By Mariah Cannon
Jewell Cave National Monument is just down the road from Wind Cave National Monument near Custer, South Dakota. It consist of 1,274 acres where you can explore around and beneath the ground!
This is definitely an area you’ll want to visit while you’re spending time in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Some History on Jewell Cave
Jewell Cave was discovered first back in 1900 by Albert and Frank Michaud, at least that’s the earliest documented discovery of the cave, it’s been believed that people before them explored some parts of it. They said the cave entrance was too small for human entry, though had air pushing out of it. They used dynamite to be able to fit through the entrance. They had written that when they got down there, all the could see was the gleam of crystals with their lanterns, they said it looked like jewels, hence how the monuments name began to evolve.
The brothers filed a mining claim in October of 1900 as “Jewel Tunnel” and later on it was set to be something to bring tourists in similar to Wind Cave National Park next door. During this time ability to travel was difficult and they weren’t seeing a good number of visitors to the area. Later in 1906, some forest service employees along with the brothers and Bertha Cain attempted to get it changed to a wildlife reserve, however – it got denied as there isn’t enough wildlife in the area. It did have enough interest to become a monument though.
President Theodore Roosevelt declared Jewell Cave as a National Monument in 1908, 2 years after the idea coming to life.
It is said to only be about 3-5% discovered and that there could be thousands of more miles that haven’t been explored yet.
Where is Jewell Cave?
Located just 13 miles West of Custer, SD off highway 16. Some nearby popular cities are:
- Custer, SD – 12 miles, 16 minutes
- Newcastle, WY – 24 miles, 27 minutes
- Rapid City, SD – 53 miles, 1 hour 5 minutes
- Deadwood, SD – 68 miles, 1 hour 30 minutes
Operating Season & Hours
Jewell Cave itself is open Monday-Saturday 8:30am-4:30pm and the gates closes right at 4:30pm, rangers ask that you plan your visit accordingly!
Getting Around the Monument
The monument all starts from one parking lot, therefore you don’t need to worry about navigating through the area. The parking area is relatively large and fills up quick!
The Cave Tours
The monument offers two different tour options during the off season months, the Scenic and Discovery tours. May-September full tours are offered and can be booked 30 days in advance via Recreation.gov. The cave can occasionally have same day tickets available, I recommend arriving right at opening to check with the rangers about availability. Adults are $6 each, kids under 5 are $1, kids over 5 and seniors are $3 each.
- The Discovery Tour – A perfect tour for when you’re short on time, this tour is 20 minutes and you come to one room of the cave, the Target Room. This is also the most accessible cave tour for those who want to see it, but might not be able to walk and bend through tunnels and down stairs.
- The Scenic Tour – This is the most popular tour and the one I did myself, it was beautiful! It’s about an hour and a half and takes you along 734 stair steps, which is about 42 flights of stairs! You’ll see lots of box work, stalactites, stalagmites, cave bacon, and cave popcorn throughout. Jewell Cave is most known for its dryer cave systems with loads of Box work.
- Lantern Tour – This tour is only available during the Summer months and is one of the most unique tours. It takes you back in time to what it was like exploring the cave back towards the beginning of the monument. It includes 500 wooden steps and takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes. If you’re able to get on this tour, I highly recommend it!
- Wild Cave Tour – If you’re an adrenaline junkie and want to get dirty while exploring the cave, this tour is for you! You’ll strap into a hard hat with a headlamp, knee pads, elbow pads, and army crawl through tight areas of the cave for 3-4 hours. This is rated as extremely strenuous and you are required to be 16 years of age or older to do the tour. There is a small opening that is 8 1/2″ by 24″ that rangers will make sure you can fit through before beginning the tour.
What to Bring and What Not to Bring on a Cave Tour
You should bring close toed shoes, only things that can fit in your pockets or a small hip bag, long pants, a jacket as the cave runs 49 degrees Fahrenheit year round.
You should not bring sandals, shoes you’ve worn in other caves (due to the spread of white nose syndrome), backpacks, purses, and large cameras are also not allowed. If you’re looking to film, I recommend finding the ranger that will be leading your tour and ask them if they’re okay with you bringing a camera on the tour. When I’ve asked, I’ve never had a ranger tell me no. But just communicate with them before bringing it!
Other Things to do in the Monument
There are two hiking trails within the monument, both starting from the visitors center/parking lot.
- The Canyons Trail is a 3.5 mile round-trip trail that has lovely forested and meadow views. Not many people check out the trails at Jewell Cave, so if you’re looking for a bit more solitude, this will be a great option!
- The Roof Trail is a shorter .4 mile loop that offers great views and is an easier route if you’re still wanting to walk around in the Monument.
- If you’re looking for more, there is a trail that starts about a mile West of the visitors center called Hells Canyon a 5.2 mile round-trip trail with canyon views, sheep, and high desert like scenery.
Enjoy this guide to Jewell Cave National Monument? Be sure to save it for future travels!
Let’s Get Adventuring!
Mariah
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