Wind Cave National Park

Wind Cave National Park from Rankin Ridge, the park's highest point.
Wind Cave National Park protects two very different worlds - one deep within the earth, the other a sunlit world of many resources. Bison, elk, and other wildlife roam the rolling prairie grasslands and forested hillsides of one of America's oldest national parks. Below the remnant island of intact prairie sits Wind Cave, one of the longest and most complex caves in the world.
Map showing location of park.
Map of Wind Cave National Park with a green background showing area of the proposed fire outlined in red.
Wind Cave National Park Prepares for Prescribed Fire
Planning is underway to burn 1,094 acres of land east of the park’s headquarters this April. Timing for the fire will depend on fuel moisture, weather forecasts, and crew availability.
Looking into an elevator with silver walls and blue and white carpet. There is a bronze dial above the door with an indicator arm.
Wind Cave resumes tours following elevator replacement and modernization
Cave tours through Wind Cave resumed Tuesday, January 28, after the completion of a year-long project to replace and modernize the cave’s elevator system.
Elk herd lying in snow in the midst of a ponderosa pine forest.
Wind Cave National Park Closes Backcountry For Elk Management Operation
Backcountry areas of Wind Cave National Park will be closed to hikers from January 13 to February 14, except on weekends and holidays. This closure will allow park staff to undertake a management operation to reduce the presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the park’s Rocky Mountain Elk population.  
A man dressed in a brown jacket wearing a green and white pack is crouched down in yellow grass while looking through binoculars at some tall pine trees on the photo’s right.
Celebrate the season with Wind Cave’s holiday open house and annual bird count
Holiday events this year at Wind Cave National Park begin Sunday, December 15, with the park’s annual Christmas Bird Count, followed by a holiday open house on Tuesday, December 17.
a bison cow and calf on the prairie
Photo by NPS Photo / Dan Roddy
rolling hills of forest and prairie landscape
Photo by NPS Photo
criss-cross-patterned calcite fins of the cave feature boxwork
Photo by NPS Photo
a caver with pads and helmet crawling in the cave
Photo by NPS Photo
two prairie dogs watch from their burrow
Photo by NPS Photo