A Wind Cave National Park Itinerary And Guide

Walk Over And Under The Same Part Of The Earth At This Awesome National Park

Wind Cave turned out to be one of our favorite parts of our South Dakota vacation and the kids loved it. In fact, one kid wanted to return and do another cave tour the next day.

Not only was the tour of the Wind Cave system amazing but I really loved the prairie views above ground too. The wildlife viewing was also some of the best we had in the Black Hills, with lots of bison, prairie dogs, and even some coyotes hunting prairie dogs. I think most people skip over the hiking trails in this national park but we thought they were great. Plus, they are far less crowded than trails in nearby Badlands and Custer State park.

Don’t let the under-the-radar nature of Wind Cave fool you into thinking it shouldn’t be a part of your South Dakota vacation itinerary. I will cover all about the cave tours, the hiking trails, and the campground and you will see why we can’t wait to go back to Wind Cave National Park.

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Our Family’s One Day Wind Cave National Park Itinerary

1. Arrival Into Rapid City

We flew into Rapid City at 11:15 am on a Saturday in early October.

We drove straight to Wind Cave National Park which took us about an hour and twenty minutes and we arrived at the Visitor Center at around 1:45pm. We brought snacks with us so we did not have to stop for food.

Location of Wind Cave National Park in the Black Hills and near Badlands National Park

2. Wind Cave Visitor Center

We drove straight to the Visitor Center to see if we could get one of the first come- first served spots on a tour.

Surprisingly, we were able to get on the 2:30pm Natural Entrance Tour which is the one I really wanted so I was excited. I have heard that the tours book up completely as soon as the Visitor Center opens in the summer, so I am glad we were there in the fall on a weekday and able to get a spot. The tour cost $8 kids and $16 for adults.

It is possible to buy tickets ahead of time but since we were flying in, I didn’t want to take a chance on plane delays. You can buy advance tickets on the NPS Wind Cave website. The Park service reserves half of a tour’s spots for advance sales and half for day-of walk-ins.

Before our tour, we wandered around the lower level of the Visitor Center to explore the exhibits. We learned about the cave geology, some of the early explorers of the cave, as well as the cultural significance of the cave to the Native Americans of the area. I would definitely carve out at least 30 min or more to see these exhibits in the Visitor Center as it was pretty interesting.

Also, this lower level of the Visitor Center has good AC, a super cold water fountain, nice bathrooms, and a bench so it’s not a bad place just to chill for a minute if exhibits aren’t your thing. The gift shop and more bathrooms are on the upper level of the Visitor Center where the main ranger desk is located.

The only other tour offered when we were there is the Garden of Eden Tour which would have been happy to take as well. In fact, we tried to get on this tour when we came back to Wind Cave on the second to last day of our trip. Unfortunately, it was booked until after 2 pm even though we were there before 10 am. We had to pass because we had places to be at 4pm.

3. The Natural Entrance Cave Tour

About 1 hour 20 min long, not that strenuous but lots of stairs down

We met our ranger guide just outside the Visitor Center in a trail shelter and he gave us a little history of the cave and the area before we got started. We then walked a short distance down the paved path from the Visitor Center to the natural hole marking one of the cave entrances.

We heard about the Lakota legends about the cave and its role in the origins of their people. It is aptly named Wind Cave because air is constantly moving in or out of the natural entrance because of the barometric differences between the interior of the cave and the outside. Our guide had a simple demonstration of this by letting one of the kids hold a bandanna over the hole.

From the natural entrance you proceed to the big revolving door marking the “people entrance” to the cave. Everyone squeezes into a big anteroom waits for everyone to enter the first set of doors before they open the second set to go through to the cave itself. This keeps the airflow into the cave as natural as possible.

Once you enter the cave itself, it is single file as you start down the stairs. There are a ton of stairs to go down (about 150 in actuality which is more than 10 flights for stairs which is roughly equivalent to a ton right???). The stairs are uneven, damp, and dimly lit so everyone was going fairly slow.

Pro Tip: The long section of stairs down on the Natural Entrance Tour would probably give someone with knee trouble difficulties despite everyone going pretty slow.

When you finally get to the bottom of the stairs, you make your way through some passages until you get to the Post Office. This is a large room where the guide will stop and tell you more about the boxwork formations for which Wind Cave is so famous.

From the Post Office room, you wander through some more winding and narrow passages that occasionally have more stairs interspersed (almost all down). This was my favorite part of the tour because I loved all the narrow passages and all of the even more narrow passages branching off in all directions. You really did feel like a mouse in a crazy large maze. Albeit one almost 22 stories underground. Our claustrophobic kid did not like that factoid from the guide.

There were two more stops in large rooms near the end of the tour where the guide talked more about the geology and the environment in the caves, like how there is an underground lake almost 500 ft down that takes scientists 2 hours to reach, squeezing though passages barely big enough for them to wiggle through. The kids could easily visualize it after seeing the hundreds of tiny side passages along our tour and two of the kids wanted to know how they could sign up for that trip. Yeah, no thanks.

The tour ends when you take the elevator back up to the top and come out on a paved path on the other side of the Visitor Center from where you started. Lots of blinking in the sunlight and shedding of long sleeves as you re-acclimate to the topside world.

Information About The Different Kinds Of Cave Tours At Wind Cave And Buying Tickets

There are several tours to choose from and the times differ throughout the year so checking the NPS website is your best bet to see what is on offer on the dates you are visiting the park.

There are 3 basic tours offered- Garden Of Eden, Natural Entrance, and Fairgrounds Tour. The Garden of Eden is supposed to be the easiest and is offered year round. Natural Entrance is more strenuous and is not offered in the winter. And Fairgrounds is supposed to be the most strenuous and is not offered in Sept thru mid- October. We did the Natural Entrance tour.

Tours are limited to 30- 40 people depending on the tour. Half of the tours are reserved for day of sales and the other half can be reserved in advance on recreation.gov. For example, if there are 4 tours that day, two will sell in advance and 2 will be reserved for day-of sales. So if you need a certain tour time, I would book in advance which you can do up to 120 days ahead of time.

The desk for buying tickets is just inside the front doors of the Visitor Center. You need a credit/ debit card to buy- no cash or checks accepted.

Lines start forming to buy tickets before the Visitor Center opens in the summer so get there early if you are buying day-of tickets. Like an hour or more before it opens. Even on a weekend in the fall it can get busy as we tried to return to Wind Cave a couple of days later and all the tours were sold out by 10 am.

Wind Cave does entice the more adventurous with the Candlelight Tour and Wild Cave Tour that are much longer and very strenuous. They are only offered in the summer, have age limits, clothing requirements, and group sizes are more limited. Reserve these tours in advance by calling the Visitor Center no more than 1 month ahead of time at 605-745-4600.

All of the cave tours have stairs and narrow passages so if you have bad knees or other mobility issues, or suffer from claustrophobia, you might want to look carefully at the descriptions. They do offer an accessibility tour that takes an elevator down to part of the cave, the same elevator used on the other cave tours so you do get to see some of the same stuff, just not as extensively. You will need to call ahead to arrange this (605-745-4600).

You can read a brief description of all the tours mentioned above on the Wind Cave Guided Tours webpage.

4. Afternoon Hike: Prairie Vista Trail

1 Mile, easy loop, 30 min if you stop and read all of the signs

The kids were ready to run a little bit in some wide open spaces after being in a big tour group in a cave.

So we walked (I walked, them not so much) down the path by the Visitor Center, back by the Natural Entrance we entered earlier, and over to the Prairie Vista trailhead by the picnic area.

I chose this trail simply because it was closest to the Visitor Center but Prairie Vista was a very pleasant surprise and I would absolutely recommend it. You climb up to the top of the small hill behind the Visitor Center and have a nice walk over the prairie with great views and some interesting interpretive signs.

The kids particularly liked the sign that mapped out the cave below where we were so they can say they have now walked over and under the same part of the Earth. Not something you can say too often!

I recommend hiking Prairie Vista clockwise, heading to the picnic area first as it is a more gradual incline and then end with the stairs that lead back down to the path to the Visitor Center.

More Hiking Trails In Wind Cave National Park

You will find a variety of hikes in the park, from easy 1 mile strolls to more difficult multi-mile jaunts. We did not find the trails crowded, although we weren’t there in summer.

The Wind Cave NPS website has a good description of the trails and divides them into easy, moderate, and strenuous categories. Although the small nature of the park prevents long hikes, the Centennial Trail is an 111 mile long trail that connects Wind Cave to Bear Butte State Park so you super hikers won’t feel left out.

The most popular hike is Rankin Ridge Trail (1 mile loop) up Hwy 87, north of the Visitor Center. It has spectacular views over the park and should be number one on your to do list. It is an easy loop to a fire tower (permanently closed so no going up it) and there are interpretive signs along the trail. The small parking area can get busy in the summer. * I was bummed to not get to do this but the road there was closed during our trip.

Cold Brook Canyon Trail (2.8 miles RT) is another popular one, especially because it crosses a prairie dog town and often has bison along the trail. Fun for the kids because of the prairie dogs. It starts in a pine forest before opening up into a meadow. We got to hike this trail on another day on our Badlands and Black Hills vacation as we stopped by the park to see if we could get on another cave tour (unfortunately not as it was sold out).

The Lookout Point/Centennial Trail Loop combo (4.5 mile loop) is also one of the park’s most popular because you get to see a pine forest and open prairie. (*This trail is especially known for having poison ivy so wear long pants!) This trail is another one on our list for another time, but Earth Trekkers has a great blog about this hike if you are interested.

Tips For Hiking In Wind Cave National Park

• Most of the trails in Wind Cave are open prairie so hot and sunny. Start early or late and bring sunscreen.
• Trails can also be buggy so insect repellent is also needed.
• Poison ivy is common along the trails so wear pants and be careful on overgrown trails.
• Bison are very common so be prepared to turn around and cut a hike short. They really seem to like lying in the middle of the trail sometimes.
• Rattlesnakes also like the trails so keep an eye and ear out.

5. Late Afternoon: Scenic Drive And Wildlife Viewing

On our way out of the park, we stopped at a couple of the pullouts to take photos. We were the only car at a few of the pullouts and took our time reading signs and watching for wildlife.

Plenty of bison and prairie dogs were seen and we were treated to the sight of a pack of coyotes hunting prairie dogs at a pullout near the Cold Brook Canyon TH. We saw more bison in Wind Cave National Park than in Custer State Park or Badlands National Park.

The Wind Cave website has some great advice about the best places in the park to view wildlife including some off the beaten track spots. And they will remind you how to watch safely.

Bison bulls can weigh up to 2000 pounds, are 6 feet tall, and can run up to 35mph. And they are unpredictable, aggressive during calving and mating season (May thru August), and you can easily be another inadvertent You Tube star if you get too close. Seriously, just Google it if you haven’t seen some of those videos already of tourist vs bison. The bison wins. Always.

Prairie dogs are super cute (at least I think so) but they carry fleas that carry the plague just in case you were thinking of getting up close and personal to one. Rattlesnakes are also common squatters in their burrows so watch where you step in a prairie dog town.

Remember to stay at least 25 yards from all wildlife (more like 50 yards from a bison). Don’t feed anything because that encourages wildlife to come up to people for food. This never ends well, for people or the animals.

Also, dispose of trash properly. Leaving things along trails and roadsides encourages animals to hang out there, leading to more and oftentimes, disastrous, interactions, like being hit by a car.

We Almost Got To Watch One Of Those Tourist Vs Bison Videos Happen Right In Front Of Us

Wind Cave is where I got to show the kids a real life example of what not to do with a bison. We were sitting in the car at one of the pullouts on the main road when a bison decided to cross near us. We continued to sit in the safety of the car to watch and take lots of pictures, but the guy in the car next to us obviously thought we were too far away.

He kept walking closer to the bison while I am in the car yelling “What Are You Doing??? Stop Walking Closer!!!” Luckily all okay, but the kids thought it was pretty memorable.

6. Trip Back To Rapid City

We left Wind Canyon National Park around 530pm (we arrived around 1:45 pm) and felt like we got to see a lot in our short time there. We drove back to our hotel in Rapid City (about an hour and 15 min from Wind Cave) and had dinner in Rapid City at the most excellent Firehouse Brewing Company.

We had originally planned on doing the Rankin Ridge Trail in Wind Cave National Park before leaving (a 15 min drive north of the Visitor Center) but the road to it was closed for repairs. I was super bummed to miss this hike because pictures from it look amazing.

Alternative One Day Itinerary For Wind Cave National Park If You Have A Full Day To Spend

Had we been able to arrive earlier in the day to the park and the road north out of the park wasn’t closed, our plan was to take a cave tour, hike Rankin Ridge Trail and maybe one other short trail like Prairie Vista, then drive to the Blue Bell entrance to Custer State Park (15 min drive north from Rankin Ridge TH).

We would drive the famous Wildlife Loop through Custer State Park (about 45 min without stopping) before heading back to Rapid City (about 40 min from Custer State Park). If you have a full day to spend at Wind Cave or have more snacks in your car for hungry kids than we did, this would be a great plan.

Where To Stay Near Wind Cave National Park

Camping In The Park: Elk Mountain Campground

Elk Mountain Campground is a small, 63 site campground at the park that looked cute and definitely the most convenient for fully exploring the park. It is located just up the road from the Visitor Center, within walking distance although not super close.

The campground wasn’t as compact as some campgrounds in other national parks (ahem, Smokies) so many of the campsites looked like they had a little more room. I could only explore about half of the campground as much of it was closed for the season when we visited in early October.

The recreation.gov website had decent descriptions of each site along with individual photos so be sure to scope out your choices there. Plus, there were some good reviews on the website and people listed exactly what site they had.

Only B loop is open from October to end of May, and it has no running water, only vault toilets. It is first come- first served but you have to pay using your phone which can be an issue in an area with poor cell phone coverage according to some campers.

So be aware you may have to claim a site and then drive to either the Visitor Center (it has WiFi apparently) or out of the park to get enough reception to pay. The entire campground is open from late May thru September and you get the added bonus of potable water plus flush toilets during that time. Fancy!

You can bring an RV or trailer but there are no electrical hookups or a dump station at the campground. And only a few sites can accommodate large setups so be sure to check lengths when you reserve sites on recreation.gov.

A loop is for tents only and would probably be my first choice as it looked a little more private and quiet.

Most of the B loop sites are along the main road in and out of the campground so I would take those last, although B34 and B32 are up a little hill from their parking pull outs and are pretty private. B35 looked like a great site as well, with no other sites close by but not as far to haul stuff from the car. Those sites would be choices in B loop.

I walked around C and D loops and would pick C loop over D loop as it is a little smaller and more spread out, especially the campsites on the outer portion of the loop. D loop had 2 group sites in and among the regular sites and we all know those sites can get loud.

*Note- The park changed the campsite numbers since I took these photos so check the captions for the new, correct numbers.

Backcountry Camping In Wind Cave

You are allowed to backcountry camp in the northwest part of the park and will need a free permit from the Visitor Center. See the Wind Cave NPS website for details.

Other Campgrounds In the Black Hills

The Black Hills is a huge camping area with an enormous amount of options to choose from, whether primitive camping is your style or you would rather be in your 5th wheel enjoying your AC. This website has a nice rundown of all your options. Black Hill Parent- Family Friendly Black Hills Campgrounds

Hotels Near Wind Cave National Park

A word to the wise– Hotel prices in the Black Hills seemed expensive to us. It also booked up quickly. I guess because there is a limited season (late May to about early October) and lots of tourists during that season. We had to do a lot of looking to find something for our large family of 7 that we felt was affordable. Rapid City was more competitive than Custer or Hill City but it meant a longer drive each day to get to Wind Cave or Custer State Park. We ended up doing one night in Hill City and several in Rapid City.

Custer And Hill City Hotels

The nearest town to Wind Cave National Park is Hot Springs, South Dakota. It isn’t a huge place and the hotel choice isn’t great, mostly budget hotels. I would pick Custer (25 min away) or Hill City (40 min away) instead. We typically stay in one of the larger hotel chains like Marriott or IHG because of credit card points, and we like the included breakfast buffets (hello bottomless pits masquerading as teenagers).

We stayed two nights at the Holiday Inn Express Hill City- Mt Rushmore and it was great. Exactly what you would expect from a Holiday Inn Express and walking distance to the main drag in Hill City where all the restaurants are located. There was also a Holiday Inn Express in Custer that we looked at as well. These were my top choices in those towns.

Rapid City Hotels

Outside of Downtown

We also stayed two nights at the Residence Inn in Rapid City. I like Residence Inns in general when traveling with the family because they have a suite with 2 bedrooms, a small kitchen and most importantly- 2 BATHROOMS! And the rooms have a full kitchen, important for keeping picnic supplies and snacks for long days exploring.

You could even cook dinner in your hotel room, because they have stoves and dishes. The Residence Inn wasn’t downtown, but it was a quick 10 minute drive away since it is right by the interstate. We compromised on location for more room and a better price point, and we were really happy.

We also spent one night at the Fairfield Inn in this same area of Rapid City at the end of our trip. It was fine as well, although I liked the Residence Inn better because most of the rooms are bigger and have the full kitchens.

* Pro Tip- If you have kids that are into that kind of thing, there was a huge indoor water park (WaTiki Indoor Water Park) at this exit (exit 61 from I90) that seemed very popular. Both the Fairfield Inn and the Residence Inn are attached to the water park, but the Fairfield Inn is directly attached with rooms overlooking it whereas the Residence Inn has an indoor walkway connecting it. The Fairfield Inn also advertises the water park in its description, so it was more crowded at morning breakfast with lots of families in bathing suits.

Also gathered around this apparently super popular water park was a Home2Suites by Hilton Rapid City, a La Quinta by Wyndham Rapid City, and a Courtyard by Marriott Rapid City. I guess all those hotels right next to each other kept the prices competitive, because this little area by exit 61 off I90 had the best prices we found in the Black Hills.

In Downtown Rapid City

My choice would be the Alex Johnson Hotel, a historic hotel that’s walking distance to the restaurants and shops in Rapid City’s neat little downtown. The lobby is very cool with its Germanic Tudor vibe (as they call it) but the rooms have been updated and modernized.

It has a wonderful rooftop bar with the signature neon sign that’s a landmark for downtown. The hotel also has several suites that could fit a family up to 6 people. It is on my list for future stays in Rapid City as it looks amazing and I have heard great things about it.

Vacation Rentals Near Wind Cave National Park

If you are spending a couple of day in the Black Hills, then you might think about renting a cabin. There are literally hundreds of cabin rentals in this area at all kinds of price points so it is easier to find a VRBO than a hotel sometimes. It is nice to have a homebase — get to unpack once, more room, able to fix dinner at your lodging after a long day hiking instead of having to go back out to a restaurant, often cheaper to eat meals at your lodging too.

* A VRBO was our original plan but it didn’t work out because we had reservations at Cedar Pass Lodge at Badlands National Park in the middle of our time in South Dakota. So we had two days in the Black Hills at the beginning of our trip and two days at the end, which is why we stayed in hotels instead of a vacation rental. Next time, we will book our trip earlier and not have to plan around whatever available dates the Badlands park lodge has left. I bookmarked a lot of places I liked though.

A couple of tips to keep in mind when looking:

• some of the more remote ones with gorgeous views are on iffy gravel roads not fun in rental sedans
• check for AC if visiting during late summer and don’t want to deal with cooling down the cabin when you get back in the evenings
• consider how far you want to be from restaurants/ grocery stores/ dollar stores. They can be few and far between in the Black Hills which is great when you want to get away from it all and not so good when a kid realizes he forgot to pack something important. Ask me how I know Hill City has a Dollar General that stays open late and sells underwear.
• the price per night can vary widely throughout the year. The same cabin can be $500 a night in season and $100 a night in the off season. It means the nightly average can be way off for your specific nights.

Rentals Closest To Wind Cave

Cabin Southern Hills Serene Getaway is a cute little 2 BR/ 1 BA cabin with wonderful reviews and borders Wind Cave National Park. It is small but has gorgeous scenery and is very secluded. 5 people max and averages $200 a night.

Wind Cave Cabin – Just Wonderful is a large 3 BR/ 2 BA cabin with a hot tub and awesome views. The A- frame cabin sleeps 6 in beds and has air mattresses for up to 10. Averages $200 a night.

Rentals Near Custer

Whitetail Springs Ranch- 3 BR Log Cabin On Private Acreage w/ Personal Pond is a large cabin on 17 acres of a beef ranch. Older cabin with stone fireplace and great reviews. Sleeps 10 and averages $258 a night.

Peaceful, Private Log Home With Exceptional Views And Amenities is a large 4 BR/ 2.5 BA log cabin set on a secluded hillside in a pine forest with gorgeous views. Cute fairy garden to explore for little kids and a few miles from Custer.. Sleeps 9 max and averages $379 a night.

Farmhouse Cabin In The Black Hills (Cabin #1) is a picturesque little cabin on a goat farm with 2 BR/ 1 BA. It is a little out from Custer but located in a beautiful valley. The owners have built several of these brand new and super cute cabins near each other, but you still have a little space and your own fire pit area. Great reviews. Sleeps 7 max and $225 a night.

Rentals Near Hill City

Creekside Cabin On The Mickelson Trail is a cute little cabin (looks to be a converted mobile home) with 2 BR/2 BA. It is right by a lovely creek and the awesome Mickelson Trail so it’s very convenient for bikers. 2 minute drive into Hill City. Sleeps 6 max and averages $156 a night.

Spacious Home- Centrally Located In The Black Hills- Hot Tub, ATV is a very large 4BR/ 3.5BA home that comes with a hot tub, bikes for the nearby Mickelson Trail, and an ATV. 10 minute walk to Hill City and nice views in a more modern development. Sleeps 12 max and averages $258 a night.

Where To Eat Near Wind Cave

*We visited in the shoulder season (early October) and many places were closed already or had severely cut back on hours.

In Wind Cave National Park

There is nothing in Wind Cave itself except for basic snacks at the gift shop in the Visitor Center. There is a picnic area near the Visitor Center if you came prepared but it was down in a little shady spot and had no views. We took our snacks to one of the pullouts along the main road and ate there watching for wildlife.

Hot Springs Restaurants

In nearby Hot Springs you will find a few more options but it is a small town that looks like it was hit hard by the reduced tourism of the pandemic. It appears a few more places are opening back up so you might want to scope it out closer to your trip.

I thought Hot Springs was a picturesque town with a nice park and greenway along the creek, and I loved the old sandstone turn of the century buildings. I could definitely see going back and spending more time and even trying out the hot springs.

Although we did not actually eat here, the Upper Crust Bakery and Cafe on the main drag was recommended to us (offers breakfast and lunch and has to go baked goods like donuts). There were also a couple of ice cream places we passed that looked good to the kids (they all look good to them though!)

Restaurants In Custer

One of the larger towns in the area, Custer has quite a few restaurants on its main strip but it also has lots of tourists so can have long wait lists in season. We popped into Maria’s Mexican (recommended by our bike rental people. South Dakota Outdoor Shop, across the street). It was tasty and filling and perfect if you need to feed hungry kids fast without spending a fortune.

The most memorable meal was at The Custer Wolf, a highly recommended place serving good beer, wine and pub food. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and would go again in a heartbeat. Has a nice patio too that’s a perfect place to chill out after a long day hiking or biking.

Horatio’s Homemade Ice Cream is an awesome little place in the old bank building on the corner of Main and 6th. The ice cream was cold and delicious and the helpings were huge. It was the perfect end to a day biking on the Mickelson Trail. They also have sorbet and non- dairy ice cream so the lactose intolerant people can partake. They offer seasonal flavors like rhubarb and even bake their own waffle cones for goodness sake. Can you tell we loved this place?

Places To Eat In Hill City

Bumpin’ Buffalo Bar & Grill is a family-friendly bar basically in the middle of all the action of Main Street in Hill City. It is a busy place and one of the few still open when we visited in mid- October when I guess many places really cut back for the off season. The signature buffalo burger was pretty good, and I would go for that again. It also offers a kids meal.

Mangiamo Pizzeria is a great pizza and pasta place also on the main drag. Delicious crusts with lots of fresh toppings to choose from. We liked the build your own pizza, but you could also do pasta or salad. Has a kids meal.

Rapid City Restaurants

You will find a variety of restaurants in Rapid City’s great downtown. You could easily spend a whole day exploring the surprisingly packed Main Street and surrounding blocks. There were restaurants and art galleries, breweries and ice cream stores, as well as a nice park and greenway that ran along the river. The best was the statues of the Presidents on all the street corners, and the kids had a blast running around finding them all. Makes walking off dinner super fun!

We loved Firehouse Brewing Company in downtown Rapid City. So much so that we went twice in one week. A great casual vibe with a wide enough menu for everyone to find something they like, it has also has a large covered patio if the weather is nice. I love trying craft brews, and this is South Dakota’s oldest brewery so that was a plus for the adults and the kids liked the burgers.

Que Pasa Cantina was another good time for American style Mexican food on a fun patio enjoying lovely weather. We thought it was tasty and filling although nothing spectacular. I think it was more the cool patio than the food that we enjoyed.

Sabatino’s Italian Ristorante was a bit of travel magic for us, in that if I had known anything about the restaurant ahead of time, we probably wouldn’t have gone in as it is more upscale than what we typically look for after a day of hiking.

But one of the kids popped their head in as we walked by, they said they could seat our party of 7 right away, and it wasn’t until we were walking through the restaurant that I realized we were definitely under dressed. But they couldn’t have been nicer and the food was fantastic. Worth every penny (and it was fairly reasonably priced for good Italian). Everybody still remembers it a year later as a great family meal and that’s pretty magic.