Mammoth Cave Weekend
I spent the weekend with L and the boys in the middle of Kentucky. We were thrilled to check off Mammoth Cave Park in our national parks list. Saturday morning we got up early and drove down to Cave City. Upon arriving in the park, we quickly checked out the visitor center before meeting our park ranger to start our 9:45 Domes and Dripstones tour. The official tour description is:
This classic tour visits areas of Mammoth Cave that have been used for nearly 100 years. This tour begins in a sinkhole, passes through huge domes, amazing breakdown, and ends in the dripstone section known as Frozen Niagara. Please note that this tour ascends and descends hundreds of stairs and several steep inclines, which can be difficult for many visitors, as there are no alternative routes. Focusing on the natural formation of the cave, this tour is ideal for people interested in science and wanting to see stalactites and stalagmites.
Our ranger was a great guide. We enjoyed every moment of hearing all of the history, maneuvering up and down the tight stairs, seeing fossils, and being transported to a beautiful underground world. Bats, cave spiders, and cave crickets all made an appearance on our journey.
After grabbing some lunch, we went back to the park for the 1:00 Historic tour. The parks service has this description:
This classic Mammoth Cave Tour visits many of the historic areas that originally made Mammoth Cave famous. Going through tunnels that humans have used for thousands of years, this tour not only explores huge rooms that gave Mammoth Cave its name, but also descends to much tighter places deep inside the cave. Please note that this tour ascends and descends hundreds of stairs and several steep inclines, which can be difficult for many visitors, as there are no alternative routes. This tour is ideal for people with an interest in history and a sense of adventure.
Our favorite parts of this tour included the Bottomless Pit, Fat Mans Misery, Tall Mans Misery, and the massive rooms inside the cave. We all agreed that we enjoyed our first tour a little more. I think this was due to the ranger on the second tour being newer and a little less knowledgeable about the cave. He didn't do as good of a job managing the group as our first ranger. I'm sure he will get better as he gains experience.
There are over 20 tours offered of the cave! One of the things we so appreciate about the national parks is that they are so inclusive. There are tours and trails for everyone no matter their age, limitations, or attention span. Pick on that appeals to you and get out there!
To end our weekend we did a 2-mile hike above ground along the Green River. This area received massive amounts of rainfall last week and we could see some of the damage that the river and flooding had caused. We also checked out the entrance to Dixon Cave (permanently closed) and snapped a few pictures.
We highly recommend this park! If you live in the Indianapolis area, it's a quick 3-hour drive and a great way to spend the weekend!