Wind Cave National Park

Area

33,971 acres

Established

January 9, 1903

Recreation visits

606,258 / yr

State

South Dakota

Highest point

Rankin Ridge, 5,013 ft (1,528 m)

Surveyed cave length

About 168 miles (270 km) as of 2025

Seven-day outlook at the park's reference point (43.580, -103.439). Elevation changes everything in the mountains — expect colder, windier and wetter conditions on high ground.

Landmarks

• Wind Cave natural entrance and visitor center areaCaveThe small natural opening where air whistles in and out, beside the park visitor center where cave tours begin.
• Rankin RidgePeak · 5,013 ftThe park's high point, reached by a short nature trail to a fire lookout with views over the southern Black Hills.
• Wind Cave CanyonCanyonA limestone canyon east of the visitor center, good for spotting cliff swallows, woodpeckers and owls.
• Cold Brook CanyonCanyonA trail near the park's southwest corner descends this canyon through prairie and a prairie dog town.
• Elk MountainAreaA nature trail near the campground winds through the transition between ponderosa forest and prairie.
• Lookout PointAreaA trail loop crossing rolling prairie and Beaver Creek country north of the visitor center.
• Highland CreekRiverThe park's longest trail follows this creek through wooded draws and open grassland.
• Boland RidgePeakA ridge in the park's eastern prairie where bison and elk are often seen from the trail.
• East Bison FlatsAreaOpen grassland in the southern park, typical bison and pronghorn range.

The rocks

• Precambrian crystalline corePaleoproterozoic
  Granite and metamorphic rock at the center of the Black Hills uplift, underlying the park's sedimentary layers.
• Pahasapa LimestoneMississippian
  Marine limestone that hosts Wind Cave and most other Black Hills caves.
• Minnelusa FormationPennsylvanian to Permian
  Red sandstone, shale and limestone lying directly above the Pahasapa, exposed on the park's ridges.
• BoxworkCave deposit
  Thin calcite fins left standing after the surrounding limestone dissolved, found in exceptional abundance in Wind Cave.

• 614vascular plant species recorded

• Mixed-grass prairieEastern and southern flats and rolling hills
  Big and little bluestem, western wheatgrass and blue grama blend tall- and short-grass species, grazed by bison and dotted with prairie dog towns.
• Ponderosa pine forestWestern hills, ridges and Rankin Ridge
  Open pine stands on the flanks of the Black Hills shelter pygmy nuthatches, red crossbills and wild turkeys.
• Riparian woodlandsBeaver Creek, Highland Creek and Cold Brook drainages
  Bur oak, green ash, American elm and chokecherry line the creeks, drawing songbirds and white-tailed deer.
• Prairie dog townsLevel grasslands throughout the park
  Colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs create habitat for burrowing owls, badgers and the reintroduced black-footed ferret.
• Cave environmentBeneath the park, within the Pahasapa Limestone
  A dark, humid, stable underground world of dissolved passages, boxwork and small pools.

Trees

• Ponderosa pinePinus ponderosaThe defining tree of the Black Hills, covering the park's western hills and ridges.
• Rocky Mountain juniperJuniperus scopulorumA scaly-barked evergreen on rocky slopes and canyon walls.
• Bur oakQuercus macrocarpaA tough, fire-resistant oak of draws and forest edges, with large fringed acorn cups.
• Green ashFraxinus pennsylvanicaA common streamside tree in the park's creek bottoms.
• American elmUlmus americanaGrows along moist drainages at the western edge of its range.
• Box elderAcer negundoA fast-growing maple of creek banks and sheltered draws.
• Paper birchBetula papyriferaA white-barked relict of cooler times, found in shaded, moist spots.
• ChokecherryPrunus virginianaA shrubby tree whose dark fruit feeds birds, bears of old, and today's small mammals.

Wildflowers, shrubs & other plants

• Big bluestemAndropogon gerardiiA tallgrass that turns bronze-red in autumn in the park's moister swales.
• Little bluestemSchizachyrium scopariumA bunchgrass whose russet autumn color paints the hillsides.
• Blue gramaBouteloua gracilisA short, drought-tolerant grass with eyebrow-shaped seed heads.
• BuffalograssBuchloe dactyloidesA low, sod-forming grass that thrives where bison and prairie dogs graze heavily.
• Western wheatgrassPascopyrum smithiiA blue-green cool-season grass important to grazing animals.
• Needle and threadHesperostipa comataNamed for its long, twisted awns that drill seeds into the soil.
• Pasque flowerAnemone patensOne of the first wildflowers of spring, its fuzzy lavender cups opening on still-brown prairie.
• Narrow-leaved purple coneflowerEchinacea angustifoliaA drooping-petaled coneflower of dry prairie in early summer.
• Dotted blazing starLiatris punctataSpikes of purple flowers that bloom in late summer.
• Prairie coneflowerRatibida columniferaA Mexican-hat bloom with a tall central cone, common along roads and trails.
• Scarlet globemallowSphaeralcea coccineaLow orange-red flowers on dry, grazed ground.
• Soapweed yuccaYucca glaucaA spiky plains yucca sending up cream-colored flower stalks in early summer.
• Plains pricklypearOpuntia polyacanthaA low cactus with yellow blooms, common on overgrazed or rocky prairie.

• 54mammals
• 217birds
• 11reptiles
• 6amphibians
• 8fish

Mammals

• American bisonBison bisonThe park's herd descends from animals returned when the area became a game preserve, and it is one of the few genetically pure, free-roaming herds on public land.
• ElkCervus elaphusBrought back with bison and pronghorn; bulls bugle across the park in September.
• PronghornAntilocapra americanaNorth America's fastest land mammal, seen on the open eastern grasslands.
• Black-tailed prairie dogCynomys ludovicianusA keystone species whose towns support many other prairie animals.
• Black-footed ferretMustela nigripesOne of North America's most endangered mammals, reintroduced to the park's prairie dog towns.
• Mule deerOdocoileus hemionusCommon along forest edges in the western part of the park.
• White-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianusFavors the wooded creek bottoms.
• Mountain lionPuma concolorPresent in the Black Hills and occasionally recorded in the park.
• CoyoteCanis latransA frequent hunter of prairie dog towns and grassland rodents.
• American badgerTaxidea taxusA powerful digger that excavates prairie dog and ground squirrel burrows.
• BobcatLynx rufusA secretive cat of rocky canyons and forest edges.
• Eastern fox squirrelSciurus nigerFound in the oak and ash woodlands along creeks.
• Bushy-tailed woodratNeotoma cinereaBuilds stick nests in rock crevices and near cave openings.
• Townsend's big-eared batCorynorhinus townsendiiA cave-roosting bat with enormous ears, sensitive to disturbance.

Birds

• Sharp-tailed grouseTympanuchus phasianellusMales dance on spring leks in the open prairie.
• Burrowing owlAthene cuniculariaA small, long-legged owl that nests in abandoned prairie dog burrows.
• Western meadowlarkSturnella neglectaIts flute-like song rings across the grasslands from spring into summer.
• Golden eagleAquila chrysaetosHunts prairie dogs and rabbits over the open country.
• Red-tailed hawkButeo jamaicensisThe most commonly seen hawk, perched on snags along the roads.
• Lewis's woodpeckerMelanerpes lewisA dark, pink-bellied woodpecker that catches insects in flight from pine snags.
• Red-headed woodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalusA striking eastern woodpecker using burned and open pine stands.
• Northern flickerColaptes auratusA ground-feeding woodpecker often seen probing for ants.
• Pygmy nuthatchSitta pygmaeaTiny, sociable birds tied closely to ponderosa pine.
• Red crossbillLoxia curvirostraPries seeds from pine cones with its crossed bill.
• Black-billed magpiePica hudsoniaA long-tailed, black-and-white corvid of brushy draws.
• Mountain bluebirdSialia currucoidesA sky-blue thrush of open grassland edges.
• Lazuli buntingPasserina amoenaSings from shrubby thickets along the creeks in summer.
• Wild turkeyMeleagris gallopavoFlocks forage in pine forests and meadows.

Reptiles & amphibians

• Prairie rattlesnakeCrotalus viridisThe park's only venomous snake, often near prairie dog towns and rocky outcrops.
• BullsnakePituophis cateniferA large, harmless constrictor that hisses loudly when threatened.
• Plains hog-nosed snakeHeterodon nasicusAn upturned-snout snake that plays dead when cornered.
• Smooth green snakeLiochlorophis vernalisA slender, bright green insect-eater hidden in moist grass.
• Painted turtleChrysemys pictaBasks on logs in stock ponds and slow creek pools.
• Boreal chorus frogPseudacris maculataIts rising, comb-strumming call is a sign of early spring.
• Northern leopard frogRana pipiensA spotted frog of creek edges and wet meadows.
• Tiger salamanderAmbystoma tigrinumA burrowing salamander that emerges on rainy nights to breed in ponds.

Fish

• Longnose daceRhinichthys cataractaeA native minnow of riffles in the park's small streams.
• Creek chubSemotilus atromaculatusA hardy native minnow of creek pools.
• Mountain suckerCatostomus platyrhynchusA small native sucker that grazes algae from stream bottoms.

Insects & other invertebrates

• Regal fritillarySpeyeria idaliaA large orange-and-black prairie butterfly that has declined across much of its range.
• Two-tailed swallowtailPapilio multicaudataA big yellow swallowtail visiting wildflowers along wooded creeks.
• Olympia marbleEuchloe olympiaA small, marbled white butterfly of spring grasslands.
• Twelve-spotted skimmerLibellula pulchellaA boldly patterned dragonfly patrolling stock ponds and creeks.

Species totals are the park's certified NPSpecies checklist (occurrence: present).

• BadlandsSouth Dakota
• Cuyahoga ValleyOhio
• Gateway ArchMissouri
• Hot SpringsArkansas
• Indiana DunesIndiana
• Isle RoyaleMichigan
• Theodore RooseveltNorth Dakota
• VoyageursMinnesota

← White Sands National Park Wrangell–St. Elias National Park & Preserve →

Sources: www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · en.wikipedia.org · irmaservices.nps.gov · developer.nps.gov · Official NPS site