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If you’re going to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky just to visit the cave, you’re missing out. There’s plenty to see and do above ground, and much can be found along the park roads.
Sloans Crossing Pond
First of all, on the entrance road from Park City, you can take a short hike around Sloans Crossing Pond. A 0.4 mile trail takes you around a pond formed above a limestone depression. It’s an oasis in an otherwise dry landscape where water tends to quickly channel underground. There are some beautiful views out over the pond and the possibility to spot wildlife.
Viewpoint
Continuing along the road to the visitor center area of the UNESCO World Heritage listed cave, there’s a viewpoint that looks over a valley where several homesteads used to sit. The structures in the valley were torn down after the area became a national park in 1941, and what was once barren land is now a dense forest.
Green River Ferry
The Green River Ferry is a free car ferry that can take you across the Green River to the northern half of the park. Several miles hiking trails and campgrounds are on the other side. The ferry runs from 6am to 9:55pm. Due to time constraints, we decided to skip that part of the park for another visit.
Joppa Ridge Road
Joppa Ridge Road is a one-way gravel road that leads to KY Route 70. After finishing Joppa Ridge Road and turning right on 70, you can visit the Joppa Missionary Baptist Church. The church was founded in 1862 and a cemetery sits next to it.
Flint Ridge Road
Flint Ridge Road is a beautiful drive that heads east from the visitor center area. It’s a secondary entrance/exit to Mammoth Cave National Park. Along the road is the Mammoth Cave Baptist Church, which once served the Flint Ridge community. Once the park was established in 1941, hundreds of families sold their land and their houses were destroyed. All that remains is the church.
Next to the church is a cemetery with a few famous locals buried in it. O.P. and Margaret Shackelford were members of the church, and O.P. was a teacher who taught children how to read and write. Floyd Collins was a cave explorer who died while exploring Sand Cave.
I was also amused by the outhouse behind the church.
