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A lot of activities at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky can be found in the visitor center area. There’s the visitor center itself, hiking trails, and, of course, the cave tours.
After we finished the Domes and Dripstones tour, we decided to spend some time around the visitor center area.
Museum
First, we walked through the museum in the visitor center. It had excellent information and interactive displays on the geology and history of the cave. We learned how the UNESCO World Heritage listed cave was formed, how it’s still yet to be fully explored, and about the wildlife both inside and outside the cave.
It was also interesting to learn about the history of tourism at Mammoth Cave and especially about the African-American guides. The first guides and cave explorers were slaves who eventually gained their freedom. Many of their descendants continued the family guiding tradition into the early 20th century.
Hiking
Next, we decided to do some hiking on a trail system that begins just outside the Lodge at Mammoth Cave. The first point of interest along the trail was the historic entrance. Prehistoric people first entered the cave through the very same entrance. It was rediscovered by a pioneer in the late 1790s, and has attracted tourists since just after the War of 1812. This was the only entrance to the cave until 1921.
The trail then forked and we followed it to the left along the River Styx Spring Trail. It led down to the old riverboat landing on the Green River. While there’s nothing left to see but the river itself, it was interesting to learn that most visitors in the 19th century would arrive by riverboat. They would cruise from Bowling Green or Evansville on four day cruises to Mammoth Cave.
Nearby, we were able to see where the River Styx drains into the Green River. The River Styx is a semi-subterranean stream that empties from Mammoth Cave. From there, we walked down a boardwalk to see the River Styx Spring.
Next, we took the fork to the left and walked up the Sunset Point Trail. From one section, we were able to see the River Styx from high above.
Once we reached Sunset Point, we were able to look out from a viewpoint where much of the park is visible. There’s nothing but trees for several miles in both directions.
Old Guide’s Cemetery
The last section of the trail on the way back to the Lodge split and went to the Old Guide’s Cemetery. What probably started as a slave cemetery later became known as the “Old Guide’s Cemetery”. Only one known guide, Stephen Bishop, is buried there, along with a few early visitors. Three tuberculosis patients who came to a failed cave hospital in 1842 are also buried there.
Mammoth Cave Railroad
Finally, on our way to explore sights along the park roads, we stopped to take a look at some rail cars from the Mammoth Cave Railroad. In 1886, a spur line to Mammoth Cave was built on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, which connected Louisville and Nashville. It brought visitors from what is now Park City to the cave entrance.
