Jewel Cave National Monument

Jewel Cave National Monument

www.nps.gov
4.5/5
(1.5K) · Nature reserve in Custer, United States
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Jewel Cave National Monument contains Jewel Cave, currently the fifth longest cave in the world and second longest cave in the United States, with 220. …

Reviews

Tripadvisor
4.5/5 · 1,454 reviews
5-star
51%
4-star
23%
3-star
16%
2-star
5%
1-star
5%
Recent reviews
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Oct 26, 2024
We booked a ranger led tour into the cave mid morning. The parking lot is not huge so arrive in time to snag a spot. With the extra time we toured the visitor center exhibits. Our group had about two… Full review by 704lesliej
Oct 23, 2024
This was our second choice since Wind Cave was not offering tours in the summer of 2024. The visitor’s center was informative, but we did not really learn much beyond what we had not already learned… Full review by phat_dawg_21
Oct 7, 2024
This is a first-rate experience. We booked ahead and went on the Scenic Tour which lasted about an hour & a half. There are a ton of steps (over 730) and some of the stairs are fairly steep. Pay atte… Full review by Z8581LFpatricks
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Articles

Known as the third-longest cave in the world, Jewel Cave has more than 215 miles of passages (346.009 kilometers) lined with glitt…
cityseeker.com
Jewel Cave National Monument contains Jewel Cave, currently the third longest cave in the world, with 200.3 miles of mapped passagew…
sygic.com

Facts

Located:Custer County, South Dakota, U.S.
Area:1,273 acres (5.15 km²)
Visitors:137,275 (in 2016)

Questions & answers

Q:
The website states "All tour participants must be able to navigate the 723 stair steps along the tour route …
Q:
The website states "All tour participants must be able to navigate the 723 stair steps along the tour route unassisted. It is recommended to take younger children on the Discovery Talk. Infants and toddlers can be carried in a front-carrier only and the child must remain in the carrier throughout the duration of the Scenic Tour. Parents are not allowed to carry a child of any age on this tour without a front-carrier." Can someone please confirm that I could put my 2 yr old in a front carrier? Also is says front carrier but doesn't mention a Kelty style backpack pack carrier, are those not allowed? They are no wider than a person and don't make a child much taller than the adult.
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Having just done this tour...I agree with previous comments...cave is tight in places and very steep in places. You must hold onto raiings of walkways. Just call park for a …
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Having just done this tour...I agree with previous comments...cave is tight in places and very steep in places. You must hold onto raiings of walkways. Just call park for a definitive answer.
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Q:
Is there a hike for this I have 3 toddlers?
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The Rangers station has several rooms with displays including cave photos, taxidermy, and maps. There are two cave tour choices; the shorter tour is less challenging for adults and …
A:
The Rangers station has several rooms with displays including cave photos, taxidermy, and maps. There are two cave tour choices; the shorter tour is less challenging for adults and well-behaved, parent supervised children. At the tour we took, parents carried toddlers or hand-holding was a must.
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Q:
Scenic Tour or Lantern Tour, who has done both...and which is a better tour in the month of July. We unfortunately do not …
Q:
Scenic Tour or Lantern Tour, who has done both...and which is a better tour in the month of July. We unfortunately do not have time for both.
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I visited in May, so the latern tour was unavailable. Remember the latern tour is seasonal (depending on bat hibernation), more strenuous, and first come, first served. And if the lighting …
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I visited in May, so the latern tour was unavailable. Remember the latern tour is seasonal (depending on bat hibernation), more strenuous, and first come, first served. And if the lighting is limited to the group holding laterns, you probably won't see much (just enough to keep you from stumbling/hitting your head). The scenic tour was better than I expected, kept my 14 year old fully engaged, and was challenging enough with its elevation changes, length of walk, and absolute beauty.
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Answer by Peter H · Apr 14, 2019
Q:
How many visitors ride in the elevator at one time? Does the NPS have policy to enable claustrophobics to ride with …
Q:
How many visitors ride in the elevator at one time? Does the NPS have policy to enable claustrophobics to ride with only a few visitors in the elevator to avoid crowding sensation? Also, how long is the ride? I will be in Black Hills area Sep 14-27th of 2019 and would love to go inside but need an accommodation on the elevator. I'm fine in the cave itself, so long as its cold. I appreciate any onformation, thanks!
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If you’re claustrophobic, the cave is not a place you’ll want to visit. The elevator held like 20 people with 2 trips for 40 people per tour. The temp in the cave stays about 50 degrees …
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If you’re claustrophobic, the cave is not a place you’ll want to visit. The elevator held like 20 people with 2 trips for 40 people per tour. The temp in the cave stays about 50 degrees year round
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Q:
How early should I plan to arrive to get same day tour tickets? Thanks
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Whatever time the ticket office opens (it was 8:30 a few weeks ago), there was already a line waiting to buy tickets when we arrived 8:15. First tour we could get on was 10:40 a.m., …
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Whatever time the ticket office opens (it was 8:30 a few weeks ago), there was already a line waiting to buy tickets when we arrived 8:15. First tour we could get on was 10:40 a.m., but we meanwhile hiked one of the loop nature trails to kill time. There is a 10:00 tour you can buy tickets on-line, but it was already fully booked more than a week prior.
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