Mammoth Cave
- Brian
- Nov 19, 2025
- 7 min read
It's pretty incredible that the world's largest cave system—over 426 miles of mapped passages—is in Kentucky, in the heart of the United States. This natural wonder is unlike anything else you'll see in the world, offering incredible caverns, nauseatingly tight passageways, beautiful underground waterfalls, and enormous spaces all tucked beneath equally incredibly hiking trails and other natural beauty. Visiting here will satiate your curiosity of the natural world, and leave you wondering what else could be hidden beneath us. My family and I experienced this wondrous place just a few years ago, and it's something we all still talk about.
Mammoth National Park is one unlike any other, and can easily be made into a 2 or 3 Day Quick Escape, or a longer week-long outdoor vacation if you're dedicated to exploration and hiking. Whichever you choose, I doubt you'll be disappointed.
Where Is It?
Mammoth Cave National Park is located in Kentucky not far from Bowling Green. There are several small towns nearby that you can stay in, including Park City, Cave City, and Horse Cave.
Mammoth Cave National Park Caves
My family and our friends have always loved the outdoors. We've explored many hiking trails and done many outdoor activities over the years. When we began looking for our next trip, we wanted something unique where we could still get in a few miles on hiking trails. Mammoth Cave floated to the top of our list.
None of had been visited before, which was great because we were able to share the first timer's experience together. The park area is massive, with 80+ miles of trails, amongst countless other things to do. The caves themselves, at over 426 miles long, are a place you spend a lifetime exploring and probably not be able to truly experience all of its grandeur.
When we visited, we focused on the official caves through the U.S. National Park and then augmented it with a few privately owned caves that were nearby. The National Park offers a multitude of tours through the caves. Make sure you go in with the official guides – don't even attempt to sneak in on your own.
Our favorite trail was the Big Hollow Trail South Loop. It was easily accessible from the Mammoth Cave Lodge. From here, you can get to the North Loop if you want a longer trail, and even go on to some more impressive trails such as teh Maple Springs Loop.
What's the Best Tour for Families with Small Children?
When my family and our friends visited, we collectively had five younger children, the oldest being 11 and the youngest 5. We did a lot of research before heading out on the trip. There are a lot of tour options, depending on what you want to see and level of difficulty you can manage.
There are several tours that are great for anyone with smaller children or family members that can do a little, but maybe not a lot of, stairs. Here's our recommendations based on our experiences:
Frozen Niagara Tour – This is the main tour we took. There are 64 stairs on the main path, some do get pretty steep, but since our kids go hiking a fair amount, we figured they could handle it. In the end, this tour was awesome. Some of the underground sights were incredible to see. The level of difficulty ended up being just right – not too hard, but not overly easy either. I highly recommend this tour.
Accessible Tour – If you have anyone that can't walk a lot, is in a wheelchair, or even just small kids that won't be able to handle a lot of stairs, this is a great tour. It's 1/2 mile long and takes about 2 hours, but it's pretty much flat the whole way. You still get in some great sights and will get to see and learn a lot about the cave system.
Experienced Hiker? Or Just Want More?
If you and your family are more experienced at hiking and can handle more stairs, you're in luck as well. There are plenty of tours that will give you a more in-depth caving experience. Here's our recommendations:
Domes & Dripstones Tour – This has the most stairs, by a fair amount. So be prepared for a lot of up and down throughout the 2 hour duration of this tour. It's well worth it, though, as you'll see some incredible places deep inside the cave system.
River Styx Tour – This comes close in terms of the number of stairs, but what sets this one apart is the underground rivers you'll see.
Historic (or Extended) Tour – Either of these tours is great if you want to experience more of the cave history and learn more about the explorers who have mapped them. If you've done the River Styx Tour, skip this unless you want more of a history lesson. Everything on this tour is also in the River Styx Tour.
Our Recommended 3-Day Itinerary
Over the 3 days that my family and our friends explored the Mammoth area we were able to take in a lot of great sights and create lasting memories. Here's the itinerary we followed, but feel free to adapt it to best serve you and your family.
Day 1
We drove from Cincinnati (roughly a 3 hour drive) and stayed in Cave City, a small town closest to the action while still having basic amenities like hotels, restaurants and more. We chose this because it is pretty close to the trails and the main cave entrance.
On arrival, we went to the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center (1 Mammoth Cave Parkway, Mammoth Cave, KY 42259) and started our adventure on one of the hiking trails. We ended up doing the Heritage Trail.
When it came to our tour time, we went back to the visitor center and got in line for our time. We chose the Frozen Niagara Tour (highly recommend it, especially for families with small children).
Day 2
We got up at a reasonable time, had breakfast, and headed over to Bowling Green. Here, we went to the Lost River Cave.
Lunch in Bowling Green (plenty of places within just 5 minutes of Lost River Cave to visit).
More cave exploration at the Crystal Onyx Cave.
Dinner at a local place & then rest up for the next day's fun! There's some good places (see that section below). We went to El Acapulco in Cave City and then had ice cream at Cave City Creamery.
Day 3
We took some additional time and visited Lincoln's Birthplace, which you can read about in another article.
Later in the afternoon, begin your trek home.
Privately Owned Caves & Beyond
If you've had your fill of being underground , don't fret, Mammoth has so much more to do. My family and I spent a lot of time hiking, exploring local shops, and visiting a nearby petting zoo.
Lost River Cave
The Lost River Cave just a short drive from Mammoth Cave near Bowling Green. The cave is unique in that it is filled with water and has an incredible history of its own.
Crystal Onyx Cave
There are at least 3 caves in the area called "Onyx Cave" something-or-other. But the one my family and friends have found to be incredibly unique and fun was Crystal Onyx Cave. Not only do you get to experience a pretty cool cave, but you also get to see a lot of alien statues and other unique art throughout the property. If you're up for something totally off-the-wall and fun, this is a great place.
Dinosaur World
If you or your child loves dinosaurs, this is a neat little place in Cave City. Although my family and I did not visit on our trip, I'd suggest you check out some reviews on other sites before going, as I've read mixed things on it.
Kentucky Down Under Adventure Zoo
This place is nothing short of awesome. Whether you are with a group of adults or have young kids with you, everyone will enjoy this. It's a petting zoo where the main attraction is a massive open area where you can stand right next to, and pet, kangaroos! It was a lot of fun, and the kids all loved this place.
Places To Eat
Cave City Creamery
This is a cute little coffee and ice cream shop in Cave City. We stopped here twice on our short visit, once for coffee, and once in the afternoon for ice cream. Both were great, and it's worth a stop if you're in the area.
Located at: 201 Hubbard Ln., Cave City, KY 42127
El Acapulco
This is a good Mexican restaurant in Cave City. We visited here for dinner one night and were pleasantly surprised by the quality and tastiness of the food. If you're in the mood for some south-of-the-border food, I'd suggest stopping here for lunch or dinner. It also happens to be right next door to the Mammoth Cave Wildlife Museum if you're up for a small museum dedicated to local flora and fauna.
Located at: 413 E. Happy Valley St., Cave City, KY 42127
Key Things To Know
The caves, being underground, are cool and can be damp. Even during the summer months the caves will be about 54 degrees Fahrenheit all year round, so dress appropriately.
Because of the surfaces and the nature of the walks, I highly suggest you wear hiking shoes. If you don't have any, wear some well-treadded gym shoes. Make sure they are closed-toed.
Backpacks are not permitted in the caves.
Being a national park, leave your weapons at home (yes, even if you have a concealed-carry permit).
Buy tickets in advance if you can. Some times during the year the tours can fill up and you'll end up waiting around more than you'd probably like to.
