Wind Cave National Park

The second major National Park of the Summer 2021 road trip did not disappoint. I did not have the time for any surrounding hikes, but I was able to score tickets for a solid tour of the cave and all that makes it such a special place. The most special thing beyond being the world's largest maze cave is that it is home to 95% of the world's 'box-work' stalagmite. 

It's a very different experience from Mammoth Cave and Luray Caverns. The passageways much more narrow that will pull on your claustrophobia strings. The tour I choose took about 1.5 hours from start to finish. 

With all the craziness of the post Covid national park traffic, it was worth being in line by 6am for cave tour tickets. I was still 10th back line, but was able to get an early morning tour window so that I had time to visit the rest of the days planned adventures. I also had the pleasure to meet Greg and Sarah while we waited in line for our tickets allowing us to share our various National Park adventures along with tips and tricks. I shared with them what I learned about the Badlands and they told me everything I needed to know about visiting Dry Tortugas