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Mammoth Cave National Park is home to the world’s longest cave system. With several choices for exploring both beneath and above the ground, it’s a great place to spend a day or more.
Introduction to Mammoth Cave National Park
Mammoth Cave National Park encompasses Mammoth Cave, where over 426 miles of cave have been discovered so far (as of November 2024). The park was established on July 1, 1941 and it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site on October 27, 1981. It also became an international Biosphere Reserve on September 26, 1990. If you’re wondering the name of the cave refers to the size of the passageways and has nothing to do with the woolly mammoth.
The cave has seen human activity since the 3rd millennium BC, with evidence of pre-Columbian funerary practices. Native American drawings and artifacts have been discovered in accessible chambers. The first European to visit Mammoth Cave is believed to be either John Houchin or his brother Francis in 1797. It attracted international tourists throughout the 19th century.
Mammoth Cave National Park is located in Kentucky with Bowling Green as the nearest large city. If you’re in Louisville or Nashville, you can easily do a day trip. We spent one full day at the park, which covers over 52,000 acres (213.8 square kilometers). We were able to take a cave tour and spend some time exploring the park roads. Next time, we plan to do another cave tour and some more hiking.
Entrance Fees to Mammoth Cave National Park
Mammoth Cave National Park does not charge entrance fees (as of November 2024), but tickets are required for cave tours. Check the official website for more info.
Mammoth Cave Visitor Center
There’s one visitor center at Mammoth Cave National Park. It’s located in the center of the park and is open daily. You can pick up tickets for cave tours there and all tours leave from the visitor center area. There’s also a small museum about the park and cave system.
Museum
The museum has excellent information and interactive displays on the geology and history of Mammoth Cave. We learned how it was formed, that 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.
Where to Stay at Mammoth Cave National Park
There’s one lodge and a few developed campgrounds. We stayed at a motel on the outskirts of Bowling Green.
The Lodge at Mammoth Cave
The Lodge at Mammoth Cave is near the visitor center. It’s open year-round and operates a restaurant and concessions. We had a chance to walk through the lodge and grab a bite to eat.
Campgrounds at Mammoth Cave National Park
There are three developed campgrounds at Mammoth Cave National Park. Mammoth Cave Campground is the largest and can be reserved in advance for US$25 per night (as of November 2024). It has 111 sites and is located near the visitor center.
Maple Springs Group Campground is on the north side of the park and has seven sites geared towards large groups. It costs US$50 per night (as of November 2024).
Finally, Houchin Ferry Campground has 12 primitive sites near the Green River. It’s US$20 per night (as of November 2024).
In addition to those campgrounds, there are also 13 designated backcountry campgrounds only accessible by hiking or on horseback. Backcountry camping permits are required and cost US$10 (as of November 2024). They’re available for advance or same-day reservations or at the visitor center.
Activities at Mammoth Cave National Park
Cave tours, biking, horseback riding, canoeing, boating, kayaking, stargazing, and fishing are all possible at Mammoth Cave National Park. In addition, there are also about 84 miles of trails to explore. More information can be found at the visitor center.
Cave Tours at Mammoth Cave National Park
While there’s no entrance fee for Mammoth Cave National Park, cave tours are only available by purchasing tickets. I highly recommended booking your cave tour in advance. The park is open year-round, and different cave tours are offered during different seasons. We opted for the Domes and Dripstones tour.
No flash photography is allowed on cave tours, and only a bottle of water can be taken with you along with a small backpack. A light jacket is recommended because the temperatures deep inside the cave is 54°F (12°C). You should also wear good shoes and be careful walking because the cave surface can be slippery at times.
After each cave tour, all visitors are required to walk on bio-security mats. This is designed to prevent the spread of white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that affects bats.
Safety at Mammoth Cave National Park
The most important thing is to remember to check for ticks if you’ve been out hiking. Also, be careful driving because deer live in the area. Finally, swimming in the Green River is allowed but not recommended.
Domes and Dripstones Tour
There are many cave tours available at Mammoth Cave National Park, but we decided on the Domes and Dripstones tour. Why? First of all, it was one of the only tours available for booking two days before our visit. Secondly, it includes the entire route for the Frozen Niagara tour.
The Domes and Dripstones tour is about 2 hours long and runs for about ¾ of a mile. It’s listed as moderately difficult. There are 734 steps along the route, with 96 of them optional. Tickets are US$30 for adults and US$25 for kids age 6-12 (as of November 2024). Kids under 6 don’t need a ticket or a reservation.
Taking the Tour
Tours begin in the visitor center area where you board one of the buses headed to the Frozen Niagara entrance, which was discovered in the 1920s.
Once everyone is off the buses, the ranger gives a short description of the tour and explains all the rules. You then enter through a metal door and concrete shaft to descend 280 steps to the first “hall”. There, the ranger talks about how the cave was formed and answers several questions.
Next, you follow the ranger through other passages and halls until stopping briefly for another quick lecture and question and answer session.
Near the end of the tour, you finally get to see several cave formations. It’s possible to follow the ranger down an optional stairway to get closer to some of the formations. At the end, you can look down at a natural pool collecting water dripping from stalactites hanging above.
Finally, at the end of the tour, you exit through another metal door and board a bus heading back to the visitor center area. It drops you off in front of the Lodge at Mammoth Cave, where you clean off your shoes on a bio-security mat designed to prevent the spread of white-nose syndrome.
Our Thoughts on the Domes and Dripstones Tour
Overall, it was an interesting tour but with three full busloads of people it was tough to enjoy at times. Also, if you’re expecting to see spectacular cave formations throughout the entire cave, such as in Timpanogos Cave or Carlsbad Caverns, you’ll be disappointed. If you’re keen to see a very small part of the world’s longest cave and learn about how it was formed, then it’ll be a great experience.
Trail System in the Visitor Center Area
The trail system that begins just outside the Lodge at Mammoth Cave leads to a few different points of interest. It’s made up of a series of short trails that intersect with one another. It pretty much starts with the Heritage Trail, which is a ½ mile long accessible trail leading to the Old Guide’s Cemetery. You’ll run into a few other trails along the Heritage Trail.
Old Guides Trail
Near the beginning of the Heritage Trail is the Old Guides Trail. It’s only 0.1 miles long and ends at the historic entrance to Mammoth Cave. Prehistoric people first entered the cave through the very same entrance. It was rediscovered in 1797 and has attracted tourists since just after the War of 1812. This was the only entrance to the cave until 1921.
River Styx Spring Trail
From there, we turned left and followed the River Styx Spring Trail, which is 0.4 miles long. It leads down to an 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 trips 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.
Sunset Point Trail
Next, we took the fork to the left and walked up the Sunset Point Trail, which is 0.3 miles long. From one section, we were able to see the River Styx from high above.
Once we reached Sunset Point, there’s an overlook from where we could see much of the park. There’s nothing but trees for several miles in both directions.
Old Guide’s Cemetery
The Sunset Point Trail intersects with the Heritage Trail which we took to get back to the Lodge. On the way back, we stopped to see the Old Guide’s Cemetery. It probably started as a slave cemetery and only one known guide, Stephen Bishop (c. 1821-1857), is buried there. Three tuberculosis patients who came to a failed cave hospital in 1842 are also buried there. A short spur trail off the Heritage Trail leads to the cemetery.
Mammoth Cave Railroad
Finally, the Amphitheater Trail from the visitor center leads to 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 unsurprisingly connected Louisville and Nashville. It brought visitors from what is now Park City to the cave entrance.
Points of Interest Along the Park Roads
If you’re going to Mammoth Cave National Park just for 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.
Doyal Valley Overlook
Continuing along the road to the visitor center area is the Doyal Valley Overlook. It gives a look at 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 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 save that part of the park for another visit.
Joppa Missionary Baptist Church
The Joppa Missionary Baptist Church is near the end of Joppa Ridge Road, a one-way gravel road that leads to KY Route 70. The church was founded in 1862 and sits next to a cemetery.
Mammoth Cave Baptist Church
Along Flint Ridge 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 Flint Ridge Cemetery, where a few famous locals are buried. O.P. (1826-1923) and Margaret (1827-1923) Shackelford were members of the church, and O.P. was a teacher who taught children how to read and write. Floyd Collins (1887-1925) was a cave explorer who died while exploring Sand Cave. He discovered Crystal Cave on January 18, 1917.
I was also amused by the outhouse behind the church.
Besides the chance to visit the church and cemetery, 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.
