Jewel Cave National Monument is situated in one of the prettiest parts of the southern Black Hills, midway between Newcastle, Wyoming and the city of Custer. The surrounding lands are dense with pines, and the valleys deep and luxurious. Driving by or even hiking the canyons you'd never suspect there's an extensive alternative universe deep underfoot. But it, too, is a part of the Great Plains experience.

A Passion for Caving Is Sown

I will always have a fond spot in my heart for Jewel Cave National Monument. For it was here, back in 1992, that I first entered a cave. This was the start of a penchant, which led to yet another hobby: wild caving. After my initiation here, I read everything I could lay my hands on, joined some caving organizations and was invited to a number of belly-crawling expeditions in Minnesota and Iowa caverns. Later on I enjoyed the Wild Cave Tour at Wind Cave National Park, which I've written up elsewhere. After five years or so, my knees started to give out and I had to hang up the helmet, but these were some of the greatest experiences of my life, ones I will never forget. And it all started with Jewel Cave.

June 16, 1992 found us at Jewel Cave National Monument. This was part of a trip a previous girlfriend and I had made. (In fact, it was my first time out West — a passion that has stayed with me ever since.) As mentioned, I had never been in a cave; in fact, I had never even thought of doing so before. But I had all that wonderful literature the State of South Dakota Tourism Department had sent me some months earlier, and the pictures intrigued me to no end.

We pulled in to the parking lot, and ambled up to the Visitor Center. Let me remark that this is a beautiful building, filled with intriguing displays, and set in an incredibly lovely surrounding. After checking the updates and times on the bulletin board, we decided upon the Historic Tour. The Monument offers several different types of excursions, but I think we made a good choice as first time visitors. The Historic Tour enters by way of the original entrance discovered back in 1900 and best of all, its passages are unlit. (I despise electrical wiring in caves.) Instead, we were each issued a candle in a can and saw the caverns much like the earliest tourist would have. Neat!

I will never forget the thrills and chills as the very friendly Ranger unlocked the gate and we headed into the inky darkness. I think there were about a dozen of us. It's amazing, but almost on cue everyone's voice immediately dropped to near whispers as we proceeded in awe.

Government Protected
vs. Commercial Caves

I have always felt that you'll get the most rewarding experience in a cave which is managed by a state or national park. Such agencies provide high quality educational tours, explaining a bit about one of the most fragile environments on earth. And they're usually better at conservation efforts, like installing entrance gates that are bat friendly, or using revolving doors to lessen the impact of atmospheric changes with people coming and going.

At first it wasn't clear what we were all doing; we simply followed the Ranger in blind obedience. But as our eyes gradually adapted to the candlelit images, we began to see that this was one truly magnificent cavern. We walked, stooped from time to time, and occasionally treaded over helpful boardwalks and wooden staircases. I had goosebumps and was loving every moment of this very new experience.

At some point we all formed a circle in one of the larger rooms. Let me remind you that the only light was the yellowish flicker of our sputtering candles. A thin line snapped right in front of my eyes and then vanished. Then again, a streak came and went silently. And then the realization struck me; we were being investigated by curious bats. I whispered as much to my companion, for I felt certain if the others were aware of the bats zipping in and out among us, someone would freak out — the bat is a very misunderstood and useful animal. This was my first time to truly observe bats, close up, in their natural environment and led to my continued interest in this fascinating and gentle mammal.

One final memory: the wonderful smell of wet limestone. The caves of the Black Hills occur in limestone, and most continue to grow due to a plentiful water supply. This odor still gets my blood churning and brings out the adventurer's spirit in me.

What's the Word?

Laymen and the general public often refer to underground explorers as "spelunkers." But most practitioners prefer to be called "cavers."

When we came above ground that day, I was in seventh heaven! This was truly one of the most exciting episodes in my life. However I remember thinking as we checked out the exhibits in the Visitor Center afterwards, I could never be a caver. It takes such courage, strength, nimbleness and training. And I wasn't really sure if I was claustrophobic or not.

And yet...just on a whim I bought a copy of Caving Basics: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginning Cavers in the book shop at Jewel Cave National Monument. This is published by the National Speleological Society. A year later I was embarking on wild caving forays in the company of other members of this group. Although my efforts were trivial compared to the great cavers of the world, I'm still somewhat proud that I overcame my trepidation and saw a bit of the wilderness underground.

But Don't Miss What's Upstairs

Exploration at Jewel Cave is ongoing. To date there have been over 127 miles of passage accurately mapped and new leads are discovered every year — this is the third longest cave in the world! If you like a rattling good read, I really recommend The Jewel Cave Adventure by Herb and Jan Conn. This is a thrilling account by two of the pioneering mapmakers to go down the hole, a remarkable husband and wife team which explored over fifty miles of passages. An engaging book, you won't be able to put it down once you start. Movies have seen to it that we all know about the challenges of climbing Mount Everest, but how many people are aware of the adventures going on below the surface? (At this very moment, there's probably a caver slithering through a tight spot — expeditions are continually underway here, and of course it really makes no difference if it's day or night).

But whatever you do, don't ignore what's above ground! I think most visitors dash in and dash out, taking a quick tour of the cave, missing completely what's "on the roof." I made a return trip in 1997 specifically to explore the magnificent terrain here. Hell Canyon, which runs through the Monument, is breathtaking. You will never see so many wildflowers and pine trees in one place.

There is a short self-guided nature trail, called Walk on the Roof. A much larger (four mile) loop takes you along the Canyons Trail. We walked this one and it was a bit nostalgic for me. As the picture to the right shows, the path took us right by the Historic Entrance, scene of my initiation some five years earlier.

While tramping the trail we ran into a couple research scientists and had a nice chat about the bats. (I was wearing my bright red "Bats Need Friends" tee-shirt which caught their attention.). After hiking we then, of course, had to take a tour. Since we were here fairly early in the season, we joined in on the Scenic Tour — not all excursions are available at all times. All in all, it was an extremely rewarding day at the Monument, both top and bottom. We moved on to a Custer motel if for no other reason than to get a good hot shower. Having been camping rough for the past week, we deserved it. Later that night I almost got lucky with a waitress in a restaurant (much to Marie's amusement — truthfully!), but I'll save that story for another time.

Planning a Trip to Jewel Cave

It's essential to plan ahead if you decide to take in Jewel Cave. For, as just mentioned, tour schedules vary somewhat depending on the season; you'll want to arrange your arrival to make the most of what's here. If (like we did) you intend to hike a little, perhaps eat a sack lunch on the Canyons Trail and get in on a cave tour, knowing what's available and when is important.

When were laying out our trip back in 1997, I wrote to Jewel Cave National Monument several months ahead of time, requesting any literature that might help us. A week or so later, a hefty parcel jam-packed with useful information arrived. (I always get a thrill when one of those brown, recycled paper, federal envelopes appears in my mailbox!)

As I've mentioned many times in these pages, the best way to maximize the relaxation aspect of a trip is by planning ahead and taking advantage of what your tax dollars pay for. Most federal agencies, like Jewel Cave, are more than willing to help out with useful maps, guides, checklists and so on. If you write a courteous letter expressing an actual interest in learning more, I think you'll be surprised at the rewards. And by the way, a real letter is always preferable to an e-mail or a phone call.

In my case, I received lots of good preparation aids on Jewel Cave; see the picture to the left. In addition, one of the Rangers took the time to write a personal response, and to make a few notes for me on some of the items. Be sure to click the [footnote] to see more specifically what the Monument so generously provided me with.

By the way, you probably ought to know that it's important to arrive early and buy your ticket promptly if you plan on taking in one of the cave tours; during the height of vacation season the excursions fill up rapidly. Also, the specialized Spelunking Tour requires reservations; you'll need to take care of this two or three weeks in advance since this is a limited opening expedition. (You also must able to get through an 8-1/2" by 24" cavity to qualify for it.)

Well, I hope I've managed to get some of the excitement of this place across to you. Jewel Cave is truly one of America's greatest natural wonders. Be sure to explore it from above and below!

• Federal
  • Wind Cave National Park
  
  
• State
  • State of South Dakota Travel and Tourism
  
  
• Municipal
  • City of Custer
  • City of Newcastle, Wyoming
  
  
• Other Interesting Sites
  • Bat Conservation International
  • Minnesota Speleological Survey
  • National Speleological Society