John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

Visited: Sept 2014
Nearby town: John Day, OR

This park in Central Oregon holds a vast collection of plant and mammal fossils ranging from the Eocene to the late Miocene Epoch (45 million years ago - 5 million years ago). The park contains some of the best preserved fossils found from this time period. John Day Fossil Beds is made up of three distinct units: (1) Sheep Rock Unit - this is the most developed and most visited section (2) Painted Hills Unit and (3) Clamo Unit. All of these units are quite a distance from each other, but could be visited all in one day.

We only stopped at the Sheep Rock Unit, just off the main highway west of the little town of John Day in Grant County. Our first stop was the excellent Visitor Center, home of the Thomas Condon Museum. Spend some time here to observe the fossils and learn about the area's history.

Bear in mind that the fossils here are from an age after the dinosaurs went extinct. So don't expect any dinosaur fossils, but there are lots of prehistoric mammals and plants to see.

After you're done going through the museum head north for a few miles to Blue Basin area and take a hike through the exquisite badlands. It's only about a 1.5 mile hike, you can just take Island in Time Trail, or combine it with the Blue Basin Overlook Trail for the full 3 mile hike.

Another great stop is the James Cant Ranch. The Cant family owned and operated a ranch along the John Day River from 1910 - 1975. The NPS purchased the ranch from the Cant family and have turned it into a lovely museum. Tour the Ranch House and Barn and learn about ranching and farming life in the early 20th century. It's well worth a visit.

Bonus stop: About two hours west of John Day is the excellent Smith Rock State Park just north of Bend. Although not part of our National Park series, this is a great place to stop to take a stroll through the beautiful area. If you're up for it, it's also a great place to get in some rock climbing, or just observe it safely from the ground.

This part of central Oregon is a beautiful drive and John Day Fossil Beds National Monument makes for a pleasant and informative stop for an hour or two or half a day trip. More info here: https://www.nps.gov/joda/index.htm

Wind Cave National Park

Visited: March 2018

Nearby town: Hot Springs, SD; Nearby city: Rapid City, SD

Southwestern South Dakota is a bounty of natural beauty and historical sites. Just south of Mt. Rushmore lies Wind Cave National Park. If you find yourself visiting Mt. Rushmore or Badlands National Park, make a stop at Wind Cave. Another nearby cave is Jewel Cave National Monument. Both are worth a visit, but if you are strapped for time, Jewel Cave is honestly the prettier cave and I would make that your choice. With that said, Wind Cave is a great place to visit.

The morning of our visit, there was a nice blanket of snow to greet us. There's not too much to do above ground at this national park (there's a couple of hiking trails that wind their way through the rolling hills), we were lucky to spot some bison.

Make sure to stop at the Visitor Center first. Tickets for three of the tours offered can only be purchased at the Visitor Center on a first-come first-served basis. (1) Garden of Eden Tour - this is the easiest hike and best for families, it only lasts an hour and is accessed by an elevator (2) Natural Entrance Tour - this is probably the best tour to take to see what Wind Cave as to offer - and don't worry, you don't actually have to climb through the incredibly small natural entrance on this tour and (3) Fairgrounds Tour - lasts about 1 hour and half.

Two tours require advance reservations. (1) Candlelight Tour - this tour is done with lanterns and (2) Wild Cave Tour - this long, strenuous tour requires lots of crawling and squirming. Be prepared.

Go through all the exhibits and learn about the cave and some of the things you will see.

Example of the boxwork formation that is almost entirely unique to Wind Cave

I loved the awkward pose of the mannequin. 😃

We took the Natural Entrance Tour. The Lakota Sioux considered the cave sacred and referred to it as a "hole that breathes cool air." According to legend, the hole was where the first bison emerged to roam the prairies. The "wind" coming from the natural opening is caused by air pressure. When the pressure outside the cave is greater than pressure inside, air flows into the cave. When the pressure is greater inside the cave, gusts of air blow out.

The first whites discovered the cave in 1881, and as the story goes, explorer Tom Bingham leaned over the hole when a gust of wind blew the hat off its head and it disappeared into the chasm. Wind Cave National Park was established in 1903. 

That little hole is the Natural Entrance. If you wanted to tour the cave before the elevators were put in, this is how you got into the cave. A very tight fit!

Our tour guide standing next to the Natural Entrance. Once inside, you'll realize Wind Cave is almost completely dry. You won't find hardly any of the normal cave features like flowstone, stalagmites, or stalactites. The most prominent feature here is called "boxwork" Boxwork is formed by a mineral calcite that exists in the cracks of the cave walls and rocks. As the rock erodes away, the exposed fin of the calcite remains, and forms a box-like or honeycomb pattern. The name "boxwork" comes from early explorers who thought the calcite formations looked like a post box. 95% of the known boxwork formation in the world is found in Wind Cave.

I'll admit that Wind Cave is not the most incredible or beautiful cave I've been in, but it is unique and well worth a tour. For more info: https://www.nps.gov/wica/index.htm