Check out the third longest cave in the world!
Well, maybe more like a half mile of it. Still, Jewel Cave is a wonder.
Jewel Cave National Monument is far western South Dakota, not far from the Montana border. It’s one of the many awesome parks in the Black Hills.
Jewel Cave is a spectacular cave. There are cavernous chambers and narrow passageways. One of the tours takes you through the historic tour route where you can see the chamber that gave Jewel Cave its name. It is full of Calcite Crystals which makes some of the walls of the cave appear as if covered in jewels. That is only run during the summer months. The Scenic Tour, which is the one I took, takes you your several awesome chambers along a half mile route. I could have stayed in that cave for much longer.
Jana Irving The tour starts in a giant room. This is only the top.
Jana Irving And it keeps going down for a while.
Jana Irving If you look closely, you can see some white crystals on the ceiling.
Jana Irving This photo turned out really weird. The guide is shining a flashlight on some crystals on the cave wall. The crystals are much more common on other tours.
Jana Irving The crystals without the flashlight.
Jana Irving Lots and lots of cave popcorn in this cave. It kind of looks like dark coral growing on the walls.
Jana Irving The cave looks really fuzzy here.
Jana Irving Not sure if this was of a side passage or the ceiling. Caves are confusing sometimes.
Jana Irving I think that might be some boxwork on the ceiling there. Most of the world’s boxwork is found in the nearby Wind Cave.
Jana Irving A closer look.
Jana Irving Rainbow rocks.
Jana Irving The lighting here is very interesting.
Jana Irving It’s hard to see but there are a bunch of tiny stalactites hanging off the cave popcorn here.
Jana Irving That long skinny formation is called a soda straw. This one is a ginormous four feet long one.
They rarely get that long.
Jana Irving Cave popcorn and flowstone, or which I like to refer to as melted ice cream.
Jana Irving The guide’s flashlight is pointing out some more stalactites.
Jana Irving Now pointing out some more flowstone.
Jana Irving There is a lot going on here, flowstone, cave popcorn, and even some soda straws.
Jana Irving More cave popcorn and flowstone.
Jana Irving Another giant room, not as big as the first one though.
Jana Irving Cool side passageway.
Jana Irving Small little alcove.
Jana Irving A side view of the layers of cave popcorn.
Jana Irving Flowstone that looks like bacon. Very unique.
Jana Irving Another giant room.
Jana Irving A giant passageway.
Jana Irving A lot of huge rooms in this cave.
Jana Irving Staircase for scale.
There are trails located above ground. However, there has been a fire recently, so they aren’t the most exciting. The cave itself is the true wonder of the national monument. If you find yourself in South Dakota’s Black Hills, this cave is a must see.
Check out my next update where I visit South Dakota’s Badlands!
or
Start at the beginning of this northwest Midwest road trip!
