Jewel Cave National Monument

Jewel Cave National Monument

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.