FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Wind Cave National Park and Black Hills National Forest.

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FAQ Details

Here are answers to some of the most common questions asked by park visitors: **When are the Wind Cave tours?** Cave Tours happen about every 20 minutes; tickets are sold up to five minutes before each tour departs. Make sure to bring a jacket and good walking shoes. **How far is Mount Rushmore?** There are two ways to get to Mount Rushmore National Memorial from Wind Cave National Park. The shorter, more direct way is to take Highway 385 north to South Dakota Highway 244, which leads east to the memorial. The drive is about an hour. A longer, more scenic route is to take U.S. Highway 87 to Route 16A. This route takes you through Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park. Narrow and windy, Route 16A intersects with S.D. Highway 244 near the town of Keystone. Turn onto 244 West, which takes you to the memorial. The drive is 50 miles and takes 1.5 to 2 hours. **Where can I see buffalo?** Wind Cave National Park has 450-500 buffalo, which roam freely across the prairies as they graze. You can see them from any of the roads that go through the park, though some of the prime buffalo habitat is not visible from the road. Be careful to keep space between you and the buffalo: they are big, fast, and have horns! **Where can I get a map of the park?** Brochures available at the Wind Cave visitor center have maps inside. There are also several maps posted in the visitor center. **Where can we hike?** Wind Cave National Park has three self-guided nature trails and eight backcountry hiking trails. You can learn more about them in the brochures at the visitor center. ** How do I get to Rapid City from the park?** Take Highway 385 south to the gravel 7-11 Road, which ends at Highway 79 north; the latter takes you into Rapid City. This drive is 56 miles, and takes about 65 minutes. To avoid the gravel road, you can also take Highway 385 south for 18 miles and get on Highway 79 in Hot Springs, S.D. This drive is 50 miles, and takes an hour and fifteen minutes to complete. If you want a more scenic drive, take Highway 385 north to Custer. In Custer, 385 merges with Route 16 east. Drive on this route for 19 miles, until Route 16 splits off to the east. From this junction, it is 24 miles to Rapid City. The total drive is around 90 minutes, though in the summer it can be crowded with traffic due to its proximity to Mount Rushmore National Monument. **How do I get to Badlands National Park from Wind Cave?** Drive to Rapid City and get on Interstate 90. Stay on I-90 for roughly 50 miles until you get to Wall, S.D., where you'll get on Highway 240. Highway 240 leads into Badlands National Park. The drive takes around two hours. To reach the southeaster part of Badlands National Park, take gravel 7-11 road to its junction with SD 79. At this junction, get on Fall River County 656 and drive 43 miles east to the White River Visitor Center. **Who does all the exploring in Wind Cave?** The cave is mapped out by a team of volunteer spelunkers who descend into the labyrinth to map out new corridors as well as help carry out biological, geological, and hydrological research, as well as conservation efforts that mitigate the impact of human activity on the cave. **Where is the Wind Cave campground, and is it full?** Elk Mountain Campground sits a mile to the north of the visitor center. There are 75 sites available, and they rarely all fill up. **Where can I find prairie dogs?** There is a prairie dog town a half-mile south of the visitor center, at the junction of US 385 and the visitor center road. There is also an interpretive prairie dog exhibit at the intersection of US 385 and SD 87, a little over a mile north of the visitor center. **What are the directions to the Jewel Cave National Monument from Wind Cave?** Drive north on US 385 and then west on US 16. The total drive takes about 45 minutes. There can sometimes be waits at the Jewel Cave. **When did Black Hills become a national forest?** In 1897 the lands in the Black Hills became a National Forest Reserve, to protect the area from fires and overuse in lumbering. In 1907, it was designated as a National Forest. **Where did we get the name Black Hills?** The name Black Hills comes from the Lakota Native American word "Paha Sapa," or "hills that are black." The pine forests of the hills look black when seen against the light green of the surrounding prairie. **How do I find a campsite in the Black Hills National Forest?** The national forest has 30 campgrounds with over 650 sites. Rates range from $6 to $23 per night. Call 1-877-444-6777 to make a reservation. **Can I camp wherever I want in the National Forest?** You are allowed to camp outside of established campgrounds for a maximum of 14 days in any 60-day period. Open fires are not allowed; gas stoves are permitted, except when specific fire regulations are in place. Bring your own water, and some type of filtration system, as water in the National Forest may have Giardia or other microorganisms. **What is a "prescribed" burn?** A prescribed burn is any fire that is lit intentionally to meet land-management needs, such as controlling for wildfires or encouraging new forest growth. These kinds of fires only take place when the appropriate weather patterns are in place, so that the fire can be controlled. Specific boundaries are set to ensure the safety of everyone in the area. **What is a Wilderness Area?** A wilderness area is more of an ethic than a regulation; as defined in he Wilderness Act of 1964, it is any place where "where earth and its community of life remains untrammeled, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." Black Hills National Forest contains the Black Elk Wilderness. Leave No Trace ethics should be observed when hiking or camping here. **What are the most scenic drives in the National Forest?** Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway and Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway are two of the most famous scenic drives in the country. **Do I need a special permit to enter this wilderness area?** Yes. There are several self-registration stations along the border of the Black Elk Wilderness. The Forest Service uses these registrations as a way of tracking the number and type of groups that come and go through the wilderness, and to educate users about wilderness ethics. You will be asked about your group size, how long you plan to stay in the wilderness, what trails you plan to use, etc. Group size is capped at 25, though 10 or fewer is preferable. ** Where can I drive my Off Highway Vehicle (OHV)?** The forest has over 3,600 miles of roads and trails that are open for motorized vehicles. The Forest Service website has a detailed map that you can download for different regions of the forest [here](http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPyhQoY6BdkOyoCAGixyPg!/?ss=110203&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=STELPRDB5203036&navid=360000000000000&position=Feature*&ttype=detail&pname=Black%20Hills%20National%20Forest-%20Maps%20&%20Publications).

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