The entrance to Wind Cave National Park was easy to locate at the Southern end of the Black Hills. I arrived at the Visitor Center to be surprised by the crowds and the necessity to schedule a tour of the park's namesake in order to see it. I decided that instead of seeing the cave I would go for a hike in the open area of the park. I picked a 6mile loop hike from the Centennial Trail, which was located north of the visitor center. I also chose this hike because the trailhead was located off the northbound scenic byway thru the park grounds leading to Custer State Park, Black Hills National Forest and all the way to Mt. Rushmore.
On the Centennial Trail I spotted multiple groups of large-pointed Deer drinking from the river and eating from the abundant vegetation. I crossed several small creeks and passed next to orange-tinted cliffs lining the valley. There were only two other groups on the trail that afternoon and I was very happy with my decision to avoid the crowds clamoring to get into the cave and greatly enjoyed the above ground beauty of the park.
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