605-745-4600, up to a month ahead. Scheduling means you cannot do both Candlelight and Wild Cave on the same day.
Candlelight Tour
Two hours through a less-developed part of the cave. Each person carries a candle lantern, much as early explorers did in the 1890s. It covers about 2/3 mile and 424 stairs over rough, dimly lit floors. NPS rates it strenuous and limits it to ten people. The minimum age is 8. You need long pants with no holes and sturdy lace-up, fully enclosed footwear. Cameras and phones are not allowed.
Wild Cave Tour
The real adventure: up to four hours of guided caving in undeveloped passages. You spend most of it crawling on hands and knees. The tour takes six people, minimum age 16. Anyone 17 or under needs a signed parental permission form. To join, you must pass a squeeze test through a space 10 inches tall by 3 feet wide. NPS rates it very strenuous. The park provides helmets, headlamps, kneepads, gloves, and elbow pads. Wear long sturdy pants, no leggings or sweatpants. Add a long or short sleeve shirt, no tank tops, and lace-up boots with aggressive tread. No cameras or phones. Skip this one if you have claustrophobia, a fear of heights, or heart or breathing trouble.
The Accessibility Tour and getting around
The Accessibility Tour is a 30-minute, step-free introduction to the cave. The elevator reaches a level section about 100 feet long. There a ranger talks through the boxwork and the cave's history. It is arranged by request. Call 605-745-4600 up to three days ahead, or ask at the desk when you arrive. Accessible parking is at the elevator building, near the main visitor center.
Above ground, the visitor center, exhibits, and theater are wheelchair accessible. For sign-language interpretation, the park asks for two weeks' notice. Certified service animals are allowed on certain tours. Ask the park which routes work for your visit.
What do Wind Cave tours cost?
Entry to the park is free. The cave tours are ticketed, and prices vary by tour. Visitors 62 and older and children 6 to 15 pay the discounted rate below. Children 5 and under are free on the standard tours.
The America the Beautiful and Interagency passes do not cover cave tour tickets. There is no cooperating-association member discount on tours. Payment is by card or digital wallet. Prices verified against the National Park Service fee schedule, last updated January 18, 2026.
What should you wear and bring?
The cave stays a constant 54°F (12°C) year-round. Dress for a cool, damp walk, even in July:
- A light jacket or sweater. It will feel chilly underground after the summer prairie heat.
- Sturdy, closed-toe shoes with non-slip soles. Cave paths can be wet and uneven. Sandals are a poor choice on the standard tours. They are not allowed on the Candlelight or Wild Cave tours, which require lace-up boots.
- A hand-held camera if you like. Flash photography is limited to protect the cave. Tripods, monopods, and selfie sticks are not allowed. Cameras and phones are banned entirely on the Candlelight and Wild Cave tours.
Some things are not allowed in the cave at all: food and drink (including water, gum, and candy), bags of any kind, baby back carriers, walking sticks, firearms, and tobacco. You may carry a child in your arms or a front carrier. Pets and comfort animals stay outside. Only certified service animals are allowed, and only on certain tours. Use the restrooms at the visitor center first. There are none in the cave.
One rule matters most: stay on the paved trail and never touch the formations. The oils from your skin permanently damage the calcite. Boxwork this fine does not grow back.
Common questions about Wind Cave tours
Do I need a reservation, or can I just show up?
What time do the tours run?
Which tour has the fewest stairs?
Can I bring young children?
How cold is it in the cave?
How do I book the Candlelight or Wild Cave tour?
Do my park pass or BHPFA membership get a discount?
Is the cave wheelchair accessible?
Keep exploring
The cave is only part of the park. Above ground, Wind Cave protects one of the country's largest mixed-grass prairies. You can see bison, elk, and prairie dog towns. In summer there are free ranger programs, prairie walks, and a Junior Ranger program for kids. The events calendar lists what is on during your visit.
Start with the Wind Cave National Park overview. Or compare it with the very different passages of Jewel Cave National Monument, just down the road. Browse field guides and gifts at the park store. You can also become a member to help keep these programs running.
Support Wind Cave
Black Hills Parks and Forests Association is the cooperating association at Wind Cave. The bookstore, the online shop, and membership fund the park's interpretation and youth programs, like Junior Ranger. You can also donate or volunteer.
