Jewel Cave National Monument

Jewel Cave National Monument

The News from Jewel Cave

Caves offer variety of challenge

Caver Mike Wiles has helped document the far reaches of this cave that's a favorite Black Hills tourist attraction, but tours are available here year-round and elsewhere for the more casual explorer.

Wiles and other volunteers mapped Jewel Cave's passageways past 142 miles, making it the second-longest cave in the world. Nearby Wind Cave National Park is the eighth longest.

Some people have made caving out to be an extreme adventure, but it's really safer than a lot of activities on the surface, he said. The challenge and thrill come from discovering corridors that have never been reached—sometimes after days underground.