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PARKS
Mammoth Cave National Park
Underground Tours
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| Not all tours are available in any given season. Call the park for information on what parts of the Cave will be shown during your visit. |
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| Travertine Tour | 1-1¼ hours, ¼ mile (easy) |
| Ride a bus to the Frozen Niagara entrance and view some
of the cave's finest geologic artistry, including stalactites, stalagmites,
pits and domes. Must climb 18 steps; an additional 98 steps are optional.
Designed for those who experience difficulty in walking, and those with
infants and toddlers. |
| Limit: 39 | Fee: $9 Adult,
$4.50 Youth,
$4.50 Golden Age/Golden Access |
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| Violet City Lantern Tour | 3 hours, 3 miles (strenuous). |
| Follow the path of the cave's famous explorers along a
nostalgic journey into Mammoth Cave's historic past. By the light of coal-oil
lantern, view a saltpeter mining operation, evidence of prehistoric exploration,
historic tuberculosis hospital ruins, and some of the largest rooms and
passageways in the cave. The first half-mile follows the Historic Tour
route. Do not bring flashlights. Restrooms not available. Participants
must be six years of age or older. Offered seasonally. |
| Limit: 58 | Fee: $12 Adult,
$6 Youth,
$6 Golden Age/Golden
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| Gothic Lantern Tour | 2 hours, 1½ miles (moderately strenuous) |
| Grand Avenue Tour | 4½ hours, 4 miles (very strenuous) |
| Experience the cave's geologic variety. Hike through avenues
representing four separate aspects of cave formation and discover why some
of these passages were originally named "Grand Avenue." A short bus ride
to Carmichael Entrance begins the trip. Consider your physical limitations
- must ascend and descend steep switchback trails and more than 500 stairs.
Restrooms available. Scheduled 45-minute lunch stop at Snowball Room -
lunch may be purchased at an additional charge. Age restriction: children
must be at least 6 years old to take the Grand Avenue Tour. Overlaps
a portion of the Frozen Niagara and Travertine tours. |
| Limit: 118. | Fee: $18 Adult,
$9 Youth,
$9 Golden Age/Golden Access.
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| Great Onyx Lantern Tour | 2¼ hours, 1 mile (moderately strenuous) |
| Even before the creation of this national park, the private
owners of Great Onyx Cave understood the need for stewardship. Join a Park
Ranger on a visit to Flint Ridge and Great Onyx Cave and learn how past
and present ways of treasuring these resources have come together. Must
climb and descend 20 stairs and several hills. Use lanterns to explore
this beautiful and varied cave which features stalactites, stalagmites,
helictites, and soda straws. Offered seasonally. |
| Limit: 38 | Fee: $11 Adult,
$6 Youth,
$6 Golden Age/Golden Access.
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| Making of Mammoth Tour | 2½ hours, 2½ miles (strenuous) |
| Get back to basics: discover the geologic beginnings of
Mammoth Cave and learn why it is unique throughout the world. Trip will
investigate the cave's ancient origins 325 million years ago all the way
to its ongoing formation today. This exploration of the cave's diversity
will descend to the very bottom of the cave the water table. Must descend
and climb the entrance stairway with more than 60 steps and must climb
a steel tower with more than 130 steps. If you fear heights or close places
and/or cannot climb stairs do not take this tour. Restrooms available.
Two miles of passageway overlap the Historic Tour route. Offered seasonally. |
| Limit: 60 | Fee: $8 |
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| Frozen Niagara Tour | 2 hours, ¾ mile (strenuous). |
| Descend in search of the spectacular. Ride a bus to the
entrance, explore huge pits and domes and view decorative dripstone formations,
including stalactites and stalagmites. Must descend approximately 300 steps
and navigate steep terrain. If you fear heights or close places and/or
cannot climb steps, do not take this tour. The Travertine Tour route is
included in this more strenuous tour. Restrooms not available. |
| Limit: 118 | Fee: $10 Adult,
$5 Youth,
$5 Golden Age/Golden Access
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| Discovery Tour | ½ hr. minimum, ¾ mile (moderate) |
| Visit one of the largest rooms in Mammoth Cave, explore
a large canyon passage, talk with park rangers and learn about 19th Century
saltpeter mining operations and the geologic origins of Mammoth Cave. Must
descend and climb one stairway with more than 60 steps. To get the full
picture, hike the River Styx Spring Trail or the Green River Bluffs Trail
in conjuction with this tour. Offered seasonally. |
| Unlimited availability during periods of high visitation. | Adults: $4 Adult, $2.50 Youth, $2.50 Golden Age/Golden Access
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| Mammoth Passage Tour | 1¼ hours, ¾ mile (moderate) |
| Visit the large passage referred to by early cave explorers
as “Main Cave,” whose high vaulted ceilings and broad avenues gave birth
to the cave called “Mammoth.” Park Rangers discuss the cave's creation
by water, the absence of what many people refer to as “typical” cave formations,
the cave's cultural history and contemporary environmental concerns. Visitors
must descend and climb more than 60 stairs. Must walk up a steep hill to
return to the Visitor Center. |
| Limit: 40 | Fee: $5 Adult,
$3.50 Youth,
$3 Golden Age/Golden Access.
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| Historic Tour | 2 hours, 2 miles (strenuous) |
| Visit the cave passages and learn about the rich human
history that made Mammoth Cave famous. View artifacts left by native Americans,
discover ruins of mining operations, and see evidence of early visitors,
explorers, and workers at Mammoth cave. Must descend and climb one stairway
with more than 60 steps and must climb more than 130 steps on a steel tower.
If you fear heights or close places and/or cannot climb steps, do not take
this tour. |
| Limit: 120 | Fee: $10 Adult,
$5 Youth,
$5 Golden Age/Golden Access.
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More Tours and Information
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