Black Hills Caves
More than 100 caves have been explored in the limestone surrounding the Black Hills. Many of these caves are only a few hundred feet or less in length. Some are much longer. more info
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Jewel Cave, discovered west of the city of Custer in 1900, contains more than 84 miles of passages. This makes Jewel Cave the second longest cave in the United States (only Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is longer) and the fourth longest cave in the world.
Wind Cave, discovered north of Hot Springs in 1881, is more than 65 miles in length. Wind Cave is the third longest cave in the United States and the seventh longest in the world. Studies of the wind, which is always present at the cave entrances, indicate that less than 5% of both Jewel Cave and Wind Cave have been explored! These calculations are based on measurements of the volume of air entering and leaving the cave and the resulting estimation of the cave volume to be 2 billion cubic feet.
Black Hills caves are interesting for more than just their size. Most geologists consider the caves of the Black Hills to be among the world's oldest. Wind and Jewel Caves are thought to have begun forming 40 to 60 million years ago.
Some Black Hills caves are home to certain types of cave formations that are found in few other caves in the world. Wind Cave, for example, contains more displays of a formation known as boxwork than any other cave in the world.
Some of the caves in the Black Hills have been developed to allow easy access for humans. Trails have been constructed to make walking easier, and electric lights have been installed to illuminate the caves, which are naturally very dark.
For a fee, visitors are taken through the cave by someone who knows the way. There are currently eight caves in the Black Hills that offer tours.
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