2019-01-16 16:44:10
EXPLORE ONE OF THE LAST FRONTIERS IN THE WORLD Beneath the Black Hills lies the fascinating underground world of Jewel Cave National Monument. The cave was discovered in 1900 and designated as a national monument in 1908. It wasn’t until the late 1950s that the cave’s true signifiance was realized. Today, Jewel Cave is ranked as the third longest cave in the world. Immerse yourself in this underground wilderness that has over 195 miles of mapped and surveyed passages. It delights, perplexes and lures you on to further discovery and exploration. Most of the cave’s chambers are decorated with calcite crystals and other beautiful, colorful and rare formations. The Visitor Center is open year-round and offers a variety of dailyguided cave tours, including the Scenic Tour and Discovery Tour. The Scenic Tour is the most popular ranger-guided tour. The moderately strenuous route journeys up and down 723 stairs throughout the hour and a half tour. The tour showcases two types of calcite crystals that are considered the “jewels” of the cave, along with stalactites, stalagmites, and a variety of other formations. The Discovery Tour, which is both handicap and wheelchair accessible, is a 20-minute interpretive talk with exposure to one of the cave’s largest rooms. During this tour, you will see calcite crystals and learn how the cave was formed and discovered. The Historic Lantern Tour, available June through August, is a fun, yet strenuous tour for ages six and up. To really set the mood, your Park Ranger will be outfited in a 1900s uniform, and the only light in the cave will be from the lanterns you and other participants will carry. The half-mile tour lasts about one hour and 45 minutes and includes 600 steep wooden steps. For those ages 16 and older, the Wild Caving Tour leads guests into the underground on their hands and knees, where they are likely to see rare cave formations. Note that lace-up, lug-soled hiking boots and elbow and kneepads are required for this adventure. In addition to cave tours, you can also enjoy hiking one of the self-guided surface trails where you are likely to spot local wildlife including white-tailed or mule deer, bighorn sheep and many diverse birds depending on the season. You may even get a glimpse of an elusive Rocky Mountain elk, as they spend time in the area but are rarely seen. In addition, thousands of bats (nine species) take advantage of Jewel Cave’s unique habitat and can occasionally be seen during the warmer months.
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