Parks / The Plains and the Great Lakes
Wind Cave
Stop 40 of 51 on the loop. Stay in Custer SD, give it 2 nights, and plan the day around Cave tour / prairie.
- State
- SD
- Stay in
- Custer SD
- Nights on this route
- 2
- Month on this route
- June
- Don't miss
- Cave tour / prairie
- Getting here
- 352 mi from Estes Park CO, about 6 h 50 min.
- Next stop
- Badlands, 95 mi, about 1 h 52 min.
About the Park
Wind Cave National Park protects two very different worlds - one deep within the earth, the other a sunlit world of many resources. Bison, elk, and other wildlife roam the rolling prairie grasslands and forested hillsides of one of America's oldest national parks. Below the remnant island of intact prairie sits Wind Cave, one of the longest and most complex caves in the world.
Description from the National Park Service.
Where to Stay
On this route you sleep in Custer SD. Gateway towns have more lodging, groceries and fuel than the park itself. If you want an in-park lodge instead, the busiest parks book up as early as 13 months out.
Entrance Fees
The NPS lists no entrance fee for this park. Tours, ferries, parking or campgrounds may still cost money.
An $80 America the Beautiful annual pass covers entry at every national park; on a trip like this it pays for itself after three parks. Fees from the NPS, checked 2026-10-18.
Nearby Parks
- Badlands about 69 mi as the crow flies
- Theodore Roosevelt about 217 mi as the crow flies
- Rocky Mountain about 254 mi as the crow flies
Official site: https://www.nps.gov/wica/. Route data checked 2026-10-19.