Hot Springs
South Dakota
Wind Cave National Park
The mission of Wind Cave National Park is to preserve and protect the natural resources. Wind Cave National Park is 28,295 acres. Because of its relatively small size and because there are missing parts, park managers must take an active role in helping the ecosystems function as they might have in the past. This requires understanding how everything in the park relates and how the naturally operating system would have functioned. Park rangers work with researchers to replicate that natural system using prescribed fires, bison round-ups, and biological control of exotic plant species.
How we accomplish the mission of the park is determined by what we know about the park. The land, the animals, and the cave are all related and it is only when we understand the resources and their connections that we can best protect Wind Cave National Park.
Recent News
Holiday Events Mark the Season at Wind Cave National Park
HOT SPRINGS, S.D. – Holiday events this year at Wind Cave National Park begin Wednesday, December 13, with the park’s holiday open house, followed by the park’s annual Christmas Bird Count on Sunday, December 17. The…
Read More »Wind Cave Elevators Repaired Ahead Of Native Americans’ Day
Cave tours at Wind Cave National Park are resuming Wednesday, October 4, ahead of the upcoming three-day weekend, which will culminate in the park’s Native Americans’ Day celebration Monday, October 9. “We are very happy to…
Read More »Elk Bugling Programs Offered This Fall at Wind Cave National Park
Hot Springs, SD - Rangers at Wind Cave National Park will be leading programs mid-September through early October to listen for the bugle of the Rocky Mountain elk. The elk’s high-pitched whistle heralds the arrival of fall and the elk’s…
Read More »Wind Cave National Park News - August 22, 2023
After 55 summers, Wind Cave ranger hangs up his hat Ranger Don Frankfort began working at Wind Cave in 1967 Hot Springs, SD - Seasonal park ranger Don Frankfort is retiring after working 55 summers at Wind Cave National Park. He began his ranger…
Read More »Tourism to Wind Cave National Park Contributes $52.7 Million to Local Economy
Tourism to Wind Cave National Park contributes $52.7 million to local economy Report shows visitor spending supports 741 jobs in nearby communities HOT SPRINGS, SD – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 607,418 visitors to…
Read More »Missing Horse Found Alive in Wind Cave National Park
Hot Springs, SD - The horse missing in Wind Cave National Park since last Tuesday, May 2, was found earlier today walking along Highway 385 near the Wind Cave Canyon Trailhead. Custer County Dispatch notified the park at 7:55 a.m. of a dropped call…
Read More »Celebrate National Park Week at Wind Cave National Park with Bones, Birds, and Boxwork
Hot Springs, SD - Wind Cave National Park will be hosting a variety of activities during National Park Week beginning Saturday, April 22, and running through Sunday, April 30. To start the week off, the Paleontology Club from the South Dakota…
Read More »Wind Cave National Park Closes Backcountry For Elk Management Operation
Backcountry areas of Wind Cave National Park will be closed to hikers from January 17 to February 17, twenty-four hours a day except on weekends. This closure will allow park staff to undertake a management operation to reduce the presence of…
Read More »Wind Cave National Park Offers Free Tours On Martin Luther King Jr.Day
WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, S.D. -- Wind Cave National Park will offer free tours on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 16. A tour of the Fairgrounds will be offered at 1 p.m. This tour is 90 minutes in length and traverses 450 stairs with a…
Read More »Wind Cave National Park - Adventures in Nature Program Begins January 10 at Wind Cave National Park
Adventures in Nature program begins January 10 at Wind Cave Wind Cave National Park staff invite you and your children to explore the natural world by taking part in their Adventures in Nature programs. These free interactive programs are…
Read More »Wind Cave National Park : Holiday open house and annual bird count help celebrate the season
WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, S.D. – Holiday events this year at Wind Cave National Park begin Sunday, December 11,with the park’s annual Christmas Bird Count followed by a holiday open house on Monday, December 19. The bird count begins…
Read More »Wind Cave National Park Closes Route 5 This Winter for Maintenance
National Park Service (NPS) Route 5, a gravel road in Wind Cave National Park’s backcountry, will be closed for several months this winter for the laying and grading of new gravel base material. NPS Route 5 is a scenic route along the…
Read More »Wind Cave National Park Prepares For Prescribed Burn
Wind Cave National Park prepares for prescribed burn Planning is underway to burn 1,037 acres of land adjacent to the Elk Mountain Campground this fall. The fire could occur as early as the week of October 2. The project area includes dense…
Read More »Elk bugling programs and cave tours offered this fall at Wind Cave National Park
WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, SD – Rangers at Wind Cave National Park will be leading programs through early October listening for the bugle of the Rocky Mountain elk. The elk’s high-pitched whistle heralds the arrival of fall and the…
Read More »Wind Cave National Park accepting applications for firewood sales at Elk Mountain Campground
WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, S.D. – Wind Cave National Park is soliciting applications to sell firewood at the park’s Elk Mountain Campground. Applications will be accepted during the month of October to sell firewood beginning November 1,…
Read More »Wind Cave Hosts Lakota Cultural Presentation By Darrell Red Cloud At July 30th Evening Program
WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, S.D. – Darrell Red Cloud, a graduate of the Oglala Lakota College and great-great grandson of Chief Red Cloud, will present a one-hour talk on Lakota culture Saturday, July 30. This free talk will be given at the Wind…
Read More »Wind Cave National Park - Cave tours, hikes, and talks around a tipi highlight Wind Cave’s summer ranger programs
WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, SD – National park rangers at Wind Cave National Park will offer a variety of interpretive programs this summer. Upwards of forty cave tours will be offered daily through the world’s seventh-longest cave…
Read More »Wind Cave National Park - to move to cashless fee collection starting June 15, 2022
WIND CAVE, S.D. – While the cost of fees has not changed, the method for collecting them will. Beginning June 15, 2022, payments for cave tours, campground fees, as well as Interagency Passes at Wind Cave National Park, will be by credit and…
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