One of the longest caves on Earth, under the Black Hills.
Photo: Murray Foubister · CC BY-SA 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Beneath the ponderosa pines west of Custer hides one of the longest caves in the world — more than 220 mapped and surveyed miles of passages glittering with calcite crystals, and explorers keep finding more. Jewel Cave takes its name from the 'nailhead' and 'dogtooth' spar crystals that line its chambers, and the only way to see them is on a ranger-guided tour into the constant 49°F dark.
The grounds and the short above-ground trails are free, but every foot of cave is ticketed, and summer tours sell out by late morning — book on Recreation.gov, where the window closes at noon the day before. The standard Scenic Tour is a half-mile loop, 1 hour 20 minutes and 734 stairs through the crystal chambers ($16 adult). The 20-minute Discovery Tour ($6) drops by elevator into the first chamber and is the one to pick with small children, limited time, or mobility concerns. In summer the Historic Lantern Tour trades electric light for hand-carried lanterns on an undeveloped trail at the Historic Area, a mile west of the visitor center, and the extremely strenuous Wild Caving Tour is a crawling, squeezing four-hour adventure (the tightest squeeze is about 8 by 24 inches, and there is a fit-test box at the visitor center).
It's classic Black Hills country — warm summers with afternoon thunderstorms, cold snowy winters — but the cave never changes, so bring a jacket year-round. There's no lodging in the monument; base in Custer, 13 miles and about 25 minutes east, and pair it with Wind Cave, Mount Rushmore, and Custer State Park for a full Black Hills run.
The standard tour — a half-mile loop, 1 hour 20 minutes and 734 stairs, through chambers lined with the nailhead and dogtooth calcite spar that name the cave. $16 adult, $8 ages 6–15, elevator down and back up.
Insider tipFully enclosed shoes are required — no sandals of any kind, including hiking sandals — and there is no bag, backpack or walking pole allowed in the cave. Bring a jacket.
Plan a trip to this spot →A 1940s-style tour led by lantern light down an undeveloped half-mile trail through the historic entrance — 1 hour 45 minutes and about 600 steep, narrow stairs. Ages 8 and up, 15 people at a time, summer only.
Insider tipIt meets at the Historic Area, about a mile west of the visitor center on US-16, not at the visitor center — drive there. Open June 1 to August 28, sold almost entirely on Recreation.gov, and it needs lace-up boots with real tread.
Plan a trip to this spot →A true off-trail adventure — two-thirds of a mile of scrambling, chimneying, a rope-assisted climb and belly crawls over 3 to 4 hours (ages 16 and up, five people at a time, summer only).
Insider tipThe tightest passage is roughly 8 by 24 inches, and there is a box at the visitor center to test yourself against. $45, above-the-ankle lug-soled boots, old clothes (the stains are permanent), and it is the one tour with no same-day tickets — reserve it.
Plan a trip to this spot →Where you buy tickets and meet every tour except the Lantern, with exhibits, the park store and the elevator down to the cave — and the crawl-box fit test. Open daily 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in summer, Monday to Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from early September.
Insider tipArrive early: same-day tickets and parking fill by late morning in summer, the entrance gate shuts promptly at closing, and navigation apps routinely drive straight past the turn or onto backcountry roads. Follow the US-16 signs.
Plan a trip to this spot →Free, no-ticket walks — the short Roof Trail over the cave through ponderosa pine, and the Canyons loop through Lithograph and Hell Canyons.
Insider tipA good way to fill time before your tour slot, or to enjoy the monument if tours are sold out.
Plan a trip to this spot →A constant ~49°F year-round — cool relief on a hot Black Hills afternoon.
Insider tipThe Park Service suggests long pants and a sweatshirt or light jacket, whatever the surface weather is doing.
Plan a trip to this spot →Black Hills climate at ~5,400 feet: warm summers (July highs around 80°F) with frequent late-spring and early-summer afternoon thunderstorms, and cold, snowy winters. Underground, though, Jewel Cave holds a constant ~49°F year-round — so bring a light jacket for every tour, even in July.
On US-16 west of Custer — grounds free, cave by ticketed tour.
On US-16, 13 miles and about 25 minutes west of Custer, SD, 24 miles east of Newcastle, WY, and 63 miles — roughly an hour and a half — from Rapid City Regional Airport. There is no fee to park, walk the trails or visit the visitor center; you only pay to go underground. Book tours on Recreation.gov up to noon the day before; some Scenic and Discovery tickets are held back for same-day walk-ups when staffing allows, but they go by late morning in summer. The Scenic and Lantern Tours are stair-heavy and not wheelchair accessible — the elevator-served Discovery Tour is.
No lodging in the monument — base in Custer.
The closest town (~13 mi) for hotels, inns, and dining — the natural base for the southern Black Hills.
Booking tipA good hub for Jewel Cave, Wind Cave, Mount Rushmore, and Crazy Horse.
Black Hills National Forest campgrounds surround the monument, and Custer State Park (east of Custer) has campgrounds and cabins.
Booking tipReserve state-park sites ahead in summer.
Is it free?
The grounds, visitor center and above-ground trails are free. Only the cave costs money: Discovery Tour $6 adult, Scenic and Historic Lantern $16, Wild Caving $45, with children's rates and a $1 per ticket booking fee online. Reserve on Recreation.gov — the window closes at noon the day before. Some Scenic and Discovery seats are sold on-site first-come when staffing allows; the Wild Caving Tour must be booked in advance. America the Beautiful passes do not cover cave tours.
How cold is the cave, and what do I wear?
A constant ~49°F year-round — bring a light jacket even in summer. Closed-toe shoes are required (no sandals); the paved surfaces can be slick.
How demanding are the tours?
Stair-heavy. The Scenic Tour has 734 steps over half a mile (moderately strenuous); the Lantern Tour adds about 600 steep ladder-like steps plus stooping and duck-walking; the Wild Caving Tour is extremely strenuous crawling and squeezing. Everyone, at every age, has to walk the route unassisted, and no one may be carried. If stairs are a problem, the 20-minute Discovery Tour rides the elevator into the first chamber instead.
Which tour should I pick?
The Scenic Tour is the standard and the best all-around introduction to the crystal chambers. Take the Discovery Tour (20 minutes, elevator, strollers welcome) with toddlers or if stairs are out. Choose the Historic Lantern Tour (summer, age 8 and up) for the lantern-lit version, or the Wild Caving Tour (16 and up) only if you're fit and unbothered by tight spaces.
What about white-nose syndrome?
Jewel Cave is a white-nose-syndrome-positive site, so the restriction runs outward, not inward: gear worn in Jewel Cave may not be allowed into other caves. Boots, clothing and equipment worn here are specifically barred from the Candlelight and Wild Cave Tours at nearby Wind Cave, so plan the order of a two-cave day carefully. Lantern Tour visitors also walk across a decontamination mat, and no one should handle bats, living or dead.
When should I go?
Summer for the full lineup — Lantern and Wild Caving run June 1 to August 28 and sell out first. Spring and fall are quieter with the Scenic and Discovery Tours still running, though from early September the visitor center closes on Sundays. The cave's temperature never changes.
Pick your vehicle, line up the stops on the way in and out, and carry the whole route in your pocket.
