Mammoth Cave National Park
A Park in Kentucky That Shines Brightest below Ground
MY brief Floyd Collins moment came about 100 feet underground in Mammoth Cave, face-down on a rock slab. My group — 14 people on a three-hour “Introduction to Caving” tour, accompanied by two park rangers — had been crawling single-file for about 30 yards between two layers of rock, the human filling in a limestone panini, and now we were stalled.
An opening ahead was so tight that Leslie Price, our lead ranger, had told us the only way through was to turn our heads to one side — otherwise our helmets would get stuck — and blindly reach our arms forward, feel around for some ridges and pull ourselves up. Now someone was having trouble negotiating the passage. Tired of waiting on my hands and knees, I laid down on the bare rock.
“This would be a nice place to go to sleep,” came a voice from behind.
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- Original News Article
Mammoth Cave In Depth
- Mammoth Cave National Park
- Activities & Programs
- At A Glance
- At Your Fingertips
- Biking at Mammoth Cave
- Campgrounds at Mammoth Cave
- Camping at Mammoth Cave
- Caves
- Earthquakes
- Flora & Fauna
- Floyd Collins
- Geology
- History of Mammoth Cave
- In A Nutshell
- Just For Kids
- Kentucky Cave Shrimp
- Lodging & Dining
- Mammoth Cave Park Regulations
- Mummy in the Cave
- Oh, Ranger!
- Only A Day
- Preserving the Park
- Sights To See
- Trails at Mammoth Cave
- Visitor Services
- Walking & Hiking
- Welcome to Mammoth Cave
- Who's Who in the Park
- Mammoth Cave Map
- Mammoth Cave Photos
- Recent Mammoth Cave News
News from the Parks
November 21, 2008 - 10:01am
I always look forward to getting my Frommer's newsletter every week. Not only are they budget travel saavy, they inspire me to get out there no matter the weather! Here are their top five picks for cozy camping.
November 21, 2008 - 9:56am
The Nisqually Road in Mount Rainier National Park will reopen today, a day earlier than expected. The road, and the park, have been closed since Nov. 12 when Kautz Creek jumped its banks and flooded the main road into the park.
November 21, 2008 - 9:55am
Reporting from Glacier National Park -- No one knew what to expect on the trail to Grinnell Glacier one late summer morning, but a second bull moose less than an hour out was hardly a good sign. During September and October -- mating season -- it's always best to give the spindly-legged animals plenty of room.
November 21, 2008 - 9:07am
An upcoming National Park Service (NPS) rule change could greatly benefit mountain bicycling by improving the administrative process for opening trails to bicycles. IMBA has been asking the agency to revise its policies since 1992, because the current "special regulations" process is needlessly cumbersome and treats bicycles like motorized vehicles.
November 21, 2008 - 8:55am
On our recent trip to Hawaii we had a feeling that things were less busy than usual. Now there are some numbers to back up our hunch: The national parks in the state saw a drop in attendance of more than 50,000 visitors during the month of October.



