Hot Springs, SD - Rangers at Wind Cave National Park will be leading programs mid-September through early October to listen for the bugle of the Rocky Mountain elk. The elk’s high-pitched whistle heralds the arrival of fall and the elk’s mating season.

Beginning Wednesday, September 13, rangers are giving brief interpretive programs about elk before leading a caravan to a nearby pullout to listen for them. These one-hour programs are offered Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings through Saturday, October 7. Participants meet at the Wind Cave Visitor Center front lawn at 7 p.m. and are encouraged to bring a flashlight, a camp chair or blanket to sit on, and to dress warmly.  

To listen to an elk’s bugling call, visit the park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/elk-bugling-wica.htm. 

The park visitor center will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until September 30, 4:30 p.m. after that. Cave tours are on hold pending repairs to the cave’s elevators. Tours are expected to resume in mid-October. The park store, run by the Black Hills Parks and Forests Association, a non-profit partner supporting park education efforts, is open with a variety of products for sale.    

Fall is a great time to explore the park either by driving park roads or hiking some of its 30 miles of trails.  A great family activity is hiking to the park’s highest point, Rankin Ridge, a one-hour, one mile hike with views extending to the Badlands on a clear day.  

For more information, call the park at (605) 745-4600.