Mammoth Cave National Park
When you think about Kentucky you probably think about horse racing or fried chicken. Would it surprise you to discover that the longest known cave system in the WORLD is found in Kentucky as well? Believe it or not, that’s exactly what makes Mammoth Cave National Park so unique. We made a special stop on a recent road trip to tour this massive underground labyrinth, check out what we saw!
Discovering the History of Mammoth Cave
When you first enter the park and pass by the welcome sign, the landscape looks like any other wooden area you would see throughout the eastern United States.
We had reservations at the campground within the park where we would be staying the night in our Four Wheel Camper. We made our way to check-in and found our camp spot. We setup and enjoyed lunch in the sun while waiting for our scheduled tour time to approach.
What’s interesting about Mammoth Cave National Park is that all of the sub-surface hikes require advance reservations with a guided tour to see. What could they be hiding? It’s not like there are endless pitch black voids and bottomless pits to fall into, right?
There are many different tours available that will guide you through various parts of the cave system. Given our time constraints, we opted for the Historic Tour which took about two hours.
Check out the descriptions of some of the other tours offered at the National Parks website.
The Historic tour begins at the historic entrance to the cave and winds through a series of passageways and chambers, showcasing some of the cave's most unique and impressive geological features, such as Frozen Niagara and Grand Avenue. Along the way, knowledgeable guides share stories about the people who explored the cave and made it a popular tourist attraction. This tour is a great option for those who want to learn about the cave's history while also experiencing some of its natural beauty.
It’s not until your tour group assembles, receives it’s pre-descent briefing and the group starts to walk down a sunken trail that you get a glimpse of what this place is all about.
Tickets are checked at which point you proceed down several flights of stairs into the main entrance.
Not long after walking down a long rounded out tunnel, you come to the grand chamber you see in the pictures below.
During the War of 1812, the demand for saltpeter, a key component of gunpowder, was high, leading to the development of saltpeter mines in the cave. Slaves and free African Americans were forced to work in hazardous conditions to extract the saltpeter, which was then processed and transported to be used in weapons.
The wooden structures you may be able to make out in the bottom left of the photo are remnants of that gunpowder mining operation, which was a short-lived but significant period in the cave's history.
In the early 1800s, the tours at Mammoth Cave National Park were guided by black slaves who worked for the cave's owners. They would give these tours to visitors with just torches or lamps, and guests would have to crawl through much smaller spaces and climb down steep ladders, unlike the nicely paved pathways we were able to walk down.
At one point in the tour, the guides shut down all of the modern lighting and allowed everyone to get an idea of how dark it truly is under the earth. After a few minutes they lit an old lantern to give a feel of what the 1800’s tours would’ve been like. In all honesty it wasn’t much better than having the lights completely off. I can’t imagine willingly partaking in the same tour back in those days.
In the below picture, you can see dates and names written on the walls from almost 200 years ago.
We can’t decide if it’s better or worse to know that even that long ago, people were defacing natural wonders…
Here’s your reminder to Leave No Trace wherever you go!
After what felt like miles of walking, you get to a section called fat mans misery. Named for its tight and narrow path that leaves just enough room for your legs to squeeze through.
Other than the claustrophobic feel that this section gives, we found it interesting to look down and see the wear and tear on the rocks that millions of visitors passing through have put on the rocks. They had a very smooth and wavy look to them.
As we approached the end of the tour, we were left wanting to see more and more. The guides told us of the underground lakes and rivers that could be found in other sections of the cave system and it was so fascinating to imagine taking a boat across an underground lake within a cave.
That would have to wait for another follow up visit though, it was time to make our way up the massive staircase you see below. It must’ve been over 100 feet tall.
Looking back down from the top and seeing the scale of this place really put it into perspective, and we only saw a small fraction of what lies beneath southern Kentucky.
If you are ever in the area, or are passing even remotely close to Mammoth Cave National Park, do yourself a favor a book a tour, or several.
We can guarantee it will be one of the most interesting places you’ll ever visit!
That’s it for now!
Catch ya next time.
Taylor and Seth
Hi, we’re Seth and Taylor and we love sharing all things related to outdoor adventure!
We love anything that gets us outside — hiking, biking, backpack, road tripping, and so much more! We love sharing our adventures and hope it helps YOU get out to see more.
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