Jewel Cave National Monument

Jewel Cave National Monument spans approximately 1,270 acres of land that is located about 13 miles west of Custer, South Dakota. To access the national monument, visitors can travel along the US 16 and get to the park quite easily. Alternatively, visitors could drive along US 16 for about 24 miles east of Newcastle, Wyoming before reaching the main entrance to the national monument.

When visitors get to the national monument, they will find several attractions that will hold their attention. First, and probably most importantly, visitors should explore and get to see Jewel Cave which is recognized as being the second longest cave in the world. About 136 miles of this cave is surveyed. 

Explorers are continuously getting to see and learn more about this cave every year. Some of the unique features of this cave include the limestone caverns comprised of a series of chambers connected by narrow passages, side galleries, and fine calcite crystal encrustations.

To protect all the parks magnificence, and especially this cave, the land where the cave sits was proclaimed protected land on February 7, 1908, and put under the custody of the Forest Service before transferring administration to the National Park Service on August 10, 1933.

Today, visitors to the national monument can enjoy a lot of other recreational activities in the park besides exploring the cave including hiking, and wildlife viewing. There are also several amenities at the national monument that visitors can get to use including the visitor center, restrooms, museum/exhibit, and picnic area.

Just like most national parks in the country, dogs are allowed into Jewel Cave National Monument albeit with some restrictions. For example, dogs are expected to always be under the close supervision and control of their owner. As such, dogs should always be kept on a leash or in a secure enclosure when they are not on a leash.