Cave tours at Wind Cave National Park are running again. Tours resumed on January 28, 2025, after a year-long project to replace and modernize the cave’s elevator system, the National Park Service reports.
Both elevator cabs were replaced, the shaft was improved and a new lift system was installed. A transformer problem stopped tours again for about a week in spring 2025; they were back on May 7.
While tours were stopped, visitors could still see the cave: a Lidar virtual tour of the Natural Entrance route, built from 239 laser scans, played in the visitor center. The Friends of Wind Cave National Park helped pay for it, together with the Park Service’s Midwest Region Accessibility Program and the Black Hills Parks & Forests Association.
Tour tickets are sold on Recreation.gov. Check the park’s website for tour times before you go.
Sources: National Park Service news releases of January 24, 2025, May 8, 2025 and September 6, 2024.
Projects like the virtual tour are paid for by members and donors. Give or join the Friends.