Tips for Visiting Wind Cave National Park with kids

Wind Cave National Park was a wonderful experience for our whole family.

This underrated national park in South Dakota was educational and fun, and our 3 older kids said it was one of their favorite parts of our Black Hills vacation. (The toddler can’t really verbalize those feelings just yet).

To be honest, I was a little concerned that our kids would find the cave tour boring or even scary, but the truth is that they really enjoyed it, and even asked questions of the park ranger leading the tour.

I would highly recommend visiting Wind Cave National Park to any family taking a South Dakota vacation. We brought our 4 kids ages 8, 5, 4, and 1 (15 months) at the time of our visit, and they did really well there.

It is definitely a kid-friendly destination where you can spend anywhere from a few hours to a few days exploring.

Here are my tips for visiting Wind Cave National Park with young children.

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What to Know Before You Visit Wind Cave NP

Location

Wind Cave National Park is located in the southwestern corner of South Dakota. It is under 10 miles from the city of Hot Springs where you can visit Mammoth Site with your kids. It’s also a mere 30 minute drive from Custer State Park.

We based ourselves in Rapid City, which is about an hour away from Wind Cave.

Getting Tickets for a Cave Tour

I didn’t read this information in any of the blog posts I read before our visit, but you need to get in line very early in the morning at the Visitor Center in order to buy tickets for a cave tour.

Tickets are first come first serve and you cannot reserve them ahead of time online.

You need to arrive around 7 a.m. to buy tickets for a cave tour (earlier if you want one of the first tours of the day). I got in line at 7 a.m. and there were probably 75 people ahead of me in line. The earliest tour that was available by the time I got to the front of the line was a 10 a.m. tour.

People had brought chairs, coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and books for the long wait. The Visitor Center opens at 8 a.m., so some were likely waiting in line for 2 hours.

You can have one person from your party buy tickets for the whole group, so I stood in line while my husband kept the kids in the car. We brought their tablets and breakfast on-the-go so they had something to do while they waited. I wish I had brought a book because I had no reception on my phone - though I did end up chatting with a few ladies in front of my who were on a sisters trip!

My best advice would be to combine Wind Cave National Park with either Custer State Park or Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, as they are both nearby. Ideally, you would be at Wind Cave before 7 a.m. to get tickets, grab your tickets for later in the day, then head down to Mammoth Site for your tour and pre-reserved Jr. Paleontology program during the morning hours.

Then after lunch in Hot Springs you would drive back up to Wind Cave for your tour. If you still had some time to kill you could do some hiking in Wind Cave National Park.

What to Bring and What to Wear for Wind Cave National Park with Kids

Non-slip shoes (our hiking sandals, like my Tevas, were just fine)
Long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt for in the cave (it’s always 54 degrees in the cave)
A fanny pack to carry your essentials. You are not allowed to bring backpacks on the tour.

A camera - a small action camera like a GoPro was perfect for the cave tour

* If you have a baby or toddler, you may NOT bring a baby carrier for the cave tour. Know that you will have to hold your child for the duration of the tour. This honestly was not ideal, but we survived and still had fun.

Don’t forget to grab your Travel Journal for Kids! Space inside for 3 different trips, and includes packing lists, travel activities, and more!

Fees

Entrance to Wind Cave National Park is free, but you do have to pay for the tours.

When we were visiting (June of 2021) they were only offering the Natural Entrance tour. Here are the prices:

Natural Entrance Cave Tour -
$12 for adults 17 & older
$6 for children ages 6-16
children 5 & under are free
$6 for holders of the Senior (Golden Age)/Access Passports.

Hours

The park is open all day every day, but the Visitor Center where you buy tickets opens at 8 a.m.

Natural Entrance Cave Tour with Kids - What to Expect

Getting Tickets

As I mentioned above, you must arrive at Wind Cave National Park very early in the morning in order to get tickets. Wait in line outside the Visitor Center until it opens.

Have a time in mind that you want to take your tour.

Buy tickets for your group for an available tour time, and hold onto your tickets and receipt until the time of your tour.

Before the Tour

The Park Rangers will advise you to arrive 10 minutes before your tour starts, and will tell you where to meet. Make sure everyone in your group uses the restroom before the tour, as it’s about an hour long and there are no restrooms available in the cave.

Bring a long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, or light jacket with you even if it’s a hot day. It’s 54 degrees inside the cave. We were never too cold (probably because we were holding a squirming toddler who was either screaming or talking up a storm), but it’s good to be prepared.

Put your phone or camera, tickets, and any other valuables inside your waist pack or fanny pack.

If you have a baby or toddler, let them get their wiggles out before the tour starts. You cannot wear them in a baby carrier, and will have to hold them for the duration of the tour.

Remind your kids that they shouldn’t touch the sides or top of the cave. The oils from our skin can destroy the cave! (The ranger will talk about this on the tour, but I didn’t want to rely on my kids’ listening skills. I thought it would be best for them to hear this multiple times).

You’ll meet in a small pavilion outside the visitor center and show your tickets. Then the tour will get started!

Natural Entrance Tour

The tour will start with the park ranger showing you the small natural entrance of the cave where you’ll get a chance to learn about why it’s called Wind Cave and how it was discovered!

Then you’ll be led into a much larger man-made entrance where you’ll take a series of stairs down into the cave.

It’s dark, but there are always lights inside the cave to guide you. It was never so dark that my kids were scared (except during one part where the ranger wanted to show how dark it would be for the early cave explorers who came down with just candles. He gave us fair advance warning so the kids came close to us and held our hands for that part).

At the beginning the ranger asked who thought they might be the slowest in the group, and we raised our hands since we had 4 kids, including a 15-month-old with us. He had us come to the front of the group right behind him so we wouldn’t get lost or left behind.

The tour was so interesting and informative. We got to see the beautiful boxwork that Wind Cave is known for, and we learned so much about cave exploration. There are plenty of chances to ask questions if you’ve got curious kids.

If you’re worried about feeling claustrophobic, I think you will be fine. There were never any parts of the tour that felt super cramped. The stairs leading down are probably the “smallest” part, but for the most part the ceilings are high and you’ll stop in “rooms” of the cave that are spacious enough for tour groups. There is no crawling and there are no tight squeezes.

After the Tour

After the Cave Tour you will take the elevator back up to the top and then you are free to go and explore the park some more, or head out.

We hit the restrooms at the Visitor Center, then took a scenic drive through the park before heading back to Rapid City.

If you want to hike or take a scenic drive, chat with the park rangers at the Visitor Center. They are so knowledgeable and can provide you with maps and advice.

I had seen pictures of the huge arch bridge in the park, and asked the ranger where I could find that. She circled the spot on a map and highlighted the route for me so we were able to take that road through Wind Cave National Park before heading back to Rapid City.

We would have stopped for a hike, but the kids were absolutely exhausted after our day of getting up before dawn to reserve tickets, then touring Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and then Wind Cave all in one day. Maybe next time!

Hiking in Wind Cave National Park

A word of warning before you plan your Wind Cave hikes: speak with a park ranger before you go, and arm yourself with maps, bug spray, sunscreen, hats, and water. That South Dakota sun can get HOT, and you want to protect yourself from ticks.

On that same note, consider wearing close toed shoes and long pants on the hike to protect from ticks.

Here are some easy to moderate hikes you could do with kids:

Prairie Vista: 1 mile loop trail with the trailhead at the Visitor Center. Walks through Prairie Grasslands.
Rankin Ridge: 1 mile loop trail with incredible views. The reviews on AllTrails say this is an easy hike, but the views are worth it - some even say they could see the Badlands on a clear day!
Wind Cave Canyon: the NPS website says 1.8 miles, and AllTrails says 3.8 miles, so definitely check with the park ranger on this one. It follows the limestone cliff of Wind Cave Canyon, and offers plenty of chances to see wildlife.

Seeing Wildlife in Wind Cave National Park

The other highlight of our trip to Wind Cave was seeing various types of wildlife around the park.

Throughout the park we saw prairie dogs, mule deer, and rabbits along the roads. We would see the occasional bison grazing by itself, but were disappointed not to see giant herds of them.

That is, until the end of our long day when we were driving through Wind Cave close the Custer State Park.

We happened to see a herd of bison grazing just off of a side road, so we veered off onto the dirt road to get a closer look (staying inside our minivan, of course).

It was a magical moment, and the kids were absolutely in awe of the giant creatures. It was calving season, so we also got to see quite a few babies following their mothers.

We were so happy to see that herd of bison on our last night in South Dakota, and declared that we had see everything we wanted to see and were ready to go home.

That is, until we saw 2 MORE herds of bison on our way home.

So driving between Wind Cave and Custer State Park around 6 p.m. is the magic time and place to see bison if you didn’t get a chance to see them anywhere else!

Always make sure to follow safety guidelines with wildlife, especially bison. Stay in your vehicle, and if you’re hiking and happen to see some, remain at a safe distance.