Black Hills Parks & Forests Association

Current off-season hours. Wind Cave National Park: daily, 8am to 4:30pm, through April 4. Jewel Cave National Monument: Monday through Saturday, 8:30am to 4:30pm, through May 4 Scotts Bluff National Monument: daily, 8:30am to 4:30pm, summit road 9am to 4pm, through May 23. Agate Fossil Beds National Monument: daily, 8am to 4pm, through May 14. NE National Grasslands Visitor Center: Monday through Thursday, 8am to 4:30pm. U.S. Forest Service Offices: Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm, closed federal holidays.

Spring break is coming. Summer hours aren't... yet.

The forecast looks tempting, but our federal partners across the Black Hills and Nebraska are still in winter mode.

Check hours before you drive out.

#BlackHills #NationalParks #NationalForests

Forest-themed graphic announcing Educator Workshop: Hands-on environmental ed training. April 24-26, 2026, Friday through Sunday. BHNF Supervisor's Office, Custer, South Dakota. For K-12 teachers, homeschoolers, scout leaders and youth educators. Call 605-673-9200 for details. Hosted by Black Hills National Forest, SD GFP, Custer State Park and Project Learning Tree of SD.

Your classroom has walls. This training doesn't.

April 24-26 in Custer. Hands-on Project WILD, WET, AIS, and PLT for anyone who teaches kids. Academic credit for recertification.

📞 605-673-9200 | BHNF, SDGFP, Custer State Park & Project Learning Tree of SD

#EnvironmentalEducation #BlackHills

Black-footed ferret looking over its shoulder toward the camera with an alert, curious expression

Black-footed ferrets: once nearly extinct... now back in SD... but still in trouble.

Nicole Mittman (Prairie Wildlife Research) talks ferrets at BHPFA's Nature Cabin Chats:

📍 March 5, The Trailhouse, Custer
📍 March 8, Lost Cabin Taproom, Rapid City

$10 @ door
#BlackFootedFerret #SouthDakota

SheJumps x BHPFA | Get the Girls Out at Jewel Cave | SD Join BHPFA and SheJumps to Get the Girls Out at Jewel Cave National Monument on 3/7!

Only the cave tour portion needs pre-registration / purchase, and you can get that here: www.eventbrite.com/e/shejumps-x...

Get the Girls Out flyer on kraft paper: March 7, 9:30-1 PM, Jewel Cave, with BHPFA and SheJumps logos

Get the Girls Out is back! BHPFA and SheJumps are hosting a low-key women's outdoor meetup at Jewel Cave on Saturday, March 7, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hot cocoa, tutus, bingo, hiking, and an optional cave tour. Come solo or bring a friend.

#GetTheGirlsOut #SheJumps #SouthDakota

Women in outdoor gear with Thank You text. We raised $1200 for women and girls outdoors. BHPFA, SheJumps, Custer Beacon logos

Happy Valentine's Day. We love this community!

Last night's Girl Winter Film Fest raised $1,200 for women's outdoor programs in the Black Hills and Nebraska.

Next up: Get the Girls Out at Jewel Cave, March 7.

#BHPFA #JewelCave #WomenOutdoors #PublicLands

Black Hills Sports Show & Outdoor Expo flyer: Feb 13-15, 2026 at The Monument, Rapid City. Hours and ticket prices listed.

Going to the Sports Show this weekend? So are we!

Booth 134 at The Monument, Rapid City.

Black Hills National Forest is next door at 135, and your support helped get them there.

Outdoorsy people, meet outdoorsy preparation success 🎣

#BHPFA #BlackHills #PublicLands

Presidents Day fee-free day announcement for free cave tours at Wind Cave and Jewel Cave on February 16

Free cave tours Monday, Feb. 16 for Presidents Day at Wind Cave and Jewel Cave!

Online free tickets nearly gone on recreation.gov.

But first-come, first-served tickets will be available both visitor centers Monday morning right at open. Get there **EARLY**.

#PresidentsDay #NationalParks

A South Bronx teacher. 33 peaks. Solo. That's one of six films this Friday at the Girl Winter Film Tour.

Preview the lineup: girlwinterfilmtour.com/2025-films

Feb 13 | 6-8PM MT | Custer Beacon | $15/$10 youth

Get your tickets now: www.eventbrite.com/e/shejumps-x...

#GirlWinterFilmTour #BHPFA

Birthday cake on Jewel Cave National Monument table with educational brochures and BHPFA partner recognition sign

In 1908, the government bought Jewel Cave for $750 and called it "small." 220+ miles later, it turned 118 yesterday. We brought the cake. Because birthdays are always better with cake.

Forgot a gift? Belated donations welcome 🎂
blackhillsparks.org/donate

#JewelCave #NationalParks #PublicLands

Three women in winter gear smiling. Girl Winter Film Tour, Feb 13, 6-8PM, Custer Beacon. BHPFA and SheJumps logos.

Girl Winter Film Tour returns Feb 13 🎬 Six films and a Yeti cooler raffle at The Custer Beacon.

Hosted by BHPFA x SheJumps | 6-8PM MT | Custer, SD | $15 / $10 youth. Everyone's welcome.

Grab tickets ↓

#GirlWinterFilmTour #BlackHills #SouthDakota

www.eventbrite.com/e/shejumps-x...

Black-footed ferret in prairie grass with ferret plush and hat shown. $35 adoption supports conservation.

In 1987: 18 black-footed ferrets left.
Today: ~500.
Goal: 3,000.

You can help. $35 gets you a ferret plush or hat, and $20 of it funds fieldwork like vaccinations and population monitoring.

blackhillsparks.org/shop/park-st...

#BlackFootedFerret #Conservation

Started our Homeschool Nature Adventure program series today!

15 kids ages 5-12 came to learn basics of being a naturalist.

Last Thursdays Monthly through May: 9am-Noon. $10/child (members get 15% off).

blackhillsparks.org/news-events/field-school/homeschool-nature-adventures/

Caves are basically canyons with roofs, right? RIGHT? So we'll have pics then. 📸 #parkchat

Lol, if the AI model involved is Grok? Yeah probably. #parkchat

There are some interesting uses of AI being developed to help curatorial staff and researchers compare and combine cultural resource documents / records across different parks... breaking down information silos. Behind-the-scenes stuff like that are potentially positive. #parkchat

a man with glasses is sitting at a desk with the words more is better above him ALT: a man with glasses is sitting at a desk with the words more is better above him

When it comes to books to buy at the parks... #parkchat

A10: Sometimes have to separate "overcrowding" as in people and "overcrowding" as in vehicles. Some places like Zion are going to be "people" over-crowded regardless, but other places like YOSE and ROMO could get away with 'only' banning private vehicles and doing full electric shuttles. #parkchat

A9: The DoI social media feed has reposted AI generated stuff as 'park scenes' quite a few times. There was an especially egregious one of Death Valley a few months back. #parkchat

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A7: Depends on the genre of gear. The old .mil surplus compasses or the good-glass binocs? Yep, older better.

Park sweatshirts, hats, t-shirts, books to read on the trail? (Jedi hand wave) You need the new ones. Now. #parkchat

A6: It wasn't the animal sounds... it's the distinctive sound of a large branch snapping in the wind that'll get your attention REAL QUICK. #parkchat

Reminiscent of hiking in Cheyenne Mountain State Park in Colorado Springs not far from the NORAD tunnel, and thinking "Well, if we ticked off China or Russia we'd be the first to not know about it." #parkchat

A4: A few thunderstorms had staff hopping in the side-by-side and going up the trails at Agate Fossil Beds to rescue people. Generally the rangers won't unless there are folks with mobility issues up there. But in the prairie, you're ALWAYS the tallest thing around for lightning. #parkchat

"Rain starting at your location in 15 minutes" after you're already soaked to the skin and looking for an overhang to hide under. #parkchat

A3: Two is one, one is none. Paper map plus phone w/GPS. Cellphone but also InReach and even FRS radios for your group. Everything has failure points, the trick is making sure the swiss cheese holes don't line up more than you can avoid. #parkchat

A2: If you've ever overheard someone look at their live weather app radar and say "nah that storm is gonna pass a little bit aways of us, we're okay" and then happily stomp up a slot canyon... you know they'll quickly learn the importance of reading the sky. #parkchat

a man in an orange shirt is standing with his hands on his hips and says who 's awesome you are ! ALT: a man in an orange shirt is standing with his hands on his hips and says who 's awesome you are !

Thanks! #parkchat

A1: Would certainly want to know if there are any common 'wrong turn' points, but I've never thought about trail tips as "spoilers" as such. Interesting idea. Certainly don't need a full VR 360 of an entire trail, though. #parkchat

a cat wearing a cowboy hat with the word meowdy written above it ALT: a cat wearing a cowboy hat with the word meowdy written above it

Hey everyone! #parkchat

Since the Winter Solstice, we've gained about 50 minutes of daylight.

Research shows 20-30 min outside lowers cortisol and improves mood.

The world feels heavy. Getting outside helps.

Learn more about the science: blackhillsparks.org/science-of-g...

#parkchat #NationalParks #ParkRx