Images of Jewel Cave National Monument – South Dakota, taken in July 2017.

Jewel Cave National Monument, established in 1908, is the third longest cave system in the world with over 180 miles of documented passageways.

This cave is a calcite wonderland, from the sharp dogtooth spar and the flat nailhead spar formations to the ornate drapery and flowstone areas, no matter where you look there is something colorful and interesting. Thus the name, Jewel Cave. But beyond all that there was one formation that stood out from all the others; the 10 foot long flowstone formation known as “Cave Bacon”. It is perhaps the most widely known feature of this cave system and is a remarkable example of this type of feature. Purposely lit from behind this thin translucent formation actually has the color and markings of a slice of bacon and is an incredible sight to see.