Touring Mammoth Cave National Park
With the Junior Rangers Investigative Club. (non-spooky edition)
With just a week to go until the release of The Specters of Mammoth Cave, I thought that it might be fun to provide a guidebook for some of the best things to see and do in the park from the perspective of my favorite National Park Mystery solving team. A good way to learn more about the park and the JRIC members at the same time, if you will.
This is the ‘Non-Spooky Edition,’ and since I won’t be talking about anything ghost related Rudy and Amelia are out. (They would rather be specter detecting.) But they will be involved in the spooky edition to come out later.
Rudy, Lucy, Bethany, Amelia, and Justin
Justin’s Suggestions:
“I knew that it was the longest cave in the world, but I learned there was so much more to the park, mystery around every corner.” – Justin Case.
“Only you and your sister could find mystery in an empty forest.” – Lucy Benitez.
Justin’s three suggestions are:
#1. Mammoth Cave’s Entrance Sign and Sand Cave Trail.
#2. Driving Flint Ridge Road, and 3 stops along the way.
#3. The Historic Mammoth Cave Tour.
Justin is always fascinated by the history, and the lingering mysteries of the park’s they visit. He also loves to document his visits, so he will always make sure that he and his friends stop at the entrance sign for a quick picture.
#1. There are multiple entrance signs along the way to Mammoth Cave, but Justin would recommend stopping at the one next to Sand Cave Trail, because you can take your picture (there’s even a post set up so you can set up a timed shot so the photographer isn’t left out,) and then walk the short trail nearby. It’s short, but along the way narrates some of the most important events in the story of the trapping of Floyd Collins. Which was, at it’s time, one of the most widely publicized stories in the nation and helped to kickstart the formation of Mammoth Cave National Park. You get a sweet group picture and learn about the park, it’s an obvious choice.
#2. Just before you enter the Visitor Center Parking lot, there is a right-hand turn onto Flint Ridge Road. Despite the fact that it would give anyone who gets carsick the shivers, (like Lucy) following this road allows you to continue the story of Floyd Collins, and learn more about the history of the region. A few miles down the road there’s an unassuming gravel road on the left, which is actually a road out to Great Onyx Cave. (only accessible by park service vehicles, but you can park at the entrance and walk the road.) There is even a small side trail (off to the left near the entrance gate) which takes you to an old cemetery and a marker acknowledging one of the most important families who lived and worked in the area before it became a park. (The Bransfords.) Continuing along Flint Ridge Road, you can stop at an old church and the cemetery where Floyd Collins now rests. About a mile after that is another pull off alongside another gated gravel road. Hiking this trail will take you to the Collin’s old homesite, where you can find a couple abandoned buildings dating from the time when Crystal Cavern’s operated separately from within Mammoth Cave. There’s an old entrance to Crystal Cavern here (aka Floyd Collin’s Crystal Cavern,) but currently no tours operate out of it.
Justin recommends looking into the story of Floyd Collins before traveling this road, as that will
#3. The Historic Tour is the most popular, commonly offered, and longest running tour in the park. But there is a reason this packed earth path is so well trod. If you want a grand summary of Mammoth Cave this is a great tour to take. You can see old relics of the 1800’s mining operations, some of the largest chambers in the cave, and the old Tuberculosis ward. Along the way there are more numerous historical and natural anecdotes than you can hear on a single guided tour.
Justin recommends taking this tour twice and asking lots of questions.
Justin also recommends keeping your eye out for birds everywhere above ground. “I knew someone else would recommend all the hiking and biking, but don’t forget about the birds!”
Lucy’s three suggestions are:
#1. Biking (or Hiking) the Mammoth Cave Railroad Line.
#2. Biking and Hiking the different trails on the North Side of the Park.
#3. Taking one of the Cave Crawling Tours.
#4. Boating down the Green River.
“Did you think I would just choose 3 because that was the rules?” – Lucy Benitez
#1. The Mammoth Cave Railroad is long retired, but the old path it follows is (roughly) preserved in the form of a gravel path you can bike or hike within the park. It’s great exercise! And there are lots of neat stops along the way to learn more about the cave. If you didn’t bring your mountain bike, or don’t have time or inclination to do miles upon miles of walking, there are multiple places where the road and this trail meet up (so lookout for crossings) you can park near most of the interesting sites.
Lucy recommends starting at the park city entrance and biking the whole thing, but keep in mind that she is one of the rare people who likes to fight her way uphill on a bike. She also recommends stopping at each location, “the history is interesting I guess, and reading the signs gives you something to think about while walking or peddling.”
#2. Bethany wanted Lucy to put this one on her list, (because she couldn’t fit it on her own.) But it wasn’t hard to convince her. Because there are tons of interesting trails on the northern side of the park, with lots to see. You could walk for miles! Lookout for ponds, rock formations, birds, waterfalls, and so much more! The only biking is on Big Hollow Trail, but hiking continues on First Creek Trail, Second Creek trail, Maple Springs Trail and more. There are also opportunities to ride horses on several trails in the northern side of the park, but those tours are not offered by the park themselves, so you’ll have to do your own research about who offers the tours.
Lucy recommends the Maple Spring Trail and the Second Creek trail. Just know that these take a lot more driving to find, but the hikes are worth it.
#3. There are multiple tours which give you the Cave Crawling experience. The Wild Cave Tour for older visitors, or the Introduction to Caving Tour for families and kids as young as 12, and the Trog tour for kids only. If you want to experience a true cave crawl: squeezing into tight locations, visiting small and rarely visited places, and learning more about the cave exploration techniques, these are the tours for you! These are not the tours for anyone who is claustrophobic. “You’d never catch Miguel on a tour like this.” -L.B.
Lucy recommends checking the requirements before you go. “I’m glad I brought my boots. Normally I only pack sneakers.”
#4. There aren’t really many swimming opportunities in Mammoth Cave National Park. “Why cant we swim in Sloan’s pond?” – L.B. Also Lucy: “That’s a joke. I know we’re trying to preserve the ecosystem and I don’t want to swim in algae anyway.” But you can take a canoe or kayak down the Green River, which flows right through the park. Swimming is cold, but optional. Paddling is a fun way to see the park from a different angle, literally, as you can look up at the limestone cliffs containing cave passages. You might even spot a few cave openings if you go in fall or spring.
Lucy recommends going at the right time of the year. “What do you mean that the river is flooded, so we can’t go?” – L.B.
I guess this was more of an aspirational suggestion.
Bethany’s suggestions
#1. Sloan’s Crossing Pond and trail.
#1.5. Cedar Sink and Turnhole Bend Trail.
#2. The trails near the visitor center.
#3. The River Styx Tour.
#4. The Cleveland Avenue Tour.
#5. The Frozen Niagara Tour, and the Great Onyx Cave Tour.
“If Lucy can do 4, then I can do 5! It’s my park after all!” – Bethany Caulfield. “Technically you did 6.” – Amelia Zhang
#1. Sloan’s Crossing Pond, and Trail make for a tranquil hike and a good place to meet people in the park. It’s a short boardwalk around the pond, but it is a good opportunity to see some of the nature within the park. This is also a more accessible trail if you have a harder time getting around.
“It’s one of the few places with reliable cell service, (at the time of writing) and an easy place to find on the map so it’s good for meeting people, and since you are here you might as well hike the trail!” – Bethany Caulfield. “I like to come here, sit on the bench across the pond and read.”
#1.5. There are so many trails in Mammoth Cave that it’s hard to pick. But Cedar Sink is one of the most unique. Hiking to Cedar Sink allows you to witness the scale of some sinkholes in Kentucky as you hike into an entire valley which is a sinkhole formed long ago. You also get to see an underground river which bubbles up to the surface, before sinking back into the earth. While you are here, you might as well stop at Turnhole Bend Trail too. This is a shorter trail, (but still has steps) which is also a fun way to see some smaller sinkholes, and it has a pretty good overlook above Green River and the Turnhole Bend it is named for.
Bethany recommends taking the trail between the two, (there is a trail headed uphill from Cedar Sink) but you will have to walk along the side of the road at the top to connect to Turnhole bend.
“I saw a golden eagle at the Turnhole Bend overlook.” – Justin Case.
#2 There are many winding trails near and around the visitor center. Hiking them you can find entrances to caves unconnected to Mammoth Cave. A drainage which leads directly into one of the biggest caverns in Mammoth Cave, and a few of the places where the underground rivers bubble up to the surface, and so much more! The highlights include the Mammoth Dome Sink, The River Stix outlet, and Echo River Springs, which has a parking lot near the Ferry which takes you across the Green River, and pretty nice trail with audible signs around the springs.
“I used to walk these all the time, when Ric and I lived here.” – Bethany Caulfield.
#3 The River Stix Tour takes you to. . . the River Stix. Unfortunately, there are no longer any boat tours in Mammoth Cave. (This is probably better for the fish and Cave Shrimp.) Fortunately, you can still take a tour to see the Rivers. Picking up lanterns along the way, you can walk down along a pathway above an underground waterway with unique cave species.
“Be prepared for the steps in Mammoth Dome on the way back!” – B.C.
#4 The Cleveland Avenue Tour take you to a different entrance into Mammoth Cave, the tours come in two flavors. There is a lot of geology and history to talk about along the way.
“Jenny Lind probably never ate at Jenny Lind’s table, but lots of other tourists have, Imagine being on one of those old tours. Also the geology on this tour is fascinating . . . blah blah blah rock stuff.” Bethany Caulfield as transcribed by Amelia Zhang.
#5 There are too many awesome tours to choose from! The Frozen Niagara tour, or any tour through this alternative section of Mammoth Cave, will take you to some of the best formations within Mammoth Cave. Great Onyx Cave isn’t even attached to Mammoth Cave, and yet it is an awesome cave in and of itself. There are other tours which take you through different sections of Mammoth Cave, with different levels of accessibility and difficulty. Each is interesting in it’s own way. Make your schedule and choose the one which is best for you. Just plan ahead.
“It’s too hard to choose. You should just take all of the tours.” – Bethany Caulfield. “Bethany, not everyone lives in the park.” – Lucy.
Wouldn’t it be cool if the Author of this blog could make this into a fun interactive graphic map? Oh Well. (Each of these locations should be searchable online, or in the park brochure. Anyway, this list is long enough. Even though there are so many other spectacular locations within the park. Check it our for yourself. And Check out The Specters of Mammoth Cave released September 14th, 2023!