Wind Cave, Part 2

Wind Cave National Park has much more to offer than just a breezy cave.

In my last post, I explored the cave portion of the gorgeous Wind Cave National Park. Now let’s explore topside.

Above ground, Wind Cave has some of the largest remaining mixed-grass prairie in the country. This prairie is home to a herd of bison, elk, pronghorns, black-footed ferrets, and my favorite, prairie dogs. So many cute prairie dogs. Patches of ponderosa pine forests and meadows also cross the landscape. I just found the park gorgeous, and I ended up hiking a bit too much in one day. I even returned the next morning to do another trail since Wind Cave is very close to Custer State Park where I was staying.

Prairie Vista Trail. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

I had a little bit of time to kill before my cave tour. Luckily, there was a nice short nature trail nearby, the Prairie Vista Trail.

Prairie Vista Trail. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

As the name suggests, you do get some prairie views.

Wind Cave Canyon Trail. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

After the cave tour, the first trail I hiked was the Wind Cave Canyon Trail.

Wind Cave Canyon Trail. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

The trail is an old forest road, which makes it an easy hike.

Wind Cave Canyon Trail. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Just a touch of fall color.

Wind Cave Canyon Trail. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

It’s a very shallow canyon.

Wind Cave Canyon Trail. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

The old road climbs out of the canyon to a nice little meadow. I’m not sure exactly where the trail ends. I turned around on the other side of this meadow.

bison. Wind Cave Canyon Trail. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

On the way back, I spotted two male bison hanging out near the trail.

prairie dog. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

After hiking the previous trail, I took a break by visiting some of the park overlooks. It didn’t take me long to find this cutie.

Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Endless prairie and a very weird looking cloud. I thought it was something wrong with the photo or something, but that cloud was in multiple pictures.

Bison in the distance. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

If you look closely, you may be able to see a dark dot in the middle of the photo. That’s another bison.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

On a whim, I decided to do a longer trail that I hadn’t planned on doing, but I’m very glad I hiked the Lookout Point Loop.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

I headed counterclockwise on the loop from the parking lot. The trail starts out in the grassland, heading toward a stream. The trail is full of poison ivy. I swear the only thing I am not allergic to is poison ivy. I suggest wearing pants on this trail.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Cute little stream.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

The trail heads into a hillier area, but not too hilly.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Very pretty.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Quite a nice view of the prairie.

Prairie dog. Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

And where there is prairie, there’s prairie dogs! It’s protecting an entrance to the tunnels that make up a prairie dog town.

prairie dog town. Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

The trail goes right through the prairie dog town.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Very pretty.

herd of bison. Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

A herd of bison very far off in the distance.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

The Black Hills off in the distance.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

The trail eventually leads into a canyon of sorts. This was my favorite part of the trail.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

A long skinny meadow at the bottom of the canyon. Or maybe it’s a valley?

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

One of the sides of the canyon looks very canyon-like but the other side makes it look like a valley.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Very pretty.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

The meadow continues.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Deciduous trees line the banks of another stream. They are just starting to change colors here.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Dramatic cliffs on one side.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

I had heard the sound of water trickling, so I went to go investigate. The stream actually flows underground here, like a reverse spring. I believe the spot where the stream is called a “swallow hole.” This is very common in karst geological areas, which is where you find a lot of caves.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Look at that red poison ivy. There must be a water source nearby.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Really close by and it’s adorable.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Flowing toward that reverse spring.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

I don’t know why I like this area so much.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Yep, no idea.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Maybe because where I lived in Arizona had a similar landscape, but Northern Arizona didn’t have a lot of green-lined streams like this one. At least, not year-round ones.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

It is a very lovely stream to be honest.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Very interesting lighting here.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

It’s just a very nice trail, as long as you wear pants.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Yellow greens.

bison in stream. Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Luckily, I heard about this guy and his buddy before heading out. They were still in the same spot. I had to bushwhack through some tallgrass to get around them.

Lookout Point Loop. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

The bison were located not that far down the trail from the trailhead. This was my last look at this wonderful meadow before climbing out of the valley/canyon.

I returned the following day to do the hike I was planning to do the day before but ending up doing the Lookout Point Loop. It was a rainy cloudy day. However, it was still pretty.

Ranking Ridge Trail. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

The Ranking Ridge Trail is a loop on top of Rankin Ridge, near a lookout tower.

Ranking Ridge Trail. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Wheezing up that hill. #asthmatic

Ranking Ridge Trail. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

Very pretty.

Ranking Ridge Trail. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

A bit of light in the distance.

Ranking Ridge Trail. Wind Cave National Park, South DakotaJana Irving

All and all, it’s a decent trail, even on a rainy, blustery day.

 

Wind Cave is one of those places I hadn’t expected much from. My only goal was to go on the cave tour. However, the hiking trails I found were fantastic. There are more hikes I wasn’t able to do. I guess, I have to go back then.

 

Check my next update where I explore another fantastic cave, Jewel Cave!

or

Start at the beginning of this northwest Midwest road trip!

About Wandering Jana

Traveling the world to discover the past.
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