We recently visited Jewel Cave National Monument and had a fantastic time, in large part due to how great the rangers and all the staff were. We had an excellent tour of the cave led by Joyce. We also hiked, above ground, to the cave’s natural entrance. My 10-year-old son participated in the Junior Ranger program, completing a number of fun activities in the Junior Ranger book. He was sworn in as a Junior Ranger (picture attached) and earned a badge, patch, and certificate. The rangers were so kind and encouraging to him. We bought a beautiful poster in the gift shop to remember our visit. All of the staff was really helpful! We realized the next day that we forgot my son’s Junior Ranger items at Jewel Cave and we returned to see if the staff had found them. They had them waiting for us and told us that Brad, a ranger, had run after us and then tried driving after us to return the items to us. Everyone at Jewel Cave was wonderful. We highly recommend a visit!
Sincerely,
Jewel Cave National Monument
Explorers have mapped more than 192 miles of twisting underground passageways in this cave system and continue to explore more of it each year with no end in sight, making it the third-largest cave in the world. Discover fragile formations of crystal, rock and gypsum during the popular ranger-led tours below ground. Above ground, a series of short trails offer pleasant walks through the park's pine forest, canyons and fields of wildflowers.
State(s): South Dakota
Established: 1908
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