Jewel Cave or Wind Cave

If you only have time for one or the other - which one would you reccomend we visit? Thanx,

Jewel Cave or Wind Cave

Valueman,

This is a tough decision, but if I had to choose one or the other, I%26#39;d choose Jewel. It has beautiful formations and is a more open cave. I%26#39;ll give you a bit more information that might help you decide between the two:

1. Jewel Cave is the 2nd longest explored cave in the world. It%26#39;s a national monument, which means there%26#39;s little to do besides the cave. There%26#39;s no surface activiites. The formations include the usual stalactites/stalagmites, cave bacon, popcorn, columns, etc.

2. Wind Cave is a national park. Besides the cave, there are surface activities, such as wildlife viewing. The Wildlife Loop at Custer SP joins Wind Cave NP. Wind Cave is known for a large amount of a formation called boxwork, which resembles spider webs. It%26#39;s very unique and not seen in most caves. Wind Cave is a more closed in cave, so if you or anyone going suffers from claustrophobia, you might want to take this into consideration. We had one person leave our tour due to his fears, but we found everything fine. It didn%26#39;t bother us.

Both caves take about the same amount of time to see and easily navigated as long as steps don%26#39;t pose a problem.

If you are traveling in the summer and decide on Jewel, I%26#39;d strongly recommend advance reservations, as the tours sell out quickly. You might have to wait a long time to get on the tour with only the visitor%26#39;s center to keep you occupied.

For even more information, go to nps.gov and take a look at the images for each cave.

Have a great trip!

Jewel Cave or Wind Cave

Excellent response - Thanx for the info - we are going there in mid-May - I will report back on our experiences -

We will look forward to hearing your report. I absolutely loved both caves; you really can%26#39;t go wrong with either one! Of course, I am a cave lover! :) Have a great time!

Thanks for all the helpful information I hope to visit both later this month.