.png)
Mammoth Cave National Park - World's Largest Known Cave System
- findusintheparks
- May 17, 2022
- 7 min read
About a year ago, Dakota and I visited Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, so it has been on my mind a lot recently. Last May, we were getting quite serious about making our quest to visit all 63 national parks a priority, so we were trying to visit all the parks we could drive to first. We didn’t have a lot of expectations for Mammoth Cave, especially since we haven’t heard much about it. I’m not sure why because it is easily one of our top 8 favorites (we’re at 14 currently- woo!). It was also our first camping trip together, which you can read more about here: Camping: Why we love it. Actually, we decided to camp on a whim and I’m so glad we did because it was one of my favorite parts. After 5 o’clock, the park is so quiet. It is when all the cave tours stop for the day, and really only the people who are staying overnight in the park are left. It was a great experience.
Mammoth Cave does not have its name because mammoths were found in the cave; rather it is called Mammoth Cave for its ‘mammoth’ size. Mammoth Cave to date is approximately 420 miles long, being the longest cave system in the world. Most recently within the past few years, the last 12 discovered miles were found. Many who research and map the cave say that there is no end in sight. I can only imagine how long the cave really is, and how many other cave systems it connects to. The human-history of the cave goes all the way back to the late 1700’s when gunpowder was made in the caves for war. When Dakota and I took a tour of the cave, we actually got to see some of the material and old work tools that were used to make this happen. More famously, the gunpowder was used for the War of 1812. In 1815, Nahum Ward toured the cave, drew a new map, which ultimately made Mammoth Cave famous, with the first known cave tour happening in 1816. The cave has a lot of quirky history. In the mid-1800’s the cave changed ownership, a man (i.e., Wandering Willie) walked to the cave from Cincinnati and got lost in the cave for 39 hours, in 1851, an ‘opera diva’ came to visit the cave, but reportedly does not sing in it, in the 1920’s a new entrance to the cave was created by dynamite, which led to the discovery of new passageways, in 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), began working on major projects within the cave that lasted until 1942… I think you can see where I’m going here. Mammoth Cave has a long, and unique history. In July of 1941 Mammoth Cave was finally designated as a national park, however it does not end here. In 1981, Mammoth Cave was designated as a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve in 1990, and an International Dark Sky Park most recently in 2021. That’s a long list! There is so much that is protected at Mammoth Cave, I believe that it is most certainly looked over compared to some other parks.
Like I said, our camping trip was made on a whim. We originally planned a one-night stay through the Mammoth Cave Lodge at one of their cottages. Once we got closer to our trip, we just decided to extend it by one night to give this camping thing a try. As I said before, it was a great decision, but it was not the only reason we came to visit. Like most, our main attraction to visiting Mammoth Cave was the cave itself, of course. Mammoth Cave has many, many tours, all of which require a reservation, and is the only way you can access the cave. I'd suggest making your reservations at least a month in advance to ensure you see the tour you want (although they are all great). Oh, yeah, I should also mention that Mammoth Cave does not require a park entrance fee, however the tours are not free. Keep in mind when booking your tour that Mammoth Cave National Park is in Central Daylight Time (e.g., one hour behind Eastern Standard Time).
The nice thing about Mammoth Cave is that the majority of the popular trails, and all the tours can be accessed in the same spot of the national park. Mammoth Cave Parkway takes you directly to the Visitor’s Center, where you will check in for your tour, and where the tour will leave from. Some of the tours take place at different areas of the park that you can take a bus from with a park ranger, from the Visitor Center. On this road, you’ll also pass Mammoth Cave campground, a park store, a post office, and Mammoth Cave Lodge. The Visitor Center parking lot is quite large, however on weekends with nice weather (like when we visited), it will be very very busy. I've mentioned the Mammoth Cave Campground a few times, but note that there are other park-affiliated campgrounds scattered around the park. There are also three ferry's in the park, too. I wish we had taken one, but it's my promise to myself we'll come back someday (Sorry Dakota!).
Before discussing some other things about the park, I’ll talk about the two tours that Dakota and I did on two different occasions. Our first tour was the Historic Tour in May 2021. Due to COVID-19, this was the only tour that was available at the time, it was self-guided as well. This tour takes you through the main entrance of the cave where you can see the giant rotunda and learn about more of the history from the park. The second tour we took was in January of 2022 and is our favorite. The Gothic Avenue Tour also enters through the main cave entrance like the Historic Tour, so you’ll see part of that tour as well. In the Gothic Avenue Tour, it focuses on the history (i.e., specifically tourism from the time) from the early 1800s. This tour we actually had a park-ranger guide, and it was awesome. He was extremely knowledgeable about the park and has his own personal stories (his daughter works at the park as well and this is where she met her husband). He showed us where the CCC made pathways in the cave that we were walking on at that moment, and he even turned out all the lights so we could experience pure darkness. It was unlike anything Dakota and I have ever experienced. It was super eerie. We couldn’t imagine getting lost in the cave like some did in the past. In this part of the cave, there were signatures on the cave walls from the 1800s where many were allowed to sign the cave, for a fee of course. Out of the two, I’d highly recommend the Gothic Avenue Tour. That’s all I’ll say for now about this tour, I don’t want to spoil it for you. Unfortunately, White Noise Syndrome (WNS) (a fungal disease that is lethal to bats) was found in the cave in 2013. Because of this, you will have to wash off your shoes after leaving the cave after every tour (this is just a squishy mat that lowers roughly a half inch when you step on it; you will not have to take off your shoes, and they should not get wet enough to be of discomfort to you, at least in my experience). The park also recommends that you do not wear any shoes that you’ve previously worn in one cave, into another, thus preventing the spread of WNS.
Dakota and I hiked a few trails in the park. Our first was the Green River Bluffs Trail. This was a relatively short trail, that combines with River Styx, Dixon Cave Trail, and leads back to the backside of the Visitor Center through the *very steep* Historic Entrance Road (the same road/walkway you’ll take to the Historic Tour entrance). Although tough at the end, this trail is gorgeous, quiet, and has great views of the Green River (where many choose to kayak). We also completed parts of River Styx, and the Mammoth Dome Sink Trail. Our favorite though, was the Heritage Trail. This is an accessible trail, that offers great scenery, where we watched the sunset one night. On the way back we saw lots of deer by the trail! Actually, the whole trip we saw a lot of deer (some right behind our campsite), and lots of turkeys, and even got to see some try to mate. Another great trail is the Mammoth Cave Hike and Bike Trail, we did not get to do this one though.
When we went, there were two dining options, the Green River Grill, and Spelunkers Café and Ice Cream. They had super weird hours when we were there. It seemed like everything basically shut down after 7pm. Both of these restaurants are closed during 2022 for restorations, so plan accordingly. There is one more option, the Caver’s Camp Store, for on-the-go options that will be available. If you are not staying within the park, and you are not bringing a packed lunch, the closest options are 20-45 minutes away.
Overall, Dakota and I love Mammoth Cave. I know we say that about every park, but this one is just different. We still talk about our first experience at the park all the time. It is very peaceful, has lots of history, with great trails and chances to see wildlife, and some of that great Kentucky hospitality. I hope you get to experience it some day!
With safe travel and love,
Dakota & Kayla
All information presented in this blog has been taken directly from the National Park’s website. All opinions are my own and I do not receive any payment for them. This information and more can be found in the link below.
www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm
Comments