Mammoth Cave National Park

Located in Hart, Barren and Edmonson counties, Mammoth Cave National Park is one of Kentucky’s “There’s Only One” attractions.

WORLD’S LONGEST CAVE SYSTEM

Mammoth Cave National Park is a park on two levels – 52,830 acres of reclaimed hardwood forest and winding waterways, and below it, the longest known cave system in the world, surveyed at 420 miles to date.  Located within a day’s drive of major population centers, it offers camping, hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, canoeing, picnicking, and cave tours.  Mammoth Cave was established as a national park in 1941, later designated a World Heritage Site in 1981, and an International Biosphere Reserve in 1990.  The Biosphere Reserve area was increased from 112,830 acres to 909,328 in 1996.

See a preview of your Mammoth Cave experience from OutsideTV:

KARST TERRAIN

In karst terrain, everything that happens on the surface affects the cave below, and activities far outside the park boundary (farms, factories, highways, and rail-lines) affect the health of the underground rivers and the delicate lifeforms they support.  Mammoth Cave’s underground watershed empties into several large springs along Green River within the park.

THE CAVE AND PEOPLE

The park preserves evidence of historic and prehistoric human activities:  stories and homes of the families (of European and African descent) who lived on the park land before 1941; and artifacts of Native American-miners, who gathered minerals from Mammoth Cave as many as 5,000 years ago.

In 2012, the Park’s 508,000 annual visitors spent $33 million at the park and and on the various things to do near Mammoth Cave.  Kentucky visitor spending in the area supports 508 jobs.

ACCESSIBLE OPTIONS

Mammoth Cave National Park offers one of the nation’s few accessible cave tours. The park also offers miles of accessible trails for families with strollers and those with disabilities alike. 

Utilizing the Elevator Entrance, this two-hour tour emerges near the famous Snowball Room. Continuing through historic Cleaveland Avenue, this tour passes through areas of the cave highly decorated with historic signatures and sparkling geological formations. This tour is ideal for people who wish to see the cave and are looking for a tour with no stairs. For more details and reservation information, go to https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/accessible-activities.htm.

For a short tour with fewer than normal steps, the 1.25 hour naturally decorated Frozen Niagara section remains one of the most famous at Mammoth Cave. This short tour offers a chance to visit this area. This tour is ideal for anyone with difficulty walking long distances or negotiating stairs. For details and reservation information go to https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/accessible-activities.htm.

There are several activities and beautiful accessible above-ground trails, too. For information go to: https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/accessible-activities.htm.

FOR TICKETS and MORE INFORMATION

For tour and ticket information about Mammoth Cave or things to do near Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, go to www.nps.gov/maca. RESERVATIONS ARE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

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