With the largest cave system in the world, Mammoth Cave National Park truly lives up to its name. This cave system is a geologic wonder made out of limestone and sandstone. It is even a UNESCO world heritage site. The caves here are expansive and many feel more like large underground tunnels rather than the claustrophobic caverns many people associate with caves. We recommend at least a ½ day visit to this park, including taking a Cave Tour, hiking some of the trails and exploring the visitors center. This park is the perfect stop if you are headed south towards Nashville as Mammoth Cave National Park is only located a couple miles off of I-65, about 1.5 hours north of Nashville.
FYI: This post is based on a trip taken in mid-November
Cave Tour
A Cave Tour is the main way to see part of the park’s underground cave system. We took the Domes and Dripstones Tour (about 2 hours) but there are many different tours that highlight various parts of the cave system. On most of the tours, you walk about a mile but this distance varies. Make sure to check out the Mammoth Cave National Park website to pick the tour that is right for you.
Tip: Reserve tour tickets well in-advance. We visited in the off season, late November, and had no problem purchasing walk-up tickets but during peak season, these tours often sell out weeks prior. If you plan to visit during peak season (late spring, summer, early fall), buy your tickets ASAP.
Hiking
There are over 80 miles of hiking trails here. Near the visitors center, there are about 7 miles worth of different short (mostly 1 mile or less round-trip) trails to explore. These trails vary with different features including sinkholes, rivers, springs, ridgetops, cave entrances and one even has a historic train engine. These trails are home to the most unique paths within the park.
Further, there are over 10 miles of forested trails on the main park roads. We hiked part of the Mammoth Cave Railroad trail which is located right on the road we took in/out of the park. We were afforded some pretty fall colors on this hike.
Looking for great hiking boots? Here are links to the ones we’ve used for 7+ years and highly recommend: Men’s Keen Waterproof Hiking Boots & Women’s Keen Waterproof Hiking Boots
Visitors Center
The visitors center here has some really nice displays and information. Take some time to walk around here, read and learn more about the park. Budget 30 minutes to an hour depending on how much you want to read/videos you want to watch.
We hope this guide helps you plan your trip to Mammoth Cave National Park. Anything you’d add to our guide? We’d love to hear your feedback and questions. Please leave us a comment!
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