5 Best Natural Wonders To Visit In South Dakota This Year
South Dakota is renowned for Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the iconic granite monument featuring the faces of four U.S. Presidents. In addition to these famous carvings lies a world of natural wonders, including underground caves and wildlife viewing at Wind Cave National Park. The Needles Highway is one of the most spectacular scenic drives in the state, which takes you through the granite spires and forests of the Black Hills. Whether it's the famous monument in the Black Hills or the natural calcite crystals of Jewel Cave National Monument, South Dakota's natural wonders are sure to impress.
Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave National Park is one of the longest and most complex caves in the world, famous for its boxwork, the thin honeycomb patterns on its walls, which are rarely found elsewhere. The cave was discovered in 1881 by two brothers, Jesse and Tom Bingham, who heard a loud whistling noise. Upon investigating the source of the sound, they discovered a small hole in the ground. The wind, created by atmospheric pressure differences below and above ground, is still noticeable at the cave’s entrance. While you can enjoy hiking, camping, and wildlife viewing in the park, the only way to see the caves is on a ranger-guided tour, which departs from the Visitor Center several times a day. To visit the park with fewer visitors, plan a trip during the late spring or early fall.
While the cave may be the park's star attraction, there are many above-ground activities to enjoy, including hiking on over 30 miles of trails and beyond, as hikers are welcome to venture off designated trails in the “open hike park.” Choose from the short 1-mile loop, Rankin Ridge Trail for scenic family hiking, to the moderate 2.8-mile Cold Brook Canyon Trail to see prairie falcons and raptors, to the strenuous 3.6-mile Sanctuary Trail. Spend a night under the stars at the 75-site Elk Mountain Campground.
Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park is a surreal landscape of eroded buttes, spires, and colorful rock formations about 60 miles east of Rapid City. The park was established in 1978 and covers 244,000 acres. It contains a large concentration of prehistoric fossils, including a 12,000-year-old archaeological site. The park is divided into two units, North and South, although the South Unit is largely undeveloped. For adventure seekers, this wild area is perfect for exploring, but access to drinking water is limited.
Families may want to start at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center in the North Unit of the park, where you can watch a film, explore the museum exhibits, and visit a fossil preparation lab where paleontologists clean and preserve fossils found in the Badlands. Continue to explore the park from the comfort of your car, driving along the Badlands Loop Road, taking in the incredible landscapes, stopping at the Pinnacles and Big Badlands Overlooks for photo ops, and keeping an eye out for bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets, and prairie rattlesnakes. The best time of year to visit the park is late spring, when wildlife is most active.
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a forested mountain range that rises abruptly from the flat plains of South Dakota. Rich in cultural and mining history, the Black Hills are sacred to the Lakota and other Plains tribes, who called the area “Paha Sapa” and used it for spiritual ceremonies before the 1874 expedition led by General George Armstrong Custer sparked the Black Hills Gold Rush, bringing a rush of miners and settlers and disputes over land rights.
Today, the area is renowned for Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial, honoring the Lakota leader Crazy Horse. To experience what makes the Black Hills a truly natural wonder, you should explore its winding scenic roadways, then get out of the car to uncover the natural beauty of places with a hike to the state’s highest point, the roughly 7,244-foot Black Elk Peak. The hike starts at the trailhead in Sylvan Lake at Custer State Park and leads to an abandoned stone fire tower at the summit, where you will be rewarded with incredible panoramic views of Badlands National Park, Bear Butte State Park, and four states, including South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. To see the fall colors appear in the pine forests and canyons of Black Hills, go in autumn.
Spearfish Canyon
Spearfish Canyon is a deep, narrow limestone canyon known for its 22-mile Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, 1,000-foot-tall cliffs, and waterfalls, such as the 60-foot Bridal Veil Falls, which are especially spectacular in autumn when the foliage changes color. An outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, the canyon offers hiking, wildlife viewing, and fishing for wild rainbow and brown trout in Spearfish Creek.
Spend time enjoying this natural wonder by staying overnight in one of the 44 rooms at the Spearfish Canyon Lodge, which makes a great base camp for outdoor adventure. The lodge also offers rentals year-round, from fishing equipment to Polaris Slingshots-an open-air 3-wheeled car perfect for cruising through the canyon. Hikers can find the trailhead for the 1.2-mile one-way 76 Trail in the lodge’s parking lot, which leads to a short, steep climb to the rim of Spearfish Canyon. The roughly 2-mile trek to Roughlock Falls is also nearby, taking you along walking trails and catwalks to the picturesque waterfalls fed by Little Spearfish Creek.
Jewel Cave National Monument
Jewel Cave National Monument is among the longest caves in the world, with over 220 miles of explored underground passages filled with natural calcite crystals and unique formations. Like Wind Cave, Jewel Cave was discovered by local prospectors in 1900 who followed the sound of air rushing from a small hole. President Theodore Roosevelt, the “conservation president,” established 18 national monuments during his presidency. He declared Jewel Cave a national monument in 1908.
Four ranger-led cave tours take place from late May to early September, including the 20-minute Discovery Tour, the 80-minute Scenic Tour, and the hour and 45-minute Historic Lantern Tour led by a park ranger in 1930s period costume.
Hiking is a popular activity at the monument, with several self-guided hiking trails available. Finally, the cave’s location in the Black Hills offers plenty of opportunities to see wildlife during your visit. If you’re lucky, you may see bighorn sheep, mule deer, mountain lions, gray foxes, and bushy-tailed woodrats. 9 snake species live in the monument, but only the prairie rattlesnake is venomous.
South Dakota is full of natural wonders, ranging from dramatic badlands and forested mountains to hidden underground cave systems. Badlands National Park is known for its colorful eroded rock formations and rich fossil beds, while the Black Hills are perfect for long, slow drives through an other-worldly landscape. Underground, both Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument feature vast cave systems filled with rare formations, accessible only by guided tour. A scenic byway takes you to the towering cliffs and pretty waterfalls of Spearfish Canyon, winding through one of the most picturesque regions of the U.S. Together, these five natural wonders showcase the incredible geological diversity and outdoor beauty of South Dakota.
