Jewel Cave is the home to one of the first National Monuments in the United States. Although it has gained this early designation, Jewel Cave is considered a hidden gem, pun intended, in the National Park Service System. Check out the infographic below to gain some interesting facts about this national treasure and consider visiting if you are ever nearby.

1. Jewel Cave is the fifth largest known cave sys-
tem in the world at over 219 miles /353 KM of
mapped passages, yet airflow studies suggest
it is even bigger!
The deepest part of the cave is over 832 feet.
The only known natural entrance is in Hell Canyon,
west of the Visitor Center in Black Hills National
Forest.
Visits to Jewel Cave was 121,536 in 2023
recovering from the low in 2020 of only
35,878.
Sources:
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_caves
National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/jeca/learn/nature/caveexploration.htm
National Park Service statistics: https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/Reports/Park/JECA
Jewel Cave
Jewel Cave was the 221st most visited National
Park Site in 2023.
The cave was named by Frank and Albert
Michaud after they found a cavern covered in
calcite crystals in 1900.
National Monument
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