Mammoth Cave National Park

A crowd explores Mammoth Caves on the Historic Tour.

More than 30 miles of the Green and Nolin rivers course through Mammoth Cave National Park.

Canyon-walking, belly-crawling and rock-climbing are a few of the skills needed to explore the cave.

Mammoth Cave National Park covers 52,830 acres in south central Kentucky. It is the longest known cave in the world; 367 miles of its passageways have been mapped and surveyed to date.

Ancient artifacts indicate that people began venturing into the cave as early as 4,000 years ago. In the early 1800s, slaves and others mined saltpeter in the cave. Public tours began in 1816 and the area won national park status in 1941.

In this vast subterranean world, there are giant vertical shafts, underground rivers, eyeless fish and blind beetles. Ten miles of trails in the cave are developed for tours.

In the surface world of oak-hickory forests and meandering rivers, 80 miles of trails offer hiking, backpacking and backcountry camping. Camping in the backcountry requires a free permit.

There are nine miles of bicycle trails and most trails north of the Green River are open for horseback riding. The Green and Nolin rivers offer canoeing and fishing.

The park has a developed campground near the visitor center and two rustic campgrounds; one is for groups only and requires reservations.

Some of the park's facilities are wheelchair-accessible.

There is no entrance fee to the park, but fees are charged for cave tours and camping.