Mammoth Cave National Park

Mammoth Cave National Park was established to preserve the cave system, which includes not only the infamous Mammoth Cave, but the scenic river valleys of the Green and Nolin rivers, and a section of south central Kentucky as well.Within Mammoth Cave National Park lies the longest, and most remarkable cave systems on earth, with over 350 miles of passageway mapped and surveyed.  Little wonder it was named Mammoth!

Even after 4,000, plus, years of eager exploration, this water-formed labyrinth still remains a mystery. It’s this fact, of course, that adds to its beauty and excitement.

A trip to the Mammoth Cave National Park could include:

•  Cave tours
• Surface hikes
• Canoeing on the Green River 
• A cruise on Miss Green River II
• Picnicking, horseback riding, bicycling, camping and more.

 What You Need to Know:

• Visitor Center Hours - Daily: 8:45 am – 5:15 pm
• Click HERE for the Summer Cave Tours Schedule.
• All cave tours and nature walks are pretty strenuous, so be sure you’re up to a particular tour before setting off.  Ask questions, the rangers can let you know exactly what will be involved. 
• Trails can be slick, so be certain to wear appropriate shoes.  All tours have a strict policy requiring the visitors to wear shirts and shoes.
• Camera tripods and monopods, child strollers and infant backpack carriers are prohibited in the cave for visitor safety.
• For further safety advice and tips, be sure to read the literature available at the park.  Most of it’s common sense, but read it all to be on the “safe side,” literally.
• For all the information you could possibly ask for about Mammoth Cave National Park, Visit http://www.nps.gov/maca/

Did You Know?

• Early guide Stephen Bishop called the cave a “grand, gloomy and peculiar place.“
• Mammoth Cave is the world’s longest known cave. As for the competition, if the second and third longest caves in the world were joined together, Mammoth Cave would still be the planet’s longest cave.  But that’s not all, there’d be over 100 miles left over!