Wind Cave National Park
One of the longest and most complex caves on earth, under open prairie and bison range.
- 12named trails
- 31trail miles mapped
- South Dakotalocation
Popular hikes in Wind Cave
- Elk Mountain Nature Trail · about 1 mi · Easy
- Wind Cave Canyon · about 3.6 mi · Easy
- Rankin Ridge · about 1 mi · Moderate
- Cold Brook Canyon · about 2.8 mi · Moderate
- Lookout Point Loop · about 4.5 mi · Moderate
- Centennial Trail (park section) · about 6 mi · Moderate
- Boland Ridge · about 5.4 mi · Strenuous
Permits and reservations
No entry reservation. All cave access is by ranger-guided tour, and tickets are required.
- Centennial Trailhead parking: Overnight parking without a camping permit is prohibited, and permits are not issued just for parking.
- Backcountry use permit: Free, required for all backcountry campers and picked up at the visitor center information desk. Horseback riders need a free permit too.
- Cave tour tickets: You need a tour ticket to enter the cave. About half of tickets are sold ahead on Recreation.gov. The rest go first-come at the visitor center on the day of the tour and can sell out quickly.
All 12 trails in Wind Cave
- Boland Ridge Trail · 4.82 mi round trip · Moderate
- Centennial Trail · 11.3 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Centennial Trail #89 · 0.32 mi round trip · Easy
- Cold Brook Canyon Trail · 2.84 mi round trip · Easy
- East Bison Flats Trail · 6.54 mi round trip · Moderate
- Elk Mountain Nature Trail · 1 mi round trip · Easy
- Highland Creek Trail · 17.06 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Lookout Point Trail · 4.42 mi round trip · Easy
- Prairie Vista Trail · 0.64 mi loop · Easy
- Rankin Ridge Trail · 1 mi loop · Easy
- Sanctuary Trail · 7.34 mi round trip · Moderate
- Wind Cave Canyon Trail · 3.56 mi round trip · Easy
Trailbound shows every one of these on an interactive map with live weather, park alerts and elevation profiles. It's free to browse.