Beneath the Black Hills National Forest is the Jewel Cave National Monument containing the Jewel Cave, currently the third longest cave in the world, with over 200 miles of mapped passageways. It is located approximately 13 miles west of Custer in the Black Hills National Forest. It was discovered in 1900 and became a national monument in 1908.
Jewel Cave is open year-round. The Park Service offers a few scenic tours, which include: A half-mile loop through a paved and lighted central portion of the cave accessible by elevator; • A candlelight tour through the earliest-discovered part of the cave; • A $45 wild caving tour, through an undeveloped part of the cave.
Jewel Cave is a “breathing cave,” which means air enters or exits the cave with changes in atmospheric pressure from day to night or due to changes in the weather.
During cave development and afterwards, sparkling calcite crystals were formed, including the “jewels” or spar. And, other colorful and rare geological formations decorate the cave’s chambers. The cave contains large rooms strewn with boulders, tight crawlways and dark fissures leading into the unknown!
Today, cave exploration continues through efforts of volunteers and park staff. Cavers can spend up to 4 days and 3 nights in the cave, exploring and mapping uncharted areas of one of the final frontiers on earth.
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