Jewel Cave National Monument
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courtesy of the National Park Service |
Contact Information:
Jewel Cave National Monument
11149 US Highway 16
Bldg B12
Custer, SD 57730
605-673-2288
http://www.nps.gov/jeca/
Size: 1,274 acres.
Location: Jewel Cave National Monument is located 13 miles west of Custer, South Dakota, on US 16 or 24 miles east of Newcastle, Wyoming, on US 16.
Description: With more than 140 miles surveyed, Jewel Cave is recognized as the third longest cave in the world. Its limestone caverns consist of a series of chambers connected by narrow passages, with many side galleries and fine calcite crystal encrustations.
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Jewel Cave National Monument
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Operating Hours: The Visitor Center is open daily except on Thanksgiving Day, December 25 and January 1. Cave Tour tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the visitor center.
Reservations can be made up to seven days in advance for the Scenic and Lantern Tours, and the Jewel Cave Discovery Talk. Reservations can be made up to one month in advance for the Spelunking Tour, Groups (with an itinerary); and Educational groups that qualify for a fee waiver. Call (605) 673-2288, from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm Mountain Standard Time, to speak to a representative and to make a reservation using a major credit card.
All cave tours and talks can sell out at any time
of the year, especially when the daily number of tours is limited.
History: Proclaimed on February 7, 1908; transferred from Forest Service on August 10, 1933.
See other National Monuments
See other South Dakota National Parks
