With over 52,000 acres, Mammoth Cave National Park is full of things for your family to enjoy; from spelunking to touring the caves to hiking on the many trails, or even kayaking on the river, there are so many experiences that await you.
Mammoth Cave is located about an hour and a half to the south of Louisville, KY, and from Nashville, TN, it’s about an hour and a half to the north. There isn’t any cell phone service inside the park, but there is Wi-Fi available at the visitor’s center.
This enormous playground was established as a national park nearly 80 years ago in 1941. In 1981, the World Heritage Convention chose to designate the park as a World Heritage site. During the mid 1800s, folks thought that the cave would cure tuberculosis, so a hospital was constructed within the massive caverns. There are still remnants of these buildings inside the caves. Mammoth Cave was named an International Biosphere Reserve in 1990.
There are all kinds of tours available in the cave. There are some hikes that require lanterns during the whole hike. These tours are guided, and once the doors shut, they are locked. This is in order to keep people from sneaking into other parts of the cave during the tour. To make things easier on the tour-takers, there are paved walkways throughout the cave.
On your tour, you will learn about the intriguing history of the cave system. You will be shown evidence of visitors from generations past in the form of smoke writing. People would use the smoke from their torches to write their names on the ceiling of the caves. While they look like they were written yesterday, they are actually hundreds of years old! The Mammoth Cave experience is educational for the entire group, and the learning comes disguised as a very fun adventure.
Hiking is a pleasure along any of the 84 miles of trails within the park. Some of them are wheelchair and stroller-accessible. If you’re traveling with Fido, you don’t need to leave him behind in the RV, as the outdoor trails are all pet-friendly (although they need to be leashed the entire time). Right near the visitor’s center are scenic hiking trails that offer splendid views of nature. In addition, they will lead you to the cemetery for the guides that have passed, as well as overlooks, sinkholes and springs.
If you’re spending the night in your Cruise America rental RV, there are beautiful accommodations in the area. There is no better way to visit the Mammoth Cave National Park than while camping in your Cruise America RV. The adventures are amazing, and the memories will last a lifetime.