Each National Park site is different and offers a variety of activities for visitors. Jewel Cave National Monument is one of 417 national park sites and located in Custer, SD. Jewel Cave is one of the largest caves in the world; however, it has not fully been mapped so it could become the largest one day. The cave offers visitors the opportunity to both hike and go on a variety of cave tours. We definitely recommend getting to the the monument early, especially in the busy summer months, because the tickets go fast. We actually arrived at the park a bit before they began selling tickets and were several people back in line.

While visiting, we went on a basic cave tour that lasted around an hour and twenty minutes. It involved quite a bit of walking and involved going up and down stairs, while also standing and listening to the ranger give a very detailed, informative talk. So be prepared to wear comfortable shoes and pack for cooler temperatures since it is down underground in the cave. The ranger was very informative and provided visitors with a plethora of information. Although the cave is called Jewel Cave, there is only one section that looks like “jewels” and the rest of the cave tunnels are filled with unique rock formations. We enjoyed the cave tour and learned quite a bit about Jewel Cave. Afterwards we walked around the museum and the grounds of the park. We both found Jewel Cave National Monument to be a fun National Park site and enjoyed exploring a new cave.