National Park Week 2024 Day 2 – Mammoth Cave National Park!

If you like caves, you have to visit Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky!

We got to the Visitor’s Center about half an hour before our tour time as they suggested. While we wait for the tour, we checked out the exhibit to learn more about the cave system.

Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system that has been explored at over 400 miles, but who knows how much more is yet to be discovered. In addition, there is a huge 52,000+ acre area of mountains and rivers on the surface above the caves that are perfect for hiking and other outdoor activities. There is such a diverse plant and animal ecosystem that the park is designated as a UNESCO Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. It was established as a National Park in 1941 but it was believed to be discovered by natives over 4000 years ago.

There are several different tours of varying lengths and difficulties to explore different areas of the cave system. You can’t go down there on your own, so make sure to go to their site and reserve one in advance if you want to see the caves. Some popular ones will sell out.

We did the main Mammoth Passage tour, which was about an hour visit to the main rooms of the system. It gave us a neat view of the core area and our guide gave us good information about the caves as we walked along.

That was a very cool visit! After the tour, we finished going through the exhibits and gift shop in the Visitor’s Center before heading out. Definitely add Mammoth Cave National Park to your travel list. Be sure to reserve a cave tour in advance since they can sell out.

If you like caves, check out our visit to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. That was a really cool one too!

Feel free to contact me if you would like to chat about planning a National Park trip.