Mammoth Cave National Park: A Treat for Your (Inner) Child [Updated July 2023]
With spring and summer breaks fast approaching, you may be figuring out different trip options for you and your family. One National Park that is a crowd pleaser for visitors of (mostly) all ages is Mammoth Cave National Park–the longest known cave system in the world!
In our post on Wind Cave National Park, we noted that we were skeptical about visiting two cave systems in the span of a year. When we were planning our trip to Mammoth Cave, we were similarly wondering if two tours of one cave would be overkill.
However, each Park Ranger has creative liberty over their tour style, and so each had a different take on what to share. Some focused on the history of the cave’s discovery, while others on the science of how the cave was formed. The inner child in me was beyond fascinated, wondering what it would be like to be a cave explorer. The rangers truly brought the cave’s evolution to life with their narration. With more time, we probably would have tried for a third tour!
*It gets pretty dark in parts of the cave tours, almost pitch black. Both at Wind Cave and Mammoth Cave, children 5 and under didn’t seem to enjoy being in such darkness. You may want to test their tolerance at home before bringing them on the tour.
Mammoth Cave National Park: A Treat for Your (Inner) Child
- Basic Information about Mammoth Cave National Park
- Tours of Mammoth Cave National Park
- Activities at Mammoth Cave National Park
- Insider Info
- Final Thoughts on Mammoth Cave National Park
Basic Information about Mammoth Cave National Park
Located in Southern Kentucky, Mammoth Cave National Park is a relatively easy drive from Louisville or Nashville. A full day at Mammoth Cave will provide visitors with a pretty thorough experience of this national park. This makes Mammoth Cave easy to include in a long weekend itinerary if you are visiting Kentucky.
Mammoth Cave has no entry or parking fee. However, the NPS does charge for the guided tours, which are the only way for visitors to enter the cave system. NPS usually posts tour schedules 1-3 months ahead of time. Not all tours are offered year round, but a variety of tours are offered every season.
The parking lot for Mammoth Cave National Park is large. That being said, we came on a crowded day, and the parking lot was completely packed upon arrival. We drove around for at least 15 minutes before we found a spot! We recommend showing up at least 30 minute before your scheduled tour time in case you need to take a few loops of the parking lot to find a spot.
Tours of Mammoth Cave National Park
Booking Your Tour and Tickets
You are able to book tours ahead of time at Mammoth Cave. We would strongly recommend this if you are visiting on a highly touristed day, as tours may otherwise be sold out!
We’d also recommend downloading or printing your tickets ahead of time. The WiFi at the park is weak and you may struggle to download your ticket once on site.
Mammoth Cave National Park is on Central Standard Time. Louisville, where we stayed, is on Eastern Standard Time. The tour ticket actually tells you this in the fine print, though we only realized this on the drive down when the clock changed. Fortunately this worked in our favor as we thought we were going to miss our first tour!
Choosing a Tour
Regardless of the time of year you go, you’ll have a few tour options to select from. Some considerations for booking your tour(s):
- What features you see during the tour. Reading the tour descriptions, several tours cover very similar features in the main cave system. If you opt for more than one tour, you may want to look for tours that highlight different features or even different parts of the cave.
- If you can, bring a powerful hand-held flashlight with you to see the details on the walls and ceiling. Your phone’s flashlight won’t be very useful.
- Tour length / distance. This will depend on how long you are comfortable walking. You can go for a longer tour that covers as much as possible or opt for shorter tours that break everything up.
- Difficulty level. Are you comfortable walking up / down a lot of stairs? How do you feel about walking through tight spaces or bending over to walk? The tour description will note these items for you to consider before you make a reservation.
- Heed the difficulty levels! The NPS rangers said that it is not uncommon for tourists to overestimate their abilities and require rescue from the cave!
- Given the steep and slippery nature of the stairs, we recommend wearing grippy shoes. Hiking poles are not allowed in the caves unless you have a mobility issue. Park rangers will check for rubber tips on your poles, so as to avoid damaging the rock formations for future generations.
- How do you want to break up your day? Do you want to spend the full day at Mammoth Cave, exploring the caves and the park above ground? Or do you want to see just the caves and head out?
- There is a food truck onsite, though it has limited options. Consider bringing your own food for the day if you intend to spend a long time at the park.
“Domes and Dripstones” and “Historical Tour” of Mammoth Cave National Park
We personally did these tours when we visited Mammoth Cave. Visitors who are more science-brained would really enjoy the Domes and Dripstones Tour. There are some really beautiful shapes in the cave worth seeing, even if the science doesn’t excite you!
The Historical Tour offers a piece of American History you’ll never see covered in your average high school American History class. We also really enjoyed this tour and would highly recommend this tour to other visitors.
Some of the tours overlap each other in terms of which portions of the cave they highlight. Be sure to check the itinerary for each tour to avoid repetitiveness!
Volunteer Exploration Program
For those feeling brave, Mammoth Cave continues exploration and mapping via the effort of volunteers. If this is something that interests you, definitely talk to a ranger when you visit!
White Nose Syndrome
As is the case with many bat-inhabited caves throughout the US, White Nose Syndrome continues to plague bat populations. Mammoth Cave participates in programs to inhibit the spread of White Nose Syndrome, which requires visitors to walk across a spongey material soaked with an antifungal liquid.
The purpose is to disinfect your shoes from the fungus that causes White Nose Syndrome in the bat population, eventually killing them. The solution won’t damage your shoes, but will go a long way in protecting the bat population across the country!
Activities at Mammoth Cave National Park
If we had more time to spend at Mammoth Cave this trip, we had a few more activities in mind. Consider these when creating your itinerary for Mammoth Cave National Park.
- Take more than one tour. With so many tour options, you can do several with very little (or no) overlap.
- Go for a bike ride! There are biking and hiking-specific trails around Mammoth Cave National Park. While I do enjoy the comfort of a drive or going for a hike, it would have been a nice change of pace to bike for once.
- Explore some of the hiking trails; Mammoth Cave National Park has both well defined and backcountry trails. Our visit was pretty focused on cave tours, and on our next trip we will explore the area outside of the cave system, too.
- Go for a canoe / kayak / boat ride! Over 30 miles of river flow through Mammoth Cave. Traveling by river would definitely provide for a different perspective and experience of the park.
- Horseback riding above the Mammoth Cave system. You are able to bring your own horse to ride, otherwise you can reserve a ride with Double J Stables. They are noted as the only stable that can take visitors into the park by horseback.
Insider Info
As we love to do, here’s some insider info to make the most of your trip to Mammoth Cave National Park!
- Mammoth Cave National Park is on Central Time Zone.
- Buy your tickets online in advance, if possible, and download them to your phone ahead of time. WiFi in the visitor center is poor.
- Show up early to ensure you have enough time to find a parking spot.
- Heed the “strenuous” rating on the tour! It is not uncommon for visitors to overestimate their abilities and require rescue from the cave.
- Wear grippy shoes, as the stairs and ground can be slippery.
- At the end of each tour, you’re required to walk on a black spongy material containing simple cleaning solution. The solution won’t damage your shoes!
- Hiking poles are usually not allowed unless you have a mobility issue. You’ll be required to place rubber tips on the poles to avoid damage to the rock formations.
Final Thoughts on Mammoth Cave National Park
An easy drive from Louisville or Nashville, Mammoth Cave National Park has a much more manageable size compared to other national parks, allowing for a day (or even half-day) trip to explore the cave.
As the longest known cave system in the world, this treasure of the United States should be on every hiker’s bucket list. We hope you take the time to make the trip!