visit mammoth cave national park

mammoth cave national park is the longest known cave system in the world. there are multiple different tours to visit mammoth cave national park. here is a guide to make sure you have the perfect visit!

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getting there

mammoth cave national park is located in south central kentucky. it is about an hour and a half drive from nashville, which makes it a perfect day trip. to read about other things to do while you’re in nashville check out this post.

mammoth cave is in central time. this is not an issue when coming from nashville, but if coming from the east it is important to remember to make sure you arrive on time for your tour.

guided tours

there are numerous different guided tours you can take to explore mammoth cave national park. a guided tour is the only way to explore the cave itself. i have been on two different tours to explore different areas of the cave.

there are some tours that are very easy and some that are more strenuous. all tours leave from the visitor center. some are walking distance that enter the “natural entrance” of the cave, while others take a short bus ride to another entrance.

there are some cool formations in mammoth cave and also some huge openings. there are so many different paths to explore you could easily book multiple tours over a few days to see all of the attractions.

i would say both tours we took were easy. they were both also very large tour groups. be prepared for at least 50 people in your tour if you are going in busy season. the tour size turned me off at first, but we had two national park rangers per group to narrate for us. having this large of a group did make the tour much slower than it could have been with smaller groups. i am assuming the more difficult tours would be a little less crowded, but am not sure about that.

you can see their tour list and times here.

visitor tips

getting tickets

be sure to book your tickets in advance. they say reservations are not required but tours do sell out and have limited availability. you can reserve online and then pick up your tickets at the visitor center.

be sure to get there early enough to explore the visitor center, pick up your tickets, and be at the meeting spot at least 15min before your tour leaves.

what to wear

while kentucky is usually very warm, inside the cave it will be chilly. be sure to bring a light jacket or sweatshirt so you don’t get too cold. both times i wore shorts and a pullover for the hike and was fine.

just be sure to take off your outer layer before coming back up to the surface so you don’t start sweating like crazy when the tour is over!

what to bring

you are not allowed to bring food or drinks other than water into the cave. i do recommend bringing snacks to be able to eat at the visitor center or on the grounds before or after your tour.

leave no trace

while it should go without saying, i’m going to say it. this cave is part of a living natural ecosystem and we are just visitors.

be sure you do not leave any trace of food or drink behind at any national park or nature destination you visit. in mammoth cave even the touch of your skin can stop the growth of stalactites or stalagmites. so please respect this natural wonder.

while we were there the bats in mammoth cave had a disease called white nose syndrome. upon leaving the cave everyone had to walk through a dish soap mixture to ensure we don’t inadvertently transmit this disease to other bat colonies. the national park service takes the safety of the wildlife seriously and so should you!

have you visited mammoth cave national park? are there any other tips you would like to share?

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