Hiking the Wind Cave Canyon Trail in Wind Cave National Park
Distance: 3.6 miles / 5.8 km
The Wind Cave Canyon Trail in Wind Cave National Park is a quick and easy out-and-back day hike through a beautiful, winding drainage to the old park boundary, about halfway down the full ravine.
That said, the Wind Cave Canyon Trail is one of the more popular day hikes outside of the visitor center area in Wind Cave, which is largely because it’s one of the shorter, centrally located trails in the park.
However, what sets the Wind Cave Canyon Trail apart from other adventures is that visitors can extend the hike by taking either the East Bison Flats Trail or Highland Creek Trail up and out of the canyon a short distance to get an appreciation of the vast, remote prairies across Wind Cave National Park that few park visitors ever venture up to see!
U.S. National Park Pass
There is no entrance fee to visit Wind Cave National Park.
However, entrance fees are collected at Badlands National Park and Devils Tower National Monument, which is why I recommend purchasing your National Park pass in advance before traveling to the Black Hills.
Wind Cave Canyon Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Wind Cave Canyon Trail is located in a small parking lot directly off Highway 385, about 1.3 miles (2.1 km) south of the north junction to the Wind Cave Visitor Center.
While the Wind Cave Canyon Trail is one of the more popular day hikes in Wind Cave National Park, finding parking in the small lot is usually never an issue, as the vast majority of people who visit the park come to see the cave, not hike.
Google Maps Directions: Wind Cave Canyon Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Wind Cave
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Wind Cave National Park.
Hiking the Wind Cave Canyon Trail
The Wind Cave Canyon Trail begins at this gate, where it will follow a very well-maintained dirt road for the entire length of the hike.
For the most part, the Wind Cave Canyon Trail is very flat, as it only traverses a few very minor hills, while losing about 200 ft. (61 m) of elevation over the course of 1.8 miles (2.9 km) to the old park boundary.
That said, 200 ft. (61 m) of elevation change over this distance is hardly noticeable, which is why the Wind Cave Canyon Trail is such an easy, kid-friendly day hike in Wind Cave National Park.
It was really cool to see these Bison bones just off the trail, which, from experience, is actually a fairly common sight on some of the more remote trails in Wind Cave National Park.
Wind Cave Canyon-Wastewater Lagoon Junction
The first junction in the Wind Cave Canyon Trail is not related to any other day hike in the park. Instead, the road to the left simply leads up to a few wastewater treatment lagoons just off the trail.
Once at this point, go straight (right) to continue hiking the official Wind Cave Canyon Trail.
Wind Cave Canyon-East Bison Flats Junction
Immediately after the wastewater junction, the Wind Cave Canyon Trail passes the first of two side trails; the first being the East Bison Flats Trail.
In short, the East Bison Flats Trail is a fairly remote day hike that connects Highway 385 near the park’s southern boundary to this point on the Wind Cave Canyon Trail, which you can learn more about in my separate post linked below.
In any case, go straight at this split to continue hiking east through Wind Cave Canyon.
Read My Separate Post: East Bison Flats Trail
After the East Bison Flats junction, the Wind Cave Canyon Trail will simply continue to wind its way through the narrowing canyon for the next 0.6 miles (1.0 km), where it will meet the Highland Creek Trail about two-thirds of the way to the old park boundary.
If there’s one thing I hope these photos show more than anything else, it’s that the Ponderosa Pines in Wind Cave Canyon do not provide very much shade.
This is why I always recommend hiking in a hooded sun shirt in Wind Cave National Park—especially if you plan to go further on either the East Bison Flats or Highland Creek Trail.
This short section is often the most photographed area in Wind Cave Canyon.
Wind Cave Canyon-Highland Creek Junction
The second time the Wind Cave Canyon Trail splits is where it meets the southern terminus of the Highland Creek Trail, the longest compete trail in Wind Cave National Park.
Now, I say the word 'complete' because the Centennial Trail, which begins here in Wind Cave National Park, is considerably longer and more involved, but only a very small portion of the full 111-mile (179 km) trail actually exists within the park boundary.
This is why I say longest, and it’s also why the Highland Creek Trail is often treated as a one-way hike, which makes the 8.6-mile (13.8 km) one-way distance much more practical when either a car is staged at the Wind Cave Canyon Trailhead or a ride is planned from someone else in your party.
In any case, go straight at this final junction to continue hiking the Wind Cave Canyon Trail toward the old park boundary, about 0.7 miles (1.1 km) ahead.
Read My Separate Post: Highland Creek Trail (Coming Soon)
Let’s just say, this is why you don’t want to touch the trail markers in Wind Cave National Park!
After the Highland Creek junction, the Wind Cave Canyon Trail continues down a very easy, gradual path to the old park boundary.
If you didn’t know, Wind Cave National Park is home to one rattlesnake species—the Prairie Rattlesnake—which I mention because the idea of trail running across the vast stretches of open prairie, where trails aren’t well defined, may not seem ideal to trail runners.
However, the Wind Cave Canyon Trail is easily one of the best trail-running hikes in Wind Cave National Park, because the trail is so well defined.
If you are interested in getting a great shoe that works well for both hiking and trail-running, check out the ones I trust linked below, which can certainly work for almost any adventure across western South Dakota!
This building is a nice sign that the end of the Wind Cave Canyon Trail is not far ahead.
End of the Trail
The end of the Wind Cave Canyon Trail is marked by this wildlife fence that reflects the old park boundary prior to the September 2011 Casey Addition, which expanded Wind Cave National Park by 5,556 acres (22.5 km²) and pushed the current park boundary farther east.
This is why the wildlife fence does not align with the current National Park boundary here, as it does at the end of the Boland Ridge Trail and the Cold Brook Canyon Trail.
That said, there have been discussions about allowing Bison to roam up to the new park boundary, which would involve opening or removing sections of the old fence, such as the one here in Wind Cave Canyon.
