Mammoth Cave National Park Guide

Mammoth Cave National Park Highlights

Skip the tame procession through Mammoth's tourist-filled hollows and see the park’s wilder side on a cave tour, where you'll get down and dirty in the fascinating nooks and crannies in this enormous subterranean world. For six hours, you’ll crawl through tunnels, mud, and tiny passageways. The trip requires stamina and a love of enclosed spaces, but it’s worth the effort—if you’re not claustrophobic.
Rent a canoe or kayak to paddle the sedate Green River (so called for the reflection from the forest canopy), where you can poke around small riverside caverns and spot local fauna such as warblers, wild turkeys, herons, finches, and freshwater mussels. Get a backcountry permit to go canoe camping and fully savor the silence.
Enjoy 70-plus miles of aboveground trails, where highlights include hidden sinkholes, refreshing freshwater springs, tumbling waterfalls, and quiet wetlands. The pick of the trails are Sal Hollow and Good Spring Loop.
More than 100 species of fish live in the Green and Nolin rivers, including black bass, crappie, catfish, and bluegill. As long as you stay inside the park, you won’t need a Kentucky license to fish. Spring and summer are the best seasons, though the catch is plentiful year round.

By Travel Expert: Alistair Wearmouth