Mammoth Cave National Park

Mammoth Cave National Park offers both the mystery of entering the world's longest known cave systems and the splendor of visiting one of the finest natural settings in Kentucky.

The mystery of Mammoth Cave can be experienced on a variety of different tours. Some are short and allow a quick peek into the cave environment near two different entrances. Others take two hours and show different sections of the cave and explore a variety of such subjects as cave archeology, prehistoric and historic exploration, geology, and cave biology. The longest regular tour requires four hours of walking to explore four and one half miles of passageway and emerges from a completely different entrance.

For the more adventuresome, off-trail caving tours using headlamps and requiring visitors to crawl and climb through the cave off the developed trails are also offered.

The Mammoth Cave National Park sits atop the Mammoth Cave plateau and is bisected by the Green River. Several short trails lead from the park's roadways to various points of interest. A system of over 70 miles of hiking trails and designated camping spots provide a more secluded experience in the park's backcountry. The Green and Nolin Rivers offer 27 miles of river for boating, canoeing, and fishing. Scenic boat rides are also available April through October. Camping, backpacking, day hiking, canoeing, and horseback riding are all available for those taking the time to explore the 53,000 acres of Mammoth Cave National Park.

Cave Tours are open year-round except Christmas. The campground is closed December to March. Reservations for both can be made up to five months in advance and are strongly recommended throughout the year. Call the park at (270) 758-2328 or (270) 758-2180 or go online to: http://www.nps.gov/maca for additional information. Click here for information on the Golden Age Pass.

Tour Descriptions

Mammoth Cave Discovery Tour - Self guided
Duration: Allow at least 30 minutes
Walking Distance: ¾ mile, round trip
Sells Out at: No Limit
Restroom Available? No
Emphasis on: Large trunk passages; variety of topics; resource protection challenges
Landmarks Seen: Natural Entrance, Narrows, Rotunda, Salt Petre artifacts, Audubon Avenue (fall/winter), Broadway Avenue (spring/summer)
Elevation Change: 140 feet
Number of Stairs: 120 - 180
Steep Hill Climbs? One, to and from cave entrance
Restrictions: General restrictions apply

Mammoth Cave Discovery Tour - Guided
Duration: 1-¼ hours
Walking Distance: ¾ mile, round trip
Sells Out at: 40 visitors
Restroom Available? No
Emphasis on: Large trunk passages; cultural history and environmental issues; current research
Landmarks Seen: Natural Entrance, Narrows, Rotunda, Saltpetre artifacts, Audubon Avenue (fall/winter), Broadway Avenue (spring/summer)
Elevation Change: 140 feet
Number of Stairs: 120 - 180
Steep Hill Climbs? One, to and from cave entrance
Restrictions: General restrictions apply

Historic Tour
Duration: 2 hours
Walking Distance: 2 miles
Sells Out at: 120 visitors
Restroom available? No.
Emphasis on: Large trunk passages; oldest tour routes; cultural history
Landmarks Seen: Natural Entrance, Rotunda, Broadway Avenue, Methodist Church, Salt Petre artifacts, Giant's Coffin, Sidesaddle Pit, Bottomless Pit, Fat Man's Misery, River Hall, Mammoth Dome, Audubon Avenue
Elevation Change: 300 feet
Number of Stairs: 440, including up 138 at Mammoth Dome
Steep Hill Climbs? Yes, trail to and from cave entrance
Restrictions: General restrictions apply

Historic Broadway Tour
Duration: 2 hours
Walking Distance: 1 3/4 miles
Sells Out at: 50 visitors
Restroom available? No
Emphasis on: Large trunk passages; oldest tour routes; cultural history
Landmarks Seen: Historic Entrance, Rotunda, Broadway Avenue, Methodist Church, Salt Petre artifacts, Giant's Coffin, Tuberculosis Huts, Gothic Avenue
Elevation Change: 160 feet
Number of Stairs: 200
Steep Hill Climbs? Yes, trail to and from cave entrance
Description: Walk a hillside trail down to Mammoth Cave's most famous entrance as you follow the path traced through nearly two centuries of touring. Experience the gently lit ambience of a large trunk passage in the world's longest cave. Discover how Mammoth Cave has intrigued countless visitors since the first human pierced its darkness nearly 4,000 years ago. Tour enters and exits at the Historic Entrance.
Restrictions: General restrictions apply.

Travertine Tour
Duration: 1 ¼ hours
Walking Distance: ¼ mile, round trip
Sells Out at: 39 visitors
Restroom Available? No
Emphasis On: Formation of cave; development of dripstone; animal life
Landmarks Seen: Frozen Niagara Entrance, Rainbow Dome, Crystal Lake, Frozen Niagara flowstone formation; Drapery Room
Elevation Change: Approximately 50 feet at Drapery Room
Number of Stairs: 13, an additional 98 are optional
Steep Hill Climbs? No, short ramp at entrance/exit
Restrictions: General restrictions apply; best suited for very slow walkers, visitors who use canes for walking support, and visitors with small children and infants

Frozen Niagara Tour
Duration: 2 hours
Walking Distance: ¾ mile
Sells Out at: 118 visitors
Restroom Available? No
Emphasis on: Deep pits; high domes; dry cave passages; dripstone area at exit; dynamic cave being carved by water; animal life
Landmarks Seen: New Entrance, Roosevelt's Dome, Silo Pit, Grand Central Station, Big Break, Fairy Ceiling, Flat Ceiling, Frozen Niagara flowstone formation, Frozen Niagara Tour Route
Elevation Change: 250 feet
Number of Stairs: 500, nearly 200 descended inside New Entrance
Steep Hill Climbs? Yes
Restrictions: General restrictions apply; backpack infant carriers not allowed inside New Entrance

Grand Avenue Tour
Duration: 4 ½ hours
Walking Distance: 4 miles
Sells Out at: 118 visitors
Restroom Available? Yes, at 1.1 miles and 2.5 miles
Emphasis On: Dramatic cave passage changes; dry cave vs. damp cave; bedrock breakdown; gypsum and dripstone formation; early exploration
Landmarks Seen: Carmichael Entrance; Cleaveland Avenue; Snowball Room; Boone Avenue; Thorpe's Pit; Mt. McKinley; Grand Canyon; Aerobridge Canyon; Hippodrome; Grand Central Station; Frozen Niagara; Frozen Niagara Tour Route
Elevation Change: 300 feet
Number of Stairs: 670
Steep Hill Climbs? Yes, both up and down! Grade changes abruptly more than 60 feet at several places between 2.5-mile point and exit
Restrictions: No children under age 6; food allowed only at Snowball Room lunch stop; general restrictions apply

River Styx Tour
Duration: 2-1/2 hours
Walking Distance: 2-1/2 miles
Sells Out at: 60 visitors
Restroom Available? No.
Emphasis on: Geologic development; water continuing to impact the cave; large trunk passages; animal life; environmental concerns
Landmarks Seen: Natural Entrance, Narrows, Rotunda, Broadway Avenue, Methodist Church, Salt Petre artifacts, Giant's Coffin, Sidesaddle Pit, Bottomless Pit, Fat Man's Misery, River Hall, Dead Sea, Lake Lethe, Mammoth Dome, Audubon Avenue
Elevation Change: 360 feet
Number of Stairs: 560
Steep Hill Climbs? Yes, trail to and from entrance
Restrictions: General restrictions apply

Star Chamber Tour
Duration: 2 ¼ hours
Walk Distance: 1 ½ miles
Sells Out at: 40 visitors
Restrooms? No.
Emphasis on: See the cave as it was seen by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Jenny Lind and other nineteenth-century notables. Leave waning sunshine behind as you enter Mammoth Cave 's Historic Entrance by lantern light. Follow the passageway taken daily by Dr. John Croghan as he tended consumptive patients in his “hospital” 160 feet underground. Gaze upward at rock layers in a room called “Star Chamber.” Follow your guide as you retrace along the oldest tour trails and exit the cave into another Star Chamber above the nocturnal Kentucky landscape.
Landmarks Seen: Historic Entrance, Rotunda, Broadway Avenue, the Church, Booth's Amphitheatre, Giant's Coffin, the Tuberculosis Huts, Star Chamber, Gothic Avenue, Signature Hall, the Bridal Altar.
Elevation Change: 160 feet
No. of Stairs: 200
Steep Hill Climbs? Yes, trail to and from entrance.
Restrictions: No flash photography; no children under age 6; general restrictions apply.

Violet Lantern Tour
Duration: 3 hours
Walking Distance: 3 miles
Sells Out at: 38 visitors
Restroom Available? No
Emphasis On: Lantern-light experience; prehistoric cave users; 19th-century tours; early cave exploration and commercial uses
Landmarks Seen: Natural Entrance; Narrows; Rotunda; Broadway Avenue; Giant's Coffin; Tuberculosis Huts; Star Chamber; Wright's Rotunda; Cataracts; Chief City; Mummy Ledge; Elizabeth's Dome; Violet City Entrance
Elevation Change: 170 feet
Number of Stairs: 160
Steep Hill Climbs? Yes, numerous hills, both up and down!
Restrictions: No flash photography; no children under age 6; only adults may carry lanterns (provided); no flashlights used, please; general restrictions apply

Great Onyx Lantern Tour
Duration: 2-1/4 hours
Walking Distance: 1 mile, round trip
Sells Out at: 38 visitors
Restroom Available? No
Emphasis On: Mammoth Cave community life from 1841 to 1941; geologic beauty of another cave in the national park; dripstone formations by lantern light; cave animals; park surface features
Landmarks Seen: Flint Ridge Road (surface drive); Great Onyx Cave entrance; several rooms of formations, including "The Nativity," large dry passage; gypsum
Elevation Change: approximately 30'
Number of Stairs: 40
Steep Hill Climbs? No
Restrictions: No flash photography; general restrictions apply

Wild Cave Tour
Duration: 6 to 6-1/2 hours
Caving Distance: 5-1/2 miles
Sells Out at: 14 visitors (reservations required)
Restroom Available? Yes, at Snowball Room
Emphasis on: Safe caving techniques; environmental concerns; cave exploration (past and present); team building
Landmarks Seen: Carmichael Entrance, Cleaveland Avenue, Split Rock, Snowball Room, Boone Avenue, various areas off developed tour trails, Frozen Niagara Tour route
Elevation change: 300 feet
Physical Challenges: Free-climbing cave walls; lengthy crawls through areas as tight as 9 inches high; walking in a crouched position; hand and knee crawls over jagged rocks and dirt; crawling through wet areas; twisting into and out of tight crawlway openings
Over-the-ankle boots with lug soles are *required* on the Wild Cave Tour.
Restrictions: • Visitors must have had their 16th birthday • An adult must accompany visitors under age 18 • High-top, over-the-ankle lace-up boots, with lug or deeply treaded soles, are required. No low-cut hiking or athletic shoes allowed. Failure to wear required footwear will result in visitor being removed from the tour prior to trip departure • No backpacks are allowed on the tour. Small fanny packs may be taken • Chest or hip measurement should not be more than 42 inches to avoid situations that impact tour for all participants • Work or climbing gloves and long pants are recommended - do not overdress • Helmets, lights and kneepads provided • Requires a minimum of 4 participants • Visitors must pick up reserved tickets 30 minutes prior to tour departure, or tickets may be sold to others • Visitors are also required to bring their lunch as food facilities will be unavailable.

Introduction to Caving Tour
Duration: 3 to 3-1/2 hours
Caving Distance: 1-1/4 miles
Sells Out at: 20 visitors (reservations recommended)
Restroom Available? No
Emphasis on: Safe caving techniques for beginners; natural cave environment; cave exploration; suitable for family groups (age restriction)
Landmarks Seen: New Entrance (280 stairs), Grand Central Station, Fox Avenue, various areas off developed tour trails, Frozen Niagara Tour route
Elevation Change: 250 feet
Physical Challenges: Similar to Wild Cave Tour, but less of it; climbing and descending cave walls; tight belly crawls; walking in a crouched position; hand and knee crawls over rough rocks and dirt; crawling over damp trail; twisting into and out of passageway openings
Over-the-ankle boots with lug soles are *required* on Introduction to Caving
Restrictions:.
• Visitors must have had their 10th birthday • An adult must accompany visitors under age 18 • High-top, over-the-ankle lace-up boots, with lug or deeply treaded soles, are required. No low-cut hiking or athletic shoes allowed. Failure to wear required footwear will result in visitor being removed from the tour prior to trip departure • Chest or hip measurement should not be more than 42 inches to avoid situations that impact tour for all participants • Work or climbing gloves and long pants are recommended - do not overdress; Helmets, lights and kneepads provided • Requires a minimum of 4 paticipants • Visitors must pick up reserved tickets 30 minutes prior to tour departure, or tickets may be sold to others.

Trog Tour
Duration: 2-1/2 hours
Caving Distance: 1 mile
Sells Out at: 12 children, ages 8 - 12
Restroom Available? No
Emphasis on: Kids, only! Connections between the sunlit world and the cave world; underground environment; animal life; exploring the world around us
Landmarks Seen: Natural Entrance, Rotunda, Broadway Avenue, Methodist Church, Giant's Coffin, Wooden Bowl Room, Ganter Avenue
Elevation Changes: 170 feet
Physical Challenges: Hiking up and down the trail to cave entrance; some crawling through dust and over rocks
Restrictions: • Children must be at least 8 years old and no older than 12 years old • Long pants and sturdy athletic shoes or hiking boots required; children's work or gardening gloves recommended • Helmets and lights provided; Child may bring soft athletic kneepads - no plastic • Parents must stay with child for first fifteen minutes of program outside; parents must be at return location ten minutes prior to end of tour • Trog Tour is not recommended for children with asthma or severe allergies to dust and molds • Requires a minimum of 4 participants • Trog Tour is best enjoyed with a friend or sibling.

Other Things to Do

Trails
The park offers backcountry, frontcountry and Visitor Center area trails. For a map of the trails, ask a ranger for a free copy of the Park Map & Guide. If you're headed into the backcountry, download the Backcountry Map and Guide at www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/upload/backcountryMap&Guide.pdf. Hikers on foot may use any trail; some trails are, however, restricted for persons on horse or bicycle; inquire at the Visitor Center.

Horseback Riding
Most backcountry trails are open to horses, and Maple Spring Group Camp has four sites with tie-offs for horses. A number of rules concern horsebackriding in the park, and these are available at www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/upload/BackcountryMap&Guide.pdf.

On the Rivers
The Green and Nolin Rivers trace through the park, offering a flood of recreational opportunities. Angle for sport fish. Canoe the rivers and camp along their shores, looking for wildlife, springs and river bluffs. Camps by the river at the Houchins Ferry Campground. Canoes and kayaks may be put in or taken out of the river at Dennison Ferry Day-Use Area, Green River Ferry or Houchins Ferry. Canoes and kayaks are available from private outfitters outside the park. Boats may be launched at Green River and Houchins Ferries. With a free Backcountry Use Permit, you can also camp on the islands or along the river floodplain.

Swimming in the park is not recommended. The current is too strong to swim against. There is no designated swimming area in the park.

Fishing in the Green and Nolin Rivers is good throughout the year - muskellunge, bluegill, catfish, bass, perch, crappie and other fish inhavit the rivers. No fishing license is required within park boundaries, but Kentucky creel and size limits do apply; obtain a free copy of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Sport Fishing Guide from the Visitor Center.

Getting Around

There is no public transportation in the park. Although the cave tours and most services are centered around the park's Visitor Center area, you should plan on driving to various locations in the park, or to services outside the park.

Green River bisect Mammoth Cave National Park, and can be crossed within the park via Green River Ferry or Houchins Ferry - two of the few operating rural ferries in America. Green River Ferry operates year-round 6am-9:55pm. Houchins Ferry operates March-November 10:15am-6pm. Ferry operations are subject to changing river levels. You may call the Ferry Hotline at (270) 758-2166 for current information.