Reviews of Jewel Cave National Monument (Park)

Alex Wang

A nice place to go after mt Rushmore. The tour is little bit short but it’s very good experience.

Emily Wilson

A little jewel in the Black Hills and lots of geographical information about the fantastic area.

Joseph Herbert

Great tour. The park rangers were awesome.

Sara Morrissey

An amazing gem in the national park system! Take the time to do a cave tour and explore the world beneath our feet. Our tour guide was super enthusiastic, highly knowledgeable, and a really kind person. It was nice being able to explore an otherworldly place.

Timothy Holland

Remember to make reservations. Kinda strenuous walk through cave. Very cool.

Michelle Black

Jewel Cave was a wonderful tour. The tour took about 2 hours and you need at least 45 minutes if you want to complete the junior ranger program in the museum. The finding and exploration of the cave is unique and the cave is so clean. Our tour guide was interesting and knowledgeable. There are lots of stairs and it is important to wear tennis shoes. Sandals and crocs are not allowed, for your own safety. The grate is sharp and will poke through soft soled shoes. Our family thoroughly enjoyed Jewel Cave.

Theresa Edwards

We went during the busy season, but easily got tickets for a later tour. They were friendly, informative, and patient. The lantern tour was great for my whole family. We loved it!

Chad Reickard

Well worth the visit! We loved the tour. You can just show up and hope to get in or just take the next tour. We chose to buy tickets online so we could show up and go right in. They have a very informative tour guide - most of the tour is on paved sidewalks (in the caves) and metal stairs w/ hand rails. Great story on the original founders and how it became a national monument.

Lisa Forness

Beautiful cave, with lots of interesting formations. Definitely worth going on the tour!

Anushka Joshi

Went on the regular cave tour and was very cool and informative and well preserved. Wild cave tour looks cool too

Francis Burghart

Tours are decent but service is terrible. You literally drive here to find out if there openings for tours. Then you pay for a tour then can't go anywhere because it's 30 minutes from anything. If only we had some digital system to purchase tickets in advance......like an internet.

Michael Harmon

By the time we got there we couldn't get a ticket, we got the open and close times but nothing saying that we had to be there at a certain time to get tickets. wasted a trip I'm sure it would have been great if we had known prior.

colleen Homb

Great cave and exhibits. If you have kids they have a great Jr. Ranger program!

Joel Dornez

This National Monument is a pretty spectacular place to visit. I have done the underground tour twice, about 15 years apart, and it was exciting both times. We had an excellent guide. I regret bringing my DSLR however. The light is terrible, and the tour simply moves too briskly to take proper photos.

J Pineda

Main tour closed due to elevator maintenance, but the lantern tour is still avaiable. Best cave tour in the area.

Dennis French

So amazing! Great experiance all around

Heather Gadient

Make sure you get there when it opens, if you plan on trying to get tickets for the same day. We finally were able to get tickets on our third try! We still had to stand in line, even though we were there BEFORE it opened, to get an afternoon tour. You can purchase tickets 3 days in advance, otherwise it is first come first served. Wear tennis shoes and dress for 49 degree temps. Very knowledgeable guides and a very cool cave.

Alison White

So great. I love caves. This one had a lot of formations I hadn't seen before. No bats on the tour :)

Tayler Hill

We did the Historical tour and it was very enjoyable. When we began our Black Hills vacation, we knew that the elevators in the park were not working and that tours would be limited. However, the rangers at this NPS site were very accommodating and had scheduled additional historical tours through the natural entrance that do not require the elevators. Our guide was very knowledgeable about caves and cave exploration and the formations that we saw were very different from Eastern caves (more calcite and sea fossils and no stalagmites etc). The visitor center area was set up very nicely and made for a nice stroll while waiting for our tour. The Historical tour does not start at the main visitor's center and requires a drive to the next pull-off (about 3 minutes) or a 40 minute hike through the hills. This site also has restrooms (not as nice as the ones at the main visitor's center) and it appears based on construction that there will be forthcoming major improvements to this area of the park.

george robertson

Awesome tour guide with the park, lots to see and learn. Well worth the visit!

Carly Rayburn

Really cool, out tour guide was awesome. Will recommend to people. The historical tour is best, you get a real lantern to carry.a

Ben Timmerman

It's always a fun adventure walking through the cave!

Damien Otto

Great people and staff. Good price for what you see

Summer Castro

My family took the scenic tour and loved it. It was beautiful and imforative. Brandon was an excellent tour guide, he made the tour funny and humorous. I highly recommend the first scenic tour of the day.

Mike C

If you have kids with you try the Discovery tour. If you are daring go for the wild tour. Be prepared for this one. You have to navigate through 8.5in X 24in holes!

Gina Mason

Great cave tour. Many steps. Infformative.

Troylin Frye

We were unable to see this cause of a broken elevator, but sure would of loved it yes. Love the pictures people have added

Randy Smith

We took the scenic tour and it wa very beautiful and our guide was very informative.

Cole Zimmerman

Very cool. A must see if your in the area.

Tiffany Warner

Tour guide was very knowledgeable and caring towards the little kids in the group.

Ian Allen

An incredible experience! I recommend showing up early in order to get tickets for the day. My friend and I waited in line for about 30+ plus minutes and by 9:20 AM we had purchased some of the last tickets for the day. The tour is the perfect length, and you get a nice view of the caves diverse features. It’s a nice spot for families to visit (although after our tour I was wishing they had an “adults only” tour). All in all I highly recommend if you’re visiting the Black Hills!

Veronica Peters

Would give the Historic Lamp Tour 10 stars if possible! This was by far my and my families favorite time spent in South Dakota. I am terrified of heights and don't like the dark too much either, but this was just exciting enough and cool inside on a hot August day in SD. My entire family had a great time going through the cave and challenging our "fears" while climbing up ladders, down pathways, etc. It was awesome! Our tour guide Scott was very informative, engaging, and seemed to really love his job.

Alex Saunders

If cold, dark, and deep underground is what you are looking for then look no further!

Sean Kesler

Great tours, show up early to get tickets. We got there 20 minutes after they opened at 8am and half the tours were already filled.

Melissa Stoffel

Many different tour options to fit ones agenda. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but the kids, ages 10 and 12 1/2, felt 1 hr 20 min tour was a little long for them

Laura

Make sure you go a day or two before you want to visit the cave. The tickets were sold out when we went. The visitor center was cool too though.

Khol Kuhnert

Awesome tour, great for kids And family fun although wonderland cave had more formations and were easier to see

Debbie Bellinger

My tour was ruined today. Scenic tour which is 1 1/2 hours. Really fun when someone thought it was a good idea to bring a two year old that whined the whole way, cried that they didn’t want to go and cried, “Daddy, Daddy pick me up!” the whole way. Couldn’t hear a thing except the kid. Other tours like this have height and age requirements since so many people have no common courtesy or sense on their own. Thought this one did, too.

Marilyn Wotowiec

Awesome place to visit. The tour thru the cave was I formative and breathtaking. Worth the trip

C Douglas Shaw

Good excursion if you like caves. Dress warm. It's always 49 F and 98% humid. 700+ steps up and (mostly) down so be prepared. Not as spectacular as Mammoth or Carlsbad. Guides are informative and many different minerals are easy to spot.

Hey kassib

The first national monument in America.This can be done on a tour with lanteen..really cool and well worth the stop.Beautiful in the black hill forest

Jiss Jacob Sebastian

It is worth visiting this awesome place. I took the scenic tour and the ranger was cool. It is cold inside and the formations are beautiful. Can see different types of formations inside. It is a must visit place if you are travelling to South Dakota.

J R

The cave was beautiful and my guide (Donn, I think) was very informative and entertaining. I felt that the cashier didn't want me to take the scenic tour for some reason, even though I told her several times that was the tour I wanted. After I bought the mini tour, I heard her sell the scenic tour to a few other patrons. I don't understand what happened.

Julie Phillips

Fascinating that as the 3rd largest cave in the world, they estimate only about 5% of it is yet discovered. Excellent tour guide, plenty of rest stops with benches, and it was spooky when she turned the lights off and made it pitch dark spooky. Beware there is an enormous amount of stair climbing in air that doesn't circulate with the outside, so for those with shortness of breath or trouble with exertion, beware that is a long time where you have no option but to keep going with the group. Tour guide says the cave tested positive for the white flu fungus that can harm the bats, so they didn't test us going in and instead cleansed our shoes with a peroxide solution as we left, instructing us not to wear those shoes or clothing into other caves not yet infected.

Julie Domina

Enjoyed the afternoon. Great spot to pic before or after your. Great informative guided tour.

Jack King

Did the lantern tour and it was awesome. Guide was great and very friendly and made the whole tour fun... Would highly recommend it.

Natasha Betts

Staff was rude, from the lady who sold this tickets to the park rangers inside the visitor center. Should have walked away when the ticket lady didn't want to slow down and explain the different tours they offered. The cave was cool, but not worth it to me. It needs another name. Jewel cave is misleading. I wish we would have gone back to Custer State Park again rather than going through this cave. They also have times tours start, so if you don't have time to wait around for the next tour, don't. Its not worth the wait anyways.

john hunt

Coffee was delicious. Owner was amazing. Super nice amd friendly. I will never pass through Custer without stopping by for a coffee. Love this place

Amy Imbesi

700 plus stair steps, but very interesting

Chris Honaker

Wonderful display of nature and tour guides. Getting your tickets is difficult if its realy busy and your lodging is far away. We had to make multiple trips of thirty miles to tour. Plan ahead at least 3 days and they will let you reserve. No online reservation for next day. No phone either. You must buy tickets in person the day of.

David Hansen

This was a great cave with a great tour guide. lots of facts and history about the cave and area.

Hank Pridgeon

Elevators closed no tours....visitor center open at both jewel and wind cave...can we make repairs in non tourist season?? And both sites at once??

Nick Fischer

This place is pretty neat, I'd never been in a cave before this one. First off you ride an elevator down approx. 25 stories into the ground. Once you get to the bottom it opens into a room. It's amazing seeing all the different formations in the cave. We had an excellent guide that led us on a tour, she was very knowledgeable about the cave and the history of it. Would like to try the different tour next time.

Brian Speck

We did the 9:30am Scenic one hour & 20 minute tour. Jennie was our guide for the tour. She was most engaging and informative throughout. We descended down the elevator in two lifts as our group was over 30 people. We volunteered to be the end of tour group when asked. This allowed us the opportunity to take photos without holding up the tour. The tour takes place over a man made trail and was lite in strategic spots throughout to enhance the visual effect. I'm over 6 ft and only had to really duck on a couple of occasions.

Dennis Burns

Jewel Cave National Monument was outstanding! We took the Scenic Tour and it was fun. There were 723 stair steps and plenty of curves and low hanging formations to negotiate. The tour lasted about 1 hour and 20 minutes. The guide was knowledgeable and provided key information. The elevator ride down is 30 seconds. The ride up was supposed to be 40 seconds, but the elevator malfunctioned. Once we got to the top safely we reminisced on how nice the trek was. Recommend this tour to those able to climb and handle some tight areas. Nice!

John Roman

Cool cave. Check on tour times though. Different tour lengths at different skill levels.

Renee Draheim

It was good until we were about to go on R to are Tour but then the elevators didn't work so we couldn't go but they refund us so that was good

Judy Hadley

Despite the fact that the elevators to the cave is inoperable ( another case of misappropriated government funding) the rangers here give an informative presentation.

Kenneth Kjeldergaard

They were broke down and we couldn't do the tour. Tried calling back the next day like they told me to and no one answered.

Erin Lewis

A beautiful place of great scientific value. Our tour guide park Ranger was fantastic and kind, and did an amazing job engaging with the children on our tour. Would definitly recommend going to.

Pete Howell

Great experience. Worth the trip!

Chris Timm

Wonderful experience for my family and I. The group size was modest and still easy to see everything and hear the ranger. The ranger was very passionate, informative, and fun to listen to. The cave so much fun to walk through, wouldn't mind returning.

Amanda Olson

This was such an amazing tour. Not only was it super educational but absolutely awe inspiring. I would HIGHLY recommend this tour to anyone in the Custer area. Get there when they open to get your tickets though.

Sean Hulse

Awesome cave. Our guide was fantastic! We enjoyed this tour better than Wind Cave and that was a great one as well.

Ron Thomey

This will be an outstanding place when it becomes fully functional in 2020.

J Y

We did the lantern tour. You take a tour using lanterns and you go down wooden stairs about 100 feet underground. The tunnels are tight and some of the stairs are super small. This tour is not for the light hearted. You better be in decent shape and nimble as you must squat move around. That being said, the tour is beautiful. It's an adventure worth doing.

BEN

I was not able to go into the cave because of the timing they only allow access to the caves on tour times. So if possible I would find out ahead of time when they are scheduling tours.

Gary Mertz

Great tour of the caves. Pictures tell it all.

Clark Zealand

Jewel Cave National Monument is an amazing place; too bad it is not a full-blown national park. While the newer entrance is well done, I wish we could have seen the older entrance; it was closed when we visited due to road construction and did not have anything posted on their website about it. Nonetheless, we arrived at the new entrance but it was too late to get on a guided tour. The guided tours sounded really cool as well and so we were really bummed out to miss the guided tour. Based on what we heard and talking to the Ranger on site, I recommend it taking in the tour. Anyway, the new visitor center has a lot of great interpretive displays which are really worth reading and seeing, even if you can not make a tour. Of course, since this is a cave, the vast majority of the protected space (and the purpose of its protection) is underground but area is worth visiting, even if to just see the above ground terrain, read about the history of the cave along with its unique biological factors, and speak to the friendly Rangers. Overall, I highly recommend a visit to Jewel Cave National Monument!

Phil Jorgensen

Easy parking and walking, park staff were friendly and helpful. Tour was great!

TheSukitani

I'm glad we toured the cave a few years ago as this time the elevator was out, so no tours, until .....Pete knows when. If you plan to visit check the website or give them a call.

Jaci McCaskell Kulish

We arrived at Jewel Cave around noon and were able to find a parking spot though the lot was quite full. There was no line to sign up for any cave tours and since we had a fourth grader, we took advantage of Every Kid in a Park which allowed the whole family to do the quick 20 minute Discovery tour for free. The interpretive center was small but informative and my kids enjoyed doing the junior ranger program while we waited. The Discovery tour was perfect for my family (10, 8, and 3) though we had already done a bigger tour at Wind Cave. If you are only doing one cave tour during your trip, I'd suggest doing a bigger tour.

Paul Harbulak

The cave is amazing. It's a very different experience from Wind Cave, which is also in the Black Hills. So both are definitely worth visiting of you're in the area. The rooms and passageways you walk through on the tour are huge. It's a pretty easy walk. I was too busy looking at all the awesome cave formations to notice any effort in walking up the stairs. It's only about 50 degrees in the cave and the tour is well over an hour so definitely wear a sweatshirt or a jacket--I'm glad I did.

Ryan Means

We loved the tour. We had read that we should get there early, so we showed up at 7:45am. That wasn't needed. There were only a few cars in the parking lot.

Jim Hansen

Very fascinating. Wear good shoes and go to the bathroom before the tour.

Hank Marks

Absolutely one of the best parks I’ve been to yet. My ranger was the man of the hour (literally) and made the tour the best ever. The caves are immense and offer a lot of tours. It was 1000 degrees when I went so the caves felt nice.

Kenneth Burgener

Good fun adventure through cave with wet features.

JuliAnn Geiger

Couldn't go to the cave..elevators were not working. Seems it happens alot and it takes park service a long to to fix.

K. B. Kidder

Nice cave tour! Not too hard and well maintained.

Steve Seitz

Great tour, very informative. Very chilly, bring a jacket.

Mutant Marine

Really fun and educational place to go in Rapid City. I'd recommend bringing a jacket when coming here. Gets cold even during the summer. There's also a lot of steep stairs so it can be a little rough with the youngsters. Also, I recommend getting there about 2-3 hours earlier than you wanna go, buy the tickets, then go into the town a few miles away and find stuff to do. Otherwise, the tickets will likely be sold out for the times you wanna go plus you'll have to wait longer while finding other things to do around the area.

john Mitchell

Really disappointed, arrived by 11 am couldn't get a tour until 3:45, more than 4 hours wait . Walked around the visitors center and just stopped to hear what the ranger was saying and the women stopped and informed us we were not part of her tour. We didn't even know it was a tour. It was uncalled for. Was do excited to see this unique cave and left without a tour and felt like staff was rude and unwelcoming.

Joshua Maddocks

First thing, reserve your tour ahead of time, we were doing this last minute and ended up waiting 2 hours for an opening in a tour. Luckily the visitors center there was great, the junior ranger program was fun for the kids, and the was a ranger talk to see. So the wait time flew by. The scenic tour itself was awesome. Our guide was knowledgeable and pleasant. All the different formations and different depths were intriguing. Very worth the wait. Be sure if you are in the area that you make this a stop on your list.

Bruce Baker

Amazing place. Wished I would have taken the longer tour but I wimped out.

Brian Bernatzky

A hidden gem, no pun intended! I highly recommend doing the lantern tour. This cave is unbelievable!

Bridget Moore

This was a great tour, wear a light jacket, and good shoes. It really it quite amazing. Lots of steps and a few uneven surfaces, took my 8 and 12 year old in, they both did fine, and think it was the best part of the whole trip. The tours fill up pretty fast, I would reserve tickets if you know when you be there. We got there 40 minutes before the first tour, and it was full. Had to wait for the next one. Still worth it. So bring something for the kids to do/eat while you wait.

Danielle Mank

I took my 13 year old nephew to both Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument. I think it was a little redundant and that next time I'd only do one. I'd pick Wind Cave over Jewel because of the lovely camping available there.

billy cook

We didn't get to go in the cave as they were booked for the day. Looked really nice. The information center and gift shop was well stocked and maintained. Book in advance.

Tj Chester

Great experience, 3 and 5 year old loved the scenic tour.

hannah sizemore

Have to take a guided tour to actually get inside of the cave. But beautiful easy hike with plenty to see.

SoGone Racing

Beautiful place, well worth the stop. Have your walking shoes ready. I highly recommend the cave tour.

mickisis1

All the tours until 1:30 were booked even though we got there pretty early. So we didn't get inside the cave. Also the hiking trail from the visitor center was closed for the summer due to construction.

Milena S.

The cave was really neat to see. I was disappointed by the tour. As important as it is to mention how the cave became accessible to the public, I would have liked to hear more about the cave itself and even about the explorers

ron mills

A must see. Take the tour. Approx. 2 hours. Their are 700 steps up and down with hand rails. I'm 75 yrs. Old l did it. Don't miss it.

Kelly Winters

What a neat place - did not have time to do a big tour so we did the short info tour in the dome of the cave - can’t wait to go back

Shadow Moon

A wonderful experience! I will defenently come back to visit.

Melissa Collins

I wouldnt even give this place a star. Being this is a tourist place and had great reviews. My family decided to go. We wait in line found out our child could not get in with his crocs that has a strap on the back. Ok fine we said we would just go back and get shoes to the park ranger checking people in. Mined you its 11:30 am. we head back to our campground that is 17miles away to get shoes. Drive all the way back to stand in line. For her to tells us that the tour doesnt start until 2:30pm. You cant do anything with the cave unless you have a guide. Are you kidding!!! You could have told us that the first time we was here. That is just bad costumer service for a national park that gets thousand of tourist. I dont recommend

Callie Phelps

What an incredible place! This was the first cave I ever got the chance to visit and now can't wait to visit others. Our tour guide Colleen was a great storyteller and very informative. It's fascinating to think about what all is under our earth when we're all so familiar with its surface. My advice? Put your camera down and just soak in the amazing things around you. :)

Chris Williamson

I was loving this place until after our tour we walked out and exited through the gift shop. My 4 year old brushed up against a display and knocked over a cup. It fell and broke. I picked it up and gave it to the lady at the counter. She started insisting I pay for it saying this has never happened in 5 years. My 4 year old daughter stared crying. I thought at first of just paying but then thought about it and it wasn't her fault the display was poorly places and design without a lip to hold the cups on. If she was holding it to look at it and dropped it that would be one thing but she was just walking by and brushed a handle of a cup and it fell because someone placed it on the edge of the shelf with the handle facing out off the shelf. It was just an accident. I asked lady at the gift shop to talk to her manager about it and she got kind of defensive about it and called a Ranger. She did call the manager and they did agree it was just an accident and let it go. But at this point I was offended she called the ranger and got so upset about it. The ranger stood right next to her ready to do something if needed. It really wasn't a big deal but the girl in the gift shop and the situation made it a bad experience. Maybe if the self had a lip to hold the cups this would have never happened. Our party of 7 people spent lots of time and money visiting the Jewel cave. The lady in the gift shop will be the only thing I remember from our visit. I felt very threatened by her and the Ranger with the side arm.

Laurence Legler

It was an incredible experience. 2 senior's survived to tell the tale. Great time great ranger.

Bryan Lau

Take the Scenic Cave Tour. It has many flights of stairs, but the tour provides ample time to take breaks, and the views of the cave are spectacular. The trails on the surface near the Visitor Center were going through maintenance when I visited.

HA ST

First of: they close at 4:30. As in: do not show up at 4:30, you must be there noonish to even get in. At 4:30 they told us to come back next day at 8 AM. They also mentioned non working elevators. Which would mean we can't visit the caves anyway? These people seemed like tormenting visitors was their main job. There were several of us and the ranger was all happy to turn us all away. Closing a tourist attraction at 4:30 is absolutely unreasonable, just doesn't make sense.

Andy & Melissa McDonough

So worth it. Totally amazing experience. Show up early as tickets for the tours go fast for a reason!

Vicki Shofner

We did the 1.5 hour scenic tour bc it was the only one that was reservable. If the others were the same would give it 5 stars. Very small gift shop with a few cold sandwiches for sale. Tour guide was great and the cave tour stairs and walkways were in great condition.

Laura Versaci

Brendan is a great guide! We had a wonderful 1 hr 20 min tour!

Danielle Clifford

This was the best thing we did on our South Dakota vacation. Go see it. It is amazing.

roadtrip construction Colton

For people who are road tripping and don't have time to make reservations and come across an American historic Monument, as a "lifetime member" and "America the beautiful" card holder cant see this beautiful place unless you give us MORE MONEY!!! THANX GUYS... it's kind of a shame that we can't still see the cave

Mandy

This was great, very informative and great gift shop. I wish I could have went into the cave but understand why I couldn't. Can't wait to go back and see the amazing geologic features!!

Max Schaffer

My god u gotta see this cave, it’s like cracking open a geode, just stunning calcite formations all over and the rooms you pass through are huge. Most certainly come visit if you’re in the area. Lovely tour guides too! One of the absolute best caves I’ve seen in the US.

Michael Dorn

I'm a big fan of caves and will visit one every chance I get. Jewel cave was a very nice example and I'd recommend visiting.

Michelle Sichak

When we were there the elevators weren't working, so we took the 1 1/2 hour "strenuous" tour. It was extremely interesting and our guide was fantastic. It wasn't very physically challenging but we had to do some small and slippery stairs and do some ducking.

William Keith

I have visited dozens of caves. There are unique features at Jewel Cave that you won't find anywhere else. This place is popular so get your tickets early. For those people that enjoy spelunking, the Park Service is looking for volunteer explorers. They have discovered about 3% of the cave system. The Park Ranger will explain how they know the percentage. We took the tour with over 700 steps. Watch your head and take lots of pictures. You'll thank me later.

Brittney Stager

Great cave tours! Very beautiful and informative.

Roxanne Brown

Highly recommend this. We only took the short tour due to a member of our party not physically capable of the longer one. Still very nice and informative. Very friendly staff.

David McNEILL

Did the short discover tour, just enough for the clausterphobic to take

Michelle Brust

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: they only have so many advance tickets available for purchase and a limited number of walk in tickets. If you do not get there early (i.e. 8:30-9:00am) you may find all tours sold out (this happened the first time we went to visit the cave last year which was a bummer since it was an hour drive one direction to get there). The rangers monitor for white nose syndrome so make sure your closed-toed shoes HAVE NOT been to a cave with this issue within the last 10 years. This park is very clean, informative rangers in the lobby and parking lot, the park is easy to find, clean bathrooms, and has an informational area to look at while you wait for your tour. The rangers do an excellent job making sure everyone has proper shoes and reminding people that it's 49°F in the cave so a sweater and pants are a good idea. They do sell long sleeve shirts and sweaters in the gift shop if you forget one. I wish our ranger in the cave was a bit more informative with the history, discovery, and geology of the cave. I felt like her explanations were too brief/overly simplified and it began to feel like the cave was not interesting based on the information she shared with us. We took the scenic tour and it only had three stopping points where the ranger gave us a super brief explanation of the cave and history. We spent more time waiting for everyone to gather at these points and waiting for the ranger to get up to the front then she did explaining. She did answer questions, talk with people along the way, and point out interesting rock formations along the way, but if you were near the back or in the middle, it was hard to ask questions along the way. The groups are small (30 people) which makes it easy to get through and everyone was able to hear the ranger at the larger gathering spots. The tour was great for kids (although my 7 year old nephew got bored near the end) and it wasn't super strenuous. There were benches and places to rest at the larger gathering points throughout the cave.

Mike Mestas

I'm sure the place is a 5 star review but, the elevators were out of service since August something. I hated giving it 3 stars but it was closed.

Melissa Lee

Great tour guide, very smart and personable man! Lots of different things to see in there. My mom (age 71) was able to complete the tour. Very educational!

Jonathan Rogers

Friendly staff gave us a warm welcome. Bringing the kids back next year.

C50 Trần Thanh Thọ

home to one of the longest caves in the world. Jewel Cave is also run totally the same as Wind Cave by the National Park Services. An absolute must see if visiting the Margaret River Region. The one hour guided tour takes you underground to witness a nature spectacular. Jewel also has many crystal formations viewable for visitors, and is a cave like you won't see many other places. A must see if you are anywhere in the area.

Cassie Stearman

We loved Jewel cave. The park Rangers were so kind, informative and helpful. Our kids did the Jr Ranger program and enjoyed the activities. We did the discovery talk which was perfect for my 2 year old (1 cavern, 20 minute talk), however next time we will do a longer tour because the cave was really neat and worth exploring. If you want tickets get there when they open at 8:30 am because tickets sold out around 11 AM the day we were there and I heard that's pretty common.

Jennifer Lundberg

Get there early! Wind cave wasn't open when we were out there and so Jewel Cave tour tickets were going fast and furious. We were there by 9:15 and they were selling tickets for their scenic tour in the late afternoon by that point. We did the discovery talk, we have a 3 year-old, and has to wait a couple hours for that too. The cave itself is impressive and the man who did our tour did a fantastic job. The visitor center was really nice. We did short guided nature walk and that was good as well. Only downside was the wait, because of before mentioned 3 year old, and that some of the park trails were closed due to construction.

Mike Gallagher

Absolutely amazing cave tour, the cave is beautiful and the tour guide was knowledgeable and passionate. Be sure to get your tour reservation early (either in advance or early the day of) and then be on time. They were turning people away when tours filled up or people were late. The tour was more work than I expected, but our kids 4, 8, & 9 were able to keep up without much difficulty. It is very dark at parts so keep that in mind if touring with a little one. This cave is well worth your time!

John Saenz

An incredible place that you should see for yourself. A description would not do it justice. We took the Historic Lantern tour. It is described as the most difficult tour. Read the description for yourself and decide if this tour is for you. We did not find it to difficult other then the fact that we live at sea level and this place is at much higher elevation. Our tour guide Tucker was informative and very entertaining. It was a fun and interesting place.

Angela F

Did the longer tour. Well done walk ways and great guide. Lots and lots of stairs. Yes you need to wear shoes (enclosed)! Bring jacket and even a light pair of gloves.

Tony Gettler

Reminder...if you have been to any other cave in the past 10 years, be sure you are wearing different clothing including shoes. The spread of the white nose syndrome in bats spreads easily and is deadly to bats. Bats are very important to our environment. I came to the park with tickets I purchased online. I had completely forgotten about my shoes which I had worn in a cave in Malaysia. I told the park ranger about my trip to the Malaysian cave. He was unsure about allowing me into the cave because the cave was not in North America. His supervisor was unable to be reached. The ranger took the road of caution and did not allow me into the cave. I completely understand. I am a conservationist and would not do anything to harm another species in anyway, especially spreading a fatal disease. I give the rangers kudos for protecting the bats and for being courteous while informing me of their decision.

Nathan Ladehoff

Kids loved this, but tour is short, try to make the most of your time in the cave.

Ann Loftis

Neat cave! Did not realize there were over 200 miles of cave discovered!

Dennis Fuerst

No tours of caves for thr forseeable future. Nice film though.

Greg Framke

Neat experience. Lantern tour was really cool. Dress in a light sweatshirt.

Melissa Ostroski

Spectacular cave and such an informative tour guide! Not claustrophobic feeling at all as many of the "rooms" are massive and have beautiful "jewels" adorning the walls and roof. A good hike, but not overly strenuous and several breaks so the guide can explain and describe in knowledgeable detail the facts about the cave system. Being from Canada, it was not cold at all and I was overheating!! But I suppose it can be chilly for those used to warm climates. Difficult to get tickets unless planning ahead as they sell out early each morning. Grateful to my mom who was there before 7:30am to get us our tickets as we did not plan ahead for this wonderful experience :)

Chris P.

The tour guide was great as were the facilities, it just wasnt a particular interesting monument to tour. It may be called jewel cave but it's hard to view the crystalline structures and even when you do they aren't particularly cool to look at.

Vickie Steele

Nice cave. Good guide (from Wind Cave). Enjoyed tour. Had to buy tickets the morning of visit due to limited online sales 72 hours in advance. It was rainy, so we didn't hike around.

John Mu

Took the short tour, very enjoyable. Need buy the tickets in advance.

Trinity

Great place to check out. We didn't get to see the cave because it was closed. It will be closed a few more days. We did take a nice little hike around.

Scott Melvin

Really cool place. Tours were sold out. Get there early. Elevator was down so only one type of tour available.

Ghennel Horozewski

Did the adventure tour. Be prepared for a lot of stairs! This cave was worth seeing.

24 kp

Great your of cave. Very knowledgeable ranger.

Corey Scysen

Took the historic cave tour and it was awesome.

Marie Getz

The rangers are so good at educating kids!

margaret santangelo

Very interesting did the 2nd tour about an hour and a half

Michael Gerhold

Interesting Cave. You must book or get there early to book cave tour

George K. O.

Exciting place to visit . The lantern tour and the guide with beard was super - forgot his name . Experience absolute darkness when you go there . May not be a good idea if you have trouble going through narrow passages and climbing stairs . It was with the money $12, I think per person

Michael Ellis

Great staff. Beautiful cave. We took the scenic your with my 2 and 4 year old. Rules of the tour: kids must be able to climb all stairs, without being picked up. I was worried at first, but both my 4 and 2 y.o. climbed the 720+ stairs like a champ. The rule makes sense because you doing want to trip while holding your child up above the railing. If they trip while climbing the stairs, at least they don't go over the edge.

Christine Arason

Great Cave! Went on the hour and a half tour and or tour guide was fantastic. One of the more open caves I have been to. No tight spaces.

Lisa Bistodeau

Beautiful. The scenic tour was really relaxed and had wonderful sights.

Naeyomilynn Bryant

It's fun and the views are amazing but just alot of stairs, the workers are friendly and got in with no problems

Noah Hansen

Super awesome cave! Well the there were lots of steps it was still easy to walk along, and not too difficult, the tour guide and super kind and taught the group a lot, and even answered lots of detailed questions about the cave! I highly recommend coming here!

Erin Hemenway

Wow! This is a hidden gem in the National Park system. We did the lantern tour and really enjoyed it. Not for anyone that doesn't like heights or tight spaces though.

Robert Ryals

Didnt know how to pass word on other tours and couldn't fix the equipment in a timely manner. We tried three days to get in

Jennifer Weltz

I did the scenic tour, 173 steps, you will get a work out, lol. While it's not too cold, the hand rails are so I would suggest gloves. Took an hour, great guide.

Capt Kirk Las Vegas

Very cool experience! I always remember travelling with my parents when i was younger down to Florida. We would always stop in Pennsylvania or west Virginia for a cave tour or two. Thought I would give my kids the same experience. And I would definitely recommend this attraction. Yes you usually have to wait for the tour to start, which for us was about an hour and 1/2. But it is well worth the money and the wait. Probably the best caves and tour I've been on.

Mike Bailey

Great Cave tour. The Ranger was well prepared and offered good invites on cave and history. If you go be sure your physically up to it. Those steps are steep.

James McIntire

Wow! We have gone to all of the caves in the area and Jewel Cave is one of the best! Massive and I mean MASSIVE! rooms to see and explore. Very knowledgeable Rangers provide excellent guide service. Very educational place, you must do the Jr. Ranger program for the kids.

Darlene Thomas

Nice little visitors center with educational displays. Great cave. We went 10 years ago and came back this year for a repeat. It is a lot of steps but the pace makes it doable for all ages and the tour guides are interesting and knowledgeable. The cave is wonderous. The little hike around the park gives you a chance to ponder what you just experienced so far down below where your feet are now. The are quite a few picnic benches for a pleasant lunch in the park before you leave.

Stephanie DeLillo

Good selection of tours. Nice exhibit. Very friendly staff. Overheard the one park ranger talking to a junior ranger and she had a great personality for it. She got the kids all excited about completing the activites.

Barbara House

Exhibit and movie were very good. Was disappointed that they were not offering tour due to maintenance being done at the time we were there.

Mer Lin

I really enjoy this place and wish we could have taken a longer tour - make sure you book well in advance because they do sell out on many of their tours!