Things To Do

Jewel Cave Discovery Talk

This 20-minute talk is an introduction to Jewel Cave's natural and cultural histories. Participants view one large room of the cave. This easy cave visit enters and exits the cave by elevator in the Visitor Center, and involves walking up and down fifteen stair steps. This talk is also handicapped accessible for people who have trouble negotiating stairs.

During the introduction, you see two types of calcite crystal, which are the jewels of Jewel Cave. You also see manganese and paleofill, which are not cave formations, but are important to the geology of Jewel Cave. You will learn how the cave was discovered as well as the theory on how Jewel Cave formed.

Guided Tours

The Jewel Cave Discovery Talk and Scenic Tour are offered daily, except for Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1. The Lantern Tour is offered the second week of June through Labor Day. The Spelunking Tour is offered the second week of June through the middle of August. Fees are charged for cave tours. Prices are listed under the Fees & Reservations link.

Visitors must be on a ranger-led tour to enter Jewel Cave. Cave tours must have a minimum of 2 participants. Tickets may be purchased at the Visitor Center or by phone. All cave tours and talks can sell out at any time of the year. Visitors are encouraged to call ahead for tour availability. Phone number and tour schedule are available under the Operating Hours & Seasons link.

Lantern Tour

Step back 70 years into the past. The Lantern Tour is a 1930s-style adventure giving you a sense of what it was like to tour the cave in earlier days. Visitors enter and leave through the historic entrance and view the cave from an unpaved trail. The only light is provided by a lantern each visitor carries. Tour guides on this tour wear historic uniforms and take you on a visit to passages called the Dungeon and Heavenly Room, among others.

The tour route is approximately 1/2 mile long, and includes steep wooden steps, bending and stooping. This tour is considered strenuous. The tour lasts approximately 1-3/4 hours. Participants must be at least 6 years old.

There is a limit of 20 persons on each tour. Tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis. This tour is offered early June through Labor Day. Please call ahead for tour availability and check for fees and reservations at least seven days in advance. Tickets for the Lantern Tour must be purchased or picked up at the visitor center. Low-heeled, rubber-soled shoes or boots, long pants and a light jacket or sweater are recommended for the tour. The cave temperature is 49 degrees year-round. Persons who have heart or respiratory problems, have recently been hospitalized or have a fear of heights or closed-in spaces should talk with a park ranger before selecting a tour.

Spelunking Tour

Do you have a sense of adventure?

With hard hat in place and headlamp turned on you are ready to experience the cave in its natural state. Feel the wind at the world famous Hurricane Corner, ascend Martha's Kettle, crawl through the Roller Coaster and squeeze into the Brain Drain. See the place where hydromagnesite balloons were discovered, including the most famous balloon, the earring. In fact, if you look around, you will see hundreds of these beautiful and fragile cave ornaments on the tour route.

At 2/3 of a mile long, the tour is a real caving adventure. You scramble over cave "breakdown," chimney between cave walls, use a handline to climb a nearly vertical wall, and belly-crawl through tight passages. Along the way you learn about low-impact caving, caving techniques and safety. The tour lasts 3-4 hours and is extremely strenuous. Anyone having a fear of closed spaces or heights should not attempt this tour.

You must be 16 year of age or older. You are required to provide proof of age, upon request. A parent or legal guardian is required to sign, on the day of the tour, a waiver of responsibility for any 16 or 17-year-old participants and should remain at the monument throughout the duration of the tour. You must be in good physical condition and are required to pass through an 8-1/2 inch by 24-inch crawl space before beginning the tour. Refunds are not given for those visitors unable to negotiate the block.

This tour is offered early June through mid-August. New in 2007-2008: A Spelunking Tour will be available on two Sundays of the month through the winter season. The tour will be available on the following dates: 3/9, 3/30, 4/13, 4/27, 5/11, and 5/25/08. The monument provides a hard hat and headlamp to each person taking the Spelunking Tour. You provide: sturdy, above ankle, rubber-soled, lug-soled, lace-up boots; long pants or coveralls; a long-sleeved shirt; gloves;knee and elbow pads; a change of clothing and shoes; and a plastic bag for carrying soiled clothes and boots from the visitor center after the tour. Clean clothes and shoes must be brought to the visitor center when you check in for the tour. Clothing and footwear will be permanently stained by black manganese deposits encountered during this tour.

Reservations are required and can be made up to one month in advance. Tour size is limited to a minimum of 2 visitors and maximum of 5 visitors. Tours may be canceled due to lack of the required number of participants or due to emergencies at the Monument. For more information on this tour you may call the visitor center at 1-605-673-2288.