Wild Caving Tour
Jewel Cave National Monument Tours
The Wild Caving Tour lasts 3-4 hours and is extremely strenuous. Anyone having a fear of closed spaces or heights should not attempt this tour.
The Wild Caving Tour is your passport to the underground wilderness of Jewel Cave. With hard hat secured and headlamp turned on, you are ready to experience the cave in its natural state.
You scramble over cave "breakdown," chimney between cave walls, use a rope assist to climb a nearly vertical wall, and belly-crawl through tight passages. Along the way you learn about low-impact caving, caving techniques and safety.
Participants must be in good physical condition and are required to pass through an 8 1/2 inch by 24-inch crawl space prior to beginning the tour.
Refunds are not given for those visitors unable to negotiate the block located on the patio of the visitor center. For safety reasons, there is an age requirement, which is strictly enforced. Participants must be 16 years of age or older, required to provide proof of age, and a parent or legal guardian is required to sign a permission waiver on the day of the tour, for any 16 or 17-year-old minor participant. The parent or guardian must remain on site during the entire tour.
Select a date to see a list of times
Need to Know
- Know Your Limits
This tour is extremely strenuous. Participants must be in good physical condition. Persons who have heart or respiratory conditions, joint problems, have recently been hospitalized, have a fear of enclosed spaces or heights should consider different tour offerings. Please contact our visitor center if you have questions.
- Dress Appropriately
- Long, sturdy pants such as jeans or hiking pants with no holes. Sweatpants, leggings, or yoga pants of any kind are not allowed. Wear old clothes, as much of the trip will be crawling.
- Long sleeve shirt is recommended, no tank tops allowed.
- Sturdy, lace-up hiking boots or shoes (designed for trail) with aggressive tread are required. No slick-soled footwear is permitted. Tennis shoes, five-fingered toe shoes, sandals, cowboy boots, and climbing shoes of any kind are not allowed.
- The park provides helmets, lights, gloves, elbowpads, and kneepads.
- Clothing worn in Wind Cave or any other cave is not permitted on this tour to prevent the spread of White-Nose Syndrome
- What NOT to bring
Food, gum, candy, drinks, tobacco products, monopods, tripods, Go-Pro sticks, large flashlights, and pets are not allowed inside Jewel Cave. These items need to be left in the security of a personal vehicle or at home.
Additionally, tennis shoes, cameras, backpacks/fanny packs, and loose fitting jewelry are not permitted on the Wild Cave Tour.
- Photography
Due to the strenuous nature of the tour, participants may NOT bring their cameras. Wild Caving Tour guides will take pictures along the tour route and email them to participants after the tour.
- Refund Policy
There are NO REFUNDS for late arrivals or missed tours. Visitors are encouraged to plan their travel schedules carefully and be on-site at least 30 minutes prior to their scheduled tour time.
