Last Updated on: 25th June 2025, 03:00 pm
As its name suggests, the most popular activity at South Dakota’s Wind Cave National Park is visiting its caves. But as the caves were closed for renovations at the time of my visit, I spent the day focusing on what there is to do above the surface, with the main highlight being the Lookout Point Trail & Centennial Loop hike.
In addition to that hike, the guide below also features a few extra shorter hikes, along with what you can expect to find at the Visitor Center.
Hopefully, the caves will be open again by the time you read this. But if you’re wondering what the park has to offer beyond its cave tours, this guide should come in handy.
For more information on park entrance fees and where to stay in Custer, Wind Cave’s nearest town, be sure to check the end of the article.
The Cold Brook Canyon Trail
At 2.8 miles roundtrip, the Cold Brook Canyon Hike is a short and easy out-and-back hike. Located in the south part of the park, I decided to start my visit here after coming from Nebraska’s Toadstool Geologic Park.
While not particularly known for its scenery, this hike is generally regarded as a good place to spot wildlife.
Following a descent from the small parking area, the main trail is almost entirely flat. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before I spotted multiple bison in the distance.
Much closer to the trail, meanwhile, were countless prairie dogs.
As with any trail or park, no two visitors are going to have the same experiences with wildlife. And while I was pleased with what I saw on the Cold Brook Canyon Hike at the time, it would pale in experience to what I’d later see on the Lookout Point Trail & Centennial Loop hike.
Frankly speaking, I wouldn’t consider this hike as essential. Unless, perhaps, you failed to spot much wildlife on other trails and wanted to come here and give it another shot.
The Visitor Center
Next, I continued to the Visitor Center, first stopping to appreciate the large herd of bison grazing on the grass nearby.
Wind Cave National Park’s official Visitor Center is very well done, with exhibits on the park’s flora and fauna on the upper floor and comprehensive info on the local cave system in the basement.
The park is said to house one of the world’s longest and most complex cave systems, and its especially known for its unique formations like boxwork.
But as mentioned, the caves were closed at the time of my visit, and this guide solely focuses on what there is to do here above the surface.
In any case, be sure to check the park’s official NPS website when planning your trip for the latest updates.
Out in back of the Visitor Center is the Natural Cave Entrance which has long been revered by various Native American tribes. For example, the Lakota regard this spot as the birth of their tribe, and their creation myth describes their ancestors emerging from this very hole.
The Lookout Point & Centennial Loop Hike
The Lookout Point & Centennial Loop is a 4.75-mile hike that takes about two hours to complete. You can start the hike in either direction, but in my case, I decided to start with the Lookout Point Trail.
In terms of terrain and elevation gain, this is an easy and mostly flat hike. Nevertheless, before my visit, I’d come across numerous reports by people who didn’t complete it.
Not because it was difficult, but because they encountered bison blocking the trail and had to turn back! As such, I started this hike with a bit of apprehension.
The Lookout Point Trail is the more open half of the loop hike, and it largely takes you across wide open prairie. On that note, you’ll be sure to encounter plenty of prairie dogs. And it was also fairly early on that I spotted a bison family relaxing in the grass in the distance.
Moving on, I encountered yet more prairie dogs. These cute mammals are known for their many burrows which together are referred to as prairie dog towns.
Prairie dogs help fertilize the prairie by nibbling on the grass which in turn stimulates the grass to grow more. The bison then come and feed on it.
Typically, these small mammals will scurry away or hide in their burrows once they see you approaching. But occasionally, you’ll encounter one that seems completely unphased by humans for whatever reason.
Encountering one such creature, I made sure to get lots of photos before moving on.
Eventually, I made it to the end of the Lookout Point Trail and did a U-turn into a forested area. This was the start of the Centennial Trail.
After a long day of hiking in the hot sun, it was nice to finally have some shade. The hike began mostly uneventfully, but I did encounter a family of wild turkeys crossing from one side of the path to the other.
Despite the the Lookout Point & Centennial Loop Hike being one of Wind Cave National Park’s most popular hikes, I never encountered a single other hiker.
The section of the Centennial Trail on this hike is actually just one tiny fraction of the entire trail, which stretches out to a staggering 111 miles. It goes right past Mount Rushmore and ends up all the way at Bear Butte State Park.
As mentioned, I didn’t see any other hikers during this outing, but upon turning the corner, I encountered a large bison hanging out right on the trail. And the only way to proceed without going off-trail would be to pass right next to him!
Having made it this far, I really didn’t want to turn back and retrace my steps. And so I decided to cross a small river and then walk through the tall grass on the other side.
I was really happy to have come prepared with both long hiking pants and a single trekking pole which helped me maintain balance while stepping on the river stones.
After passing the bison, it wasn’t too difficult to get back on track and continue my journey. But I wondered how long it would be before my next encounter.
It turns out that I wouldn’t have to wait for long, as I spotted a bison standing near the next bridge.
Until this hike, I’d seen plenty of bison at places like Yellowstone, but I’d usually just see them from either inside of a car or from a comfortable distance.
But it’s a totally different experience to see one from so close with absolutely nothing separating you or protecting you.
Male bison can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and can run as fast as 30 mph, so there’s no way to outrun one. If one of these bison wanted to hurt me, they easily could have and I’d have no way to defend myself.
But bison mostly just want to be left alone, and if you give them enough space, they typically won’t pay you much attention.
While I contemplated crossing the bridge near where the bison was standing in the water, I decided to keep a greater distance and hop across the river instead.
I continued on with the Lookout Point & Centennial Loop hike, passing by the region’s scenic quartzite cliffs. Sure enough, I soon encountered yet another bison relaxing in the sun.
He briefly looked up at me but didn’t pay me much mind as I passed.
Close to the end of the hike, I passed by a bison on the other side of the narrow river. I didn’t feel like I was in any potential danger here and lingered on for a bit to take some photographs.
The more close encounters with bison I experienced on this trip, the greater my affinity grew for these powerful yet noble creatures.
The largest land mammal in the United States, bison have inhabited these lands for thousands of years. And the animal was even declared the country’s National Mammal in 2016.
I observed the bison feeding on some grass for a little bit before moving on. Looking at my phone, I was at the tail end of the hike and would make it back to the parking lot at any moment.
I didn’t see any more animals up ahead of me, and I decided to put my camera away in my bag. But it turns out that I was in for one more major surprise on the Lookout Point & Centennial Loop hike.
Just before the end of the hike, I was coming around a corner where the path was lined on one side with tall grass. I then suddenly heard the sound of rustling, combined with the sound of large hooves scraping against the ground. I had just woken up a sleeping bison, and we were standing face to face!
Not sure what to do, I hurried up a nearby hill. Outrunning a bison, of course, is impossible, but I wanted to quickly create distance between us so that he’d know I didn’t mean to invade his space.
Looking back at him, the sleepy bison seemed more confused than angered and he just slowly blinked at me, seemingly trying to figure out what was going on. With my heart racing, I finally made it to the parking lot intact.
I felt bad about having eaten a bison burger the previous year in Wyoming, and promised myself to never do so again.
The Rankin Ridge Trail
Before leaving the park, there was still one more trail I wanted to try: the Ranking Ridge Trail. While Wind Cave National Park seems to be mostly flat, this short hike provides views of the area from above.
It’s just a 1-mile loop and it culminates at the Rankin Ridge Fire Tower. Unfortunately, however, I would encounter the tower closed, despite there being no warning about this at the trailhead.
The ascent up to the ridge is fairly strenuous – at least more tiring than the two hikes described above. But it’s not terribly difficult, and it won’t be long before you can see views of the forest down below.
Many vantage points, however, are blocked by trees.
Arriving at the lookout tower, I was disappointed to find a sign saying it was a ‘Restricted Area.’ Given how the caves were closed at the time of my visit, I wondered why park staff couldn’t have at least opened this up.
Though it would’ve been easy to sneak up and climb, a family with kids was right behind me and I didn’t want to set a bad example.
Now that you know what to potentially expect, it would be wise to ask about the status of the tower at the Visitor Center before attempting this hike.
Additional Info
While Custer may be a small town with under 2000 residents, its proximity to Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, the Crazy Horse Monument, and Mount Rushmore make it a popular place for long stays.
There are plenty of hotels to choose from, but I ended up staying at the Super 8 and have no complaints about it. I found it to be a quiet hotel and I slept well each night.
Other popular options in the area, meanwhile, include the Comfort Inn & Suites, the Holiday Inn, and the Rocket Motel.
Wind Cave National Park is a rare park with no entrance fee. That means that you can do the Lookout Point Trail & Centennial Loop hike and any other hike in the park for free.
But while not covered here, the various cave tours which the park offers do indeed cost money. You can learn about the prices of the different tours here.