Wind Cave National Park – Custer County, South Dakota

There are plenty of lesser-known national parks that don’t get the same attention for wildlife viewing that places like Yellowstone do — the Midwest’s Wind Cave is one of them.

Though many visitors come here to explore the underground cave system, the park’s mixed-grass prairie lands offer abundant chances for wildlife viewing, including bison, elk, pronghorn, porcupine, and 2007-introduced black-footed ferrets, which the World Wildlife Fund called one of the most endangered mammals in North America.

Custer State Park is also a short drive away, and there are plenty of opportunities to see bison up close and personal from the park’s Wildlife Loop Road.