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viewing opportunities in the region. Bison, pronghorn, elk, and other wildlife abound in this rugged preserve, and you'll be able to see many of them as you drive down through Custer State Park on S. Dak. 87 to Wind Cave. The combination of Wind Cave National Park and adjoining Custer State Park presents a most attractive introduction to the Black Hills. Several scenic roadways lead through the Black Hills to Wind Cave. Roadside sightseers will find the Wildlife Loop Road, the Iron Mountain Road, and the Needles Highway particularly enjoyable. All of these are in Custer State Park, just north of Wind Cave National Park, and are described in the preceding section.

Warning: Tunnels on the Iron Mountain Road (U.S. 16A) are 12 feet, 6 inches high and 13 feet, 6 inches wide. Tunnels on the Needles Highway/Sylvan Lake Road (S. Dak. 87) are as low as 10 feet, 8 inches and as narrow as 8 feet, 7 inches.

RANGER PROGRAMS

Park rangers provide a number of talks and programs at Wind Cave. Topics range from local wildlife, plants, and geology to area history, spelunking, and cave surveying. Campfire programs take place most evenings during the summer months. A 2-hour ranger-guided prairie hike runs daily in the morning during

the summer. Check with the visitor center for times and locations.

DAY HIKES

More than 30 miles of trails crisscross the park's backcountry. Several can be combined to create round-trip hikes, or you may want to leave the trails and hike a ridgeline, explore a canyon, or trek across an open prairie bordered by ponderosa pine. Backcountry camping is permitted in the northwestern portion of the park with a free permit, available at the visitor center or either of the Centennial trailheads.

Park handouts also provide information on more than a half-dozen other trails, ranging from 1.4 miles to 8.6 miles.

Centennial Trail

6 miles one-way. Moderate. Access: Along S. Dak. 87, mile north of intersection with U.S. 385.

Wind Cave provides the southern terminus for the 110-mile-long Centennial Trail, built in honor of South Dakota's centennial in 1989. The trail leads through the heart of the Black Hills before ending at Bear Butte State Park near Sturgis. A 6-mile section of the Centennial Trail is in the park, where it crosses the prairie, climbs the foothills and forested ridges, and also provides access to the wetter, riparian habitat of Beaver Creek.

Elk Mountain Nature Trail

.5 mile one-way. Easy. Access: Elk Mountain Campground.

This interpretive trail explores an ecotone, or meeting zone, where prairie and forest converge. Booklets are available at the trailhead.

Rankin Ridge Nature Trail

.75 mile RT. Moderate. Access: Rankin Ridge parking lot.

This loop trail leads to the highest point in the park, and it is one of Wind Cave's most popular. You can stop at the lookout tower, about halfway around the loop. Booklets are available at the trailhead.

Visiting Jewel Cave National Monument

The exploration of Jewel Cave began in about 1900 when two South Dakota prospectors, Frank and Albert Michaud, and a companion, Charles Bush, happened to hear wind rushing through a hole in the rocks in Hell Canyon. After enlarging the hole, they discovered a cave full of sparkling crystals. The entrepreneurs filed a mining claim on the "Jewel Lode," but they found no valuable minerals, so they attempted to turn the cave into a tourist attraction. The business was never a success, but the cave's uniqueness did attract attention, and in 1908 Pres. Theodore Roosevelt established Jewel Cave National Monument to protect this remarkable natural wonder.

A half century later, exploration of the cave intensified. Led by the husband-and-wife team of Herb and Jan Conn, spelunkers discovered new wonders and explored and mapped miles of passageways.

When first asked to consider a trek below the surface, the Conns were reluctant. But after their first excursion into the underworld, the couple could not be turned away. In more than 2 decades of spelunking