HOT SPRINGS, S.D. – Holiday events this year at Wind Cave National Park begin Wednesday, December 13, with the park’s holiday open house, followed by the park’s annual Christmas Bird Count on Sunday, December 17.    

The open house runs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the visitor center. Light refreshments will be served, and students from the Hot Springs Elementary third grade will present their Christmas program at 1:30 p.m. During the open house, the public will be able to browse through the park store operated by the Black Hills Parks and Forests Association.  

The bird count begins at 7:30 a.m. in front of the visitor center on Sunday, December 17. Staff will distribute hiking and driving routes and datasheet packets. Participants are encouraged to bring a lunch, warm clothes, and if you have them, binoculars, field guides, and spotting scopes.  

The count ends at 2 p.m. but participants are not required to attend the whole day. Smaller hiking and driving units are available. Packets are due back to the visitor center’s front door drop box with datasheets completed by 2:30 p.m.  

Email [email protected] or call her at (605) 745-1157 if you would like to attend, have requests for a specific route or questions. 

The count is patterned after the nationwide National Audubon Society effort to document trends in wintering birdlife throughout the United States. 

The count will cover all of Wind Cave National Park and areas of the Black Hills National Forest and Custer State Park. Information from the count will be provided to the South Dakota Ornithological Union. 

The visitor center and cave will close on Christmas and New Year’s Day to allow staff to celebrate the holidays with their families. Throughout the remainder of the winter, the visitor center will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with cave tours at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.