Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave is a national park with the world’s longest cave system – about 482.80 kilometers of explored passages. Mammoth Cave is at least three times larger than any other cave, with vast interior halls, bottomless pits and strange undulating rock formations.

General Information

Mammoth Caves have been used for mineral extraction since ancient times. It is a source of saltpeter for black powder. The caves are also used as hospitals for tuberculosis patients. Tourists started visiting the caves around 1810, and organized tours have been conducted since the 1930s. The area became a national park in 1926 and today attracts two million visitors a year (www.nps.gov/maca; Exit 53, off I-65; 8:45-17:15 a.m.).

The only way to see the caves is to join excellent ranger-led tours (Tel: 800-967-2283; adults $5-48). Signing up in advance is recommended, especially in the summer. Excursions range from underground walks to active and demanding cave explorations that last all day and are full of adventure. Historical tours are particularly interesting.

In addition to the caves, there are 112.65 kilometers of trails for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking through the mountains. There are three campsites with restrooms but no electricity or water ($12 to $30), 12 free sites remote from the trails, and the Mammoth Cave Hotel (Tel: 270-758-2225; www.mammothcavehotel.com; rooms $89, cottages from $79), near the visitor center. The hotel offers standard rooms and, in spring and summer, simple cottages. There’s a gas station and a convenience store near the visitor center. But frankly, we prefer to drive farther into scraggly Cave City to spend the night in giant teepees at the Wigwam Village Inn (Tel: 270-773-3381; www.wigwamvillage.com; 601 N Dixie Hwy, Cave City; teepees $40-70), which is a big piece of pure American kitsch (built in 1937).