jewel cave national monument

We had a great timw and our guide was very knowledgeable. It did get quite cold so you may want to have a sweater or light jacket handy

Thank you for visiting the Monument during the off-season. The winter months are typically "quiet" in the Black Hills, but there still is a lot to do on "your" public lands. We are glad that your family had a great visit, and we are pleased to read that our new exhibits and displays captured your attention.We hope you are able to visit again in the future. Until then, best wishes ...

Thank you for the wonderful review. Our staff takes great pride in helping visitors learn even more about the Monument and hopefully expose them to the natural wonders of America. We appreciate your kind words, and you can be assured that our staff gets even more motivated by the positive feedback of our guests.Take care,

Thank you for sharing your views online about Jewel Cave National Monument. we are glad to read that your group experienced some educational opportunities on site. We hope you come back to the Black Hills again, as the Monument offers a few more tours that may be of interest to you.Best wishes,

Thank you for taking the time to post a review of the Monument online. Your feedback will likely help future visitors, especially during the off-season. We hope you are able to come back in the future and perhaps take part in one of the longer tours.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on TripAdvisor. We are happy that you chose to visit Jewel Cave National Monument.Best wishes,

Thank you for sharing your feedback about Jewel Cave National Monument. October is a beautiful time of year to visit the monument, as well as the entire Black Hills. The temperatures seem to be nicer, and the summer "crowds" have retreated back home for school and other commitments. For this reason, we often hear from visitors that late September into mid-November is the best time to take a vacation to western South Dakota.We are thrilled to hear that our staff member was positive and energetic on the tour. We strive to make connections with our guests and hopefully present Jewel Cave in a relevant way. We hope your experience causes you to come back some day.Keep visiting park sites across the country! Our nation's natural and cultural heritage offers visitors a wealth of richness.Take care,

Thank you for sharing the feedback. We are happy to read that your visit was interactive and educational, and we hope you do consider another trip to Jewel Cave in 2015. If you do happen to make plans for a Wild Caving Tour, please keep in mind that these strenuous tours do not start until about mid-June and are limited to five participants per trip.The road construction along Hwy 16 within the monument is complete. The road is open, with no delays. However, future guests should be advised that the parking lot near the visitor center is still under construction. Parking is available, and a shuttle takes visitors to and from the facility. Interested winter visitors should call the monument at 605-673-8300 for a status update and available tour times ... before driving to the monument.Take care,

Thank you for the kind words and for taking time to share your positive experiences with others through TripAdvisor. The staff takes great pride in providing exceptional service ... and most importantly, they try to engage all audiences through a sense of exploration and discovery. You can be assured that your review made our staff "smile."We also appreciate your comments about the park store and the merchandise selection(s). The monument works in collaboration with the Black Hills Parks and Forests Association, our non-profit, cooperative partner. They (too) will be thrilled to read your review.Best wishes for the winter months.

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about Jewel Cave National Monument. We are sorry to hear that you had to "wait" until the last tour of the day. But, it appears that your family was able to have lunch and perhaps take advantage of our Gateway Community of Custer, South Dakota.We are happy to read that your children want to be "explorers" in the future. The next generation of park enthusiasts is a major focus for the National Park Service ... so, we are truly honored to know that we touched the lives of your kids. We certainly do hope that your family will come back again!Take care,

Thank you for the great comments and especially for highlighting the efforts of Park Ranger Scott. We are always happy to read feedback on TripAdvisor that complements our actions, but we take even greater pride in knowing "how" we connected with park visitors. Your comments not only motivate our staff, but they provide us with solid feedback for future training sessions.Your suggestion of promoting tour times more widely or in different places continues to be a challenge for the monument. Our hours of operation and tour times are online through the monument's website ... www.nps.gov/jeca. But, we also share our information with nearby chamber offices, South Dakota tourism officials, etc. Yet, we realize that not every visitor "sees" this information. We will continue to try our best to promote our facility hours and tour times more widely.Best wishes,

Thank you for the feedback, and we especially appreciate the reviews from our local visitors. It is not uncommon to hear from an assortment of local guests about visiting "close to home" sites in the National Park Service for the very first time. There are numerous public land sites in the Black Hills, and it is difficult at times to "visit" each significant resource. Even with a short driving distance, there are only so many "weekends" in a calendar year. So, we applaud your efforts in getting out and exploring your own regional backyard. We are happy to read that you enjoyed the guided cave tour, and we hope you come back to Jewel Cave again in the future.

Thank you for sharing your feedback online. We appreciate the input and personal observations.Take care,

Thank you for sharing your comments. We apologize that you were not able to take a guided cave tour, and we regret that your arrival time did not complement our off-season tour schedule. As much as we understand your concerns and online statements, we simply could not accommodate you (or the other participants) after the departure of the 2:00 p.m. Scenic Tour.We also need to clarify a few points from within your review, as to avoid further confusion by other visitors. First, Hwy 16 witnessed the end of its construction in late September; no travel delays on the highway have occured for several weeks. Yes, the parking lot is under construction, and shuttle service is being provided for visitors to and from the distant parking lot. However, the contracting staff have done an exceptional job of communicating tour times with each visitor and/or group, to avoid the situation(s) you described. Most importantly, the Discovery Talk was available for you (and the other participants) at a later time. From what was stated by our desk staff, you opted to not "wait" for this ranger-guided activity.Once again, we certainly try our best to accommodate every visitor according to our current schedule(s). Unfortunately, at times, the travel plans of our guests do not necessarily complement what is available on site. We hope you do return to the area again in the future, as we are confident that you would enjoy Jewel Cave.Best wishes,

Thank you for the online comments. We have truly been honored by working with hundreds of Scouts each year, and we often receive positive feedback from Scout Leaders that are visiting the beautiful Black Hills. However, there are a host of Scouts that visit the region each summer and are not aware of youth activities ... so, if Scouts have an interest in the Scout Ranger Program (or Junior Ranger Program), we hope troop leaders consider Jewel Cave National Monument.Take care ...