Further down the footpath, we spy a lone bison grazing in solitude. Deer rustle in the pine groves. And a soft warble of turkeys is heard in the distance—serenity doesn’t get much better than this.
June 3–4, 2023
By cutting our successful trip to Badlands National Park short by a day, we are able to squeeze in a jaunt over to Wind Cave National Park. After just two hours drive west, we pull into Wind Cave’s only Visitor Center and reserve a spot on the 3 p.m. Natural Entrance Tour of the cave. Starting one quarter mile north of the visitor center, we enter a man-made entrance near the natural opening of the cave. This small natural opening is known for rushing wind created by pressure differences above and below ground, thus giving the park its name.
Underground, we descend 300 steps and walk just over half of a mile through passageways lined with intricate boxwork, a geologic phenomenon created by sediment eroding away from calcite fins in a box-like pattern. The hour-long tour ends at an elevator roughly a quarter mile south of the visitor center underground. To return, we clamber into the elevator and ride nearly 300 feet back to the surface.
Back up top, the day is still bright so plan to explore the trails above ground before settling in at Elk Mountain Campground for the night. About 6.5 miles north of the visitor center on Highway 87, we pull off towards Rankin Ridge Nature Trail. This one mile loop climbs up Rankin Ridge to Lookout Tower, fire tower with panoramic views of the surrounding country. On this particularly clear day, we are able to see across Buffalo Gap National Grasslands to Badlands National Park in the distance. With time to kill as we await sunset we watch storms brew on the horizon and roll over the prairie like a diorama.
Unfortunately, the sun soon becomes masked by clouds and obscures our chance at a sunset so we turn in for the night. On our way into camp, we drive past five male bison grazing on the roadside. At this point the sun has shifted and now illuminates the clouds from underneath in a brilliant display of golden hues—the perfect backdrop for these gentle giants.
The next morning we wake early to make the most of the sunrise and the few hours of free time before needing to head back home. Not sure what each trail offers, we randomly select Lookout Point Trail and begin our hike. The grass is wet with rain and dew from the night. And the sky is beginning to brighten as the sun nears dawn. The trail is quiet. A little too quiet. Unsettling even, given we are alone in bison domain, but the call of the prairie trumps our trepidation. We just make sure to keep a sharp eye out, careful not to startle any resting bison.
The sun rises and paints before us a rich green landscape of endless hills and blue skies. Further down the footpath, we spy a lone bison grazing in solitude. Deer rustle in the pine groves. And a soft warble of turkeys is heard in the distance—serenity doesn’t get much better than this. Returning back to our car, we cross a quaint footbridge over babbling Beaver Creek. At the car we snag a quick breakfast and start the journey home. Though it was a simple short trip, Wind Cave offered up its best to us and we are grateful.
Looking for more?
To view more photos of this park and the rest of America’s 63 national parks, check out our Park Portraits project.
