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Jewel Cave National Monument

Photography In The National Parks: Cave Photography

Low-light interior photography takes a little effort at the best of times, and this is with a tripod. Cave shots captured during one of the tours offered at a cave-centric park unit are trickier, because tripods, bipods, and monopods are prohibited. How do you achieve great cave shots without using a tripod during a tour of a cave unit in the National Park System?

Jewel Cave National Monument

The National Park Service (NPS) protects and preserves so many unique environments and landscapes, including caves. Jewel Cave National Monument in South Dakota is one such cave system within the NPS purview. At 220 mapped miles (354 km), Jewel Cave is considered one of the longest caves in the world and worth a visit for both exploration both above and below ground.

Photography In The National Parks: Two Cave Parks Above And Below

There are several park units within the National Park System that either feature caves, or at least have an explorable cavern or two within their federal confines, including Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument, both in South Dakota. These two parks offer great photo ops both above and below the ground, but cave shots can be a little tricky.

The "Target Room," Jewel Cave National Monument

A view of a portion of the cavernous Target Room, with viewing platforms and stairs leading to other parts of the cave in Jewel Cave National Monument.

Reserve a spot on the Discovery Tour at Jewel Cave National Monument in South Dakota, and you'll be able to explore the cavernous target room during this 20-minute, accessible tour of a portion of Jewel Cave. According to the National Park Service, "During the Discovery Tour, you will see two types of calcite crystals commonly named nailhead spar and dogtooth spar, which are the "jewels" of Jewel Cave. You will also see manganese and paleofill, which are not cave formations, but are important to the geology of Jewel Cave.

Rebecca Latson

Photography In The National Parks: What’s In My Camera Bag Redux

How many of you have changed your mindset about one or more aspects of photography, cameras, lenses, camera packs, or travel over the years? Contributing photographer Rebecca Latson didn’t realize just how much some of her own photographic views have changed until rereading an interview written 11 years ago between herself and Traveler editor Kurt Repanshek.

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