Caves

Beneath the dimpled surface of the park, the splendid sights of Mammoth Cave impress hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Ancient artifacts, fascinating cave critters and breathtaking mineral formations are just a few of the extraordinary sights visitors will find on tours led by National Park Service rangers. Before venturing below, however, carefully consider individual limitations and the fragile nature of the cave system. Exiting the cave in the case of a medical emergency can be very slow. Make sure to choose a cave tour that matches your physical ability. Once underground, follow all of the ranger's instructions so that the beauty of Mammoth Cave will be preserved for future generations.

The following sections contain more information on cave etiquette, availability, photo tips inside the cave and cave tours. American Park Network and the NPS strongly urges that anybody who plans to tour the cave read the following sections before entering.

Read Before Entering the Cave

lConsider your physical limitations realistically when choosing a cave tour. Some tours are not recommended for visitors who fear heights or confined spaces and/or cannot climb steps. Do not let friends or family members talk you into joining a cave tour if you feel uncomfortable about it.

lWalking sticks and canes are permitted on cave tours only when sufficient need is demonstrated.

lTripods (and monopods) can be hazardous to other visitors and may damage cave formations. Thus, they are not permitted in the cave. Photography and video recording may be restricted as well under certain conditions.

lStrollers are impractical on bumpy, narrow cave walkways and stairways and are therefore not permitted on cave tours.

lTo protect air quality, smoking is not permitted in the cave or at the cave entrance.

lThe cave temperature in interior passageways fluctuates from the mid-50s to the low 60°F year-round. Winter temperatures, however, can be below freezing at entrances! In most areas of the cave, you'll be comfortable if you wear long pants and take a sweater or jacket with you.

lHard-packed dirt trails can be somewhat rough and uneven and may be wet and slippery. You'll encounter numerous stairs and some steep inclines on many cave tours. Durable, flat-soled footwear suitable for walking is essential.

Availability

Availability of certain interpretive tours varies from season to season. Historic, Travertine and Frozen Niagara are offered all year. Discovery and other special tours are offered seasonally. Consult the seasonal tour schedule or call the park for more information on what parts of the cave will be shown during your visit.

Photo Tips For The Cave

Even though it is electrically lighted, taking photos in the cave can be tricky—especially in large caverns where the light dissipates. Ensure that your photos are picture perfect by following these tips:

lUse a flash, especially with disc, instamatic and Polaroid cameras.

lBe careful not to blind other visitors with your flash.

lUse a fast-speed film (ISO 400 or greater).

lTake photos of objects less than 12 feet away.

lHigh intensity lights attached to video cameras spoil the ambience of visiting the cave. Please use video cameras that work effectively in low light and leave attachment lights on the surface.

lAlthough you are welcome to bring your video camera into the cave, you may not use it while the tour is moving or you are walking. Film only at stops to avoid hazard to yourself and others.

Reservations

Please call the following numbers to make advance reservations, which are recommended for certain tours during peak periods.

By Phone: (800) 967-2283

By Fax: (301) 722-1174

TDD (hearing-impaired): (888) 530-9796

Online: reservations.nps.gov

Payment: Visa, Discover and MasterCard accepted. Checks and money orders through deferred payment only. Visitors who reserve using deferred payment must do so no fewer than 20 days in advance of their arrival at the park.

Call Center Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Central Time, daily.

Cancellation: All changes of reservation will be considered a cancellation and charged $1.65 per tour ticket. Cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance of the tour will not receive a refund.

Cave Tours

Frozen Niagara: Descend in search of the spectacular. Ride a bus to the entrance, explore huge pits and domes and view decorative drip-stone formations, including stalactites and stalagmites. Visitors must descend approximately 300 steps and navigate steep terrain. If you fear heights or enclosed areas and/or cannot climb steps, do not take this tour. Backpack infant carriers cannot be used on this trip. The Travertine Tour route is included in this more strenuous tour. Restrooms are not available.

Difficulty: Strenuous

Group Limit: 120

Grand Avenue: 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—you must be able to ascend and descend steep switchback trails and more than 500 stairs. Restrooms are available. There is a scheduled 45-minute lunch stop at Snowball Room; lunch may be purchased at an additional charge. Children must be at least six years old to take the Grand Avenue Tour. A portion of the Frozen Niagara and Travertine tours are overlapped.

Great Onyx Lantern: Even before the creation of this national park, the private owners of Great Onyx Cave recognized 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 preserving 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 only in the fall.

Historic: Visit the cave passages and learn about the rich human history that made Mammoth Cave famous. View artifacts left by American Indians, discover ruins of mining operations and see evidence of early visitors, explorers and workers at Mammoth Cave. Visitors 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 confined spaces and/or cannot climb steps, do not take this tour.

Guided Discovery Tour: 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, then must walk up a steep hill to return to the visitor center.

Introduction to Caving: Poke into dark, twisting tunnels and learn why people go caving, how they do it safely and what they find when they're there. Visit passages off the traditional tour routes. This tour includes stooping, bending and crawling. Helmets and lights are provided. Bring your own athletic knee pads; hard plastic kneepads are strictly prohibited. Long pants and closed-toe shoes, hightop, over-the-ankle boots with lug or deeply treaded soles are required. (Low-cut hiking boots or athletic shoes are not allowed.) Gloves are required. Restrooms are not available.

Note: Visitors must have had their 10th birthday. An adult must accompany visitors under age 18. Chest or hip measurement should be no more than 42 inches to avoid situations that impact the tour for all participants.

Making of Mammoth: Get back to the basics—discover the geologic beginnings of Mammoth Cave and learn why it is unique throughout the world. This trip will investigate the cave's ancient origins 325 million years ago to its current formation. This exploration of the cave's diversity will descend to the very bottom of the cave —the water table. Visitors 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 are available. Two miles of passageway overlap the Historic Tour route.

Travertine: Ride a bus to the Frozen Niagara entrance and view some of the cave's finest geologic artistry, including stalactites, stalagmites, pits and domes. Visitors must climb 18 steps; an additional 98 steps are optional. This tour is designed for those who experience difficulty in walking, and those with infants and toddlers.

Violet City Lantern: Follow the path of the cave's famous explorers along a nostalgic journey into Mammoth Cave's historic past. By the light of a 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 0.5-mile follows the Historic Tour route. No children under age six are permitted, nor are flashlights or cameras. Restrooms are not available.

Wild Cave: Participants must be at least 16 years old and have a chest or hip size no larger than 42 inches. Wild cavers should wear clothes that can be torn or soiled. Above-ankle boots, long-sleeved shirt and long, sturdy pants (jeans are best) are required for the trip. Kneepads are provided, but participants may bring their own. Helmets and lights are also provided, but gloves are not. The Wild Cave Tour is offered weekends year-round; weekdays are added during the summer. The tour begins at the Carmichael Entrance and winds its way to Snowball Room through a variety of passages, small openings and tight holes that participants will find interesting and challenging. A substantial amount of crawling is necessary to traverse these sections. Participants will need to bring a snack and water or plan to purchase lunch at the Snowball Room (seasonally) where the only restroom along the route is located. After lunch, the group will investigate a series of canyons—including the Cathedral Domes, a dramatic series of vertical shafts—that lead to a section that the group will navigate by climbing and crossing chasms. The tour exits through the Frozen Niagara section. The exact route will vary on each trip depending on the interest of the group, but all wild cave trips introduce visitors to safe caving techniques, cave geology, cave mapping and the history of Mammoth Cave exploration.

Note: An adult must accompany visitors under 18 years of age. High-top, over-the-ankle lace-up boots, with lug or deeply treaded soles, are required. No low-cut hiking or athletic shoes allowed.

The Trog Tour: This trip is for young people 8—12 years old. You get to visit parts of the cave no one else (no parents, anyway) gets to see. Put on a hard hat and headlamp and learn how the cave was formed, what lives in it, who has been there before you and how you can help protect it. Offered during the summer season.