Mammoth Cave National Park
*Mammoth Cave National Park's trails remain open for hiking, biking and equestrian use where it is possible to adhere to the latest social distancing guidelines. The Green and Nolin Rivers remain accessible for paddling, fishing and boating.
Additionally, MCNP reopened access on June 1 to the visitor center, food and beverage operations, retail sales, and self-guided cave tours inside Mammoth Cave with rangers stationed at key points along the tour. Beginning June 11, all park campgrounds will reopen.
There are caves all around the world, but none compare to Mammoth Cave! As the world’s longest-known cave system with over 400 known miles of passageways, this natural wonder and World Heritage Site should be on everyone’s list of must-have experiences. Mammoth Cave National Park is just 30 minutes from Bowling Green, Ky. and can easily be added to any Bowling Green or Kentucky vacation itinerary.
A variety of underground tours offer a glimpse at 350 million-year-old rocks and fascinating animals adapted to life in the dark. It's the second-oldest tourist attraction in America, celebrating 200 years of cave tours in 2016. You will hear remarkable stories of human history including how African Americans played a vital role in developing both cave tours and the visitor experience.
With tours designed for a mixed audience, you can take it easy with the most popular tours or get down and dirty on a wild cave tour. Full tour descriptions and the current schedule is available at our main Bowling Green Visitor Information Center as well as the Tourism Kiosk inside the National Corvette Museum, or find it online at https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/gocavetours.htm.
All tours begin and end at the new Visitor Center designed for gold-level certification as a sustainable, “green” building. Children under six are admitted free. Of course, the surreal beauty continues above ground with an abundance of activities including nature walks, bike trails, horseback riding, canoeing or kayaking down the Green River, and campfire programs.
Visitors are encouraged to purchase their tickets through the reservation system at www.recreation.gov or by phone at 877-444-6777. In past years, morning tours did not sell out. Morning tours may be the best option for people who have not made advanced reservations. Call 270-758-2180 for up to the minute tour availability information.
Oh yes, and be sure to pack a jacket if you plan to tour underground! The cave maintains the average yearly temperature of the area, so it stays around 55˚ further past the cave entrances.
*NOTE: February 24, 2014: White-nose syndrome has been found in tour routes of Mammoth Cave. Park staff discovered WNS in remote sections of Mammoth Cave including colonial hibernacula.
Tours of Mammoth Cave continue. It is important to remember the disease affects bats, not humans. Therefore, tours and research are continuing at Mammoth Cave National Park, accompanied by extensive education and outreach on WNS, and adherence to approved cleaning methods recommended by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Visitors must walk through bio-security mats as they exit cave tours.
To learn more about WNS and Mammoth Cave's efforts to limit its possible spread, visit https://www.nps.gov/maca/whitenose.htm.
Hours: Open year-round except Christmas day.
