Wind Cave National Park

My favorite National Park (so far) is tiny, forgotten Wind Cave National Park in the Black Hills region of South Dakota.

It's not the cave itself, although it is very nice. It's the wildlife preserve portion of the park.

Here you can walk amongst the buffalo, the prairie dogs, the pronghorns, and a cavalcade of other animals.

Now some may say Wind Cave cheats because it has been specially treated as a wildlife preserve and the animals have been "trucked in", so to speak. But I found it to be beautiful, and also peaceful, without the big crowds of the major parks (like Yellowstone).

I found it incredibly refreshing after stopping at the crowded, more touristy Black Hills sites like Mount Rushmore & the Crazy Horse memorial. If you ever go to visit South Dakota, take a day (or at least an afternoon) to stop by Wind Cave.

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My travels through the National Park System: americaincontext.com