Best time to visit Jewel Cave National Monument
September is the best balance at Jewel Cave National Monument: mild and dry for the park (an average high of 76°F), with busy crowds. July is busiest, with about 32,000 visitors. November is the quietest, with highs near 48°F. January, February and December see few or no visitors, so parts of the park may be closed: check nps.gov.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Wind Cave, SD USC00399347
- Lat / lon
- 43.56, -103.48
- Elevation
- 4,155 ft
- From park center
- 21.4 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sepbest | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 40° | 41° | 50° | 58° | 66° | 77° | 85° | 84° | 76° | 61° | 48° | 39° | 60° |
| Low, °F | 15° | 16° | 24° | 31° | 41° | 50° | 57° | 55° | 46° | 34° | 23° | 15° | 34° |
| Precipitation, in | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 21.2 |
| Snow, in | 6.3 | 7.1 | 9.6 | 7.8 | 0.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 4.4 | 7.5 | 45.9 |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:15 | 10:25 | 11:47 | 13:22 | 14:42 | 15:26 | 15:08 | 13:59 | 12:27 | 10:56 | 9:36 | 8:56 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 27 | 32 | 24 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 126 |
| Crowds | Few or no visits | Few or no visits | Quiet | Quiet | Moderate | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Busy | Quiet | Quiet | Few or no visits | |
| Weather | Cold | Cool | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Hot | Hot | Mild | Mild, wet | Cool | Cold |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 15° | 0.5 | 6.3 | 9:15 | 322 | Few or no visits | Cold |
| February | 41° | 16° | 0.7 | 7.1 | 10:25 | 524 | Few or no visits | Cool |
| March | 50° | 24° | 1.1 | 9.6 | 11:47 | 2,300 | Quiet | Cool |
| April | 58° | 31° | 2.3 | 7.8 | 13:22 | 2,700 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| May | 66° | 41° | 3.7 | 0.9 | 14:42 | 12,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| June | 77° | 50° | 3.3 | 0 | 15:26 | 27,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| July | 85° | 57° | 3.0 | 0 | 15:08 | 32,000 | Very busy | Hot |
| August | 84° | 55° | 2.3 | 0 | 13:59 | 24,000 | Busy | Hot |
| Septemberbest | 76° | 46° | 1.5 | 0.2 | 12:27 | 18,000 | Busy | Mild |
| October | 61° | 34° | 1.6 | 2.1 | 10:56 | 5,500 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| November | 48° | 23° | 0.7 | 4.4 | 9:36 | 1,500 | Quiet | Cool |
| December | 39° | 15° | 0.5 | 7.5 | 8:56 | 579 | Few or no visits | Cold |
| Year | 60° | 34° | 21.2 | 45.9 | 126,000 | |||
Year: average high and low, total precipitation and snowfall, total visitors. T = trace (under 0.05 in). – = not measured at this station. Updated .
- Hottest July, average high 85°F
- Coldest nights January, average low 15°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 126,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State South Dakota
Closures, reservations and alerts: Jewel Cave National Monument on nps.gov
Nearby
- Mount Rushmore National MemorialBest: Sep · South Dakota
- Wind Cave National ParkBest: Sep · South Dakota
- Badlands National ParkBest: Sep · South Dakota
- Devils Tower National MonumentBest: Sep · Wyoming