Jewel Cave National Monument, with its beautiful and curious geologic formations, is ready for another season underground/NPS

With temperatures warming above ground, Jewel Lake National Monument in South Dakota is preparing to take more people underground to view cave chambers, fragile formations, and calcite crystals.

Beginning March 7, the Jewel Cave National Monument visitor center will open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and guided cave tours will be available Wednesdays through Sundays. Due to maintenance projects along the route, cave tours will not be available on Mondays or Tuesdays.

The popular Scenic Tour, considered moderate to strenuous, is offered at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. This 80-minute tour takes visitors along a half-mile paved path that includes 723 stair steps. In 2015, about 45 percent of the monument’s 117,399 visitors took part in the Scenic Tour. As this tour frequently sells out during holiday weekends, spring breaks and the summer months, additional Scenic Tours are planned for late March.

“With the NPS centennial in full swing, we want to provide as many opportunities as possible for visitors to experience the monument, such as taking a guided cave tour or hiking on the surface trails on a warm spring day,” Superintendent Bonnie Schwartz said in a release. “Additional visitor center days and increased cave tours will hopefully entice many local residents and visitors to come out and see the changes that have taken place at the monument.”

Among those changes is new chain-link fencing at key locations along the Scenic Tour route and around the various platforms to provide a safer environment for visitors and staff. Due to the updates, the park is again allowing children younger than 5 to take part in the tour.

For a less-strenuous activity, the Discovery Talk is a 20-minute program that exposes visitors to the natural and cultural history of the cave. This activity is available for individuals with physical limitations or families with young children. Discovery Talks are offered at 9:05 a.m., 12:45 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.

Tour tickets are limited and only available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The cave temperature is approximately 49 degrees. A light coat or sweater and sturdy walking shoes are recommended. All tours begin at the visitor center.