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Hot Springs, South Dakota
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Wind Cave ranks as the sixth-longest cave in the world, with over 150 miles of explored passageways.
Wind Cave is renowned for its boxwork formations, a rare calcite formation found in few other places globally.
Established in 1903, Wind Cave became the first cave to be designated as a national park in the United States.
Wind Cave National Park is home to a variety of wildlife, including bison, elk, and prairie dogs, offering a rich ecosystem above ground.
The Lakota people consider Wind Cave a sacred site, believing it to be the place where their ancestors emerged from the underworld.
The cave's name comes from the noticeable barometric winds at its entrance, which can change direction based on atmospheric pressure.
Inside Wind Cave, the temperature remains a constant 54 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, regardless of the weather outside.
The first documented exploration of Wind Cave was by brothers Alvin and Jesse McDonald in the late 1800s, who mapped many of its passages.
