As you may or may not know, Mammoth cave is the world’s longest cave, with over 400 miles of passageway mapped and surveyed. Located in west-central Kentucky, Mammoth Cave is one of the most extensive cave systems on earth. Not just this, Mammoth Cave tours is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Well, in the year 1941, Mammoth Cave was established as a National Park to preserve the cave system. Not just the cave system, but the national park contributes in a great way to preserving the scenic river valleys of the Green and Nolin rivers. Also, the national park preserves the hilly karst terrain typical of south-central Kentucky.
As you may or may not be aware, you can only visit the cave system of Mammoth Cave on a tour. There is a wide range of Mammoth Cave tours that you can choose from. Below is a list of some of the most popular cave tours. Let’s start!
Types of Mammoth Cave Tours:
The Historic Tour
If you are someone excited to learn about the history of Mammoth Cave, then this tour is the ideal one for you. It is a 2-hour tour in which you get to see one of the oldest sections of the cave. It starts at the “main entrance” or the Historic entrance and throughout you get ample opportunities to learn about the history of the cave.
On the tour, you can get to explore the Bottomless Pit, Mammoth Dome, mines, Man’s Misery, Tall Man’s Misery, and more. There’s no doubt why this is one of the best Mammoth Cave tours.
Frozen Niagara Tour
If you are not up for a long tour or not quite comfortable doing a lot of walking, this is the one for you. This Frozen Niagra Tour is one of the quickest and easiest ways you can see the decorative Mammoth Cave formations.
The Frozen Niagra Tour is a great option as you’ll be able to see stalactites and stalagmites in just approximately 1.25 hours. One of the best parts of this 1.25-hour tour is Mammoth Cave’s best display of decorative formations in Frozen Niagara and the Drapery Room.
Domes & Dripstones Tour
If you liked the overview of the Frozen Niagra Tour, then there are high chances you’ll definitely go for this Domes & Dripstones Tour. Well, Domes & Dripstones Tour is very similar to the previous tour.
We say so because here also you get to see the stalactites and stalagmites in the Frozen Niagara and Drapery Rooms. However, the plus point of this tour is that you’ll be able to spend more time in the cave.
Grand Avenue Tour
As the name suggests, this Mammoth Cave tour is the longest standard tour out of all the options. It’s not named Grand Avenue Tour just for the sake of it. Well, the tour is so long in duration that they offer bathroom stops and you’ll be able to find restrooms inside the cave.
On Grand Avenue Tour, you’ll get to walk down Cleaveland Avenue, Boone Avenue, Kentucky Avenue, and more amazing spots. Last but not least, the tour will end with a visit to Frozen Niagara and the Drapery Room.
Wild Cave Tour
If you are up for some adventure in Mammoth Cave, then you should go for the Wild Cave Tour without any second thoughts.
This tour is for you only if you are comfortable with getting your clothes dirty, spending 6 hours in the dark, and dragging yourself through tight spaces. Wild Cave Tour is one of the most adventurous and strenuous Mammoth cave national tours.
Violet City Tour
The name of this tour may already seem quite fascinating to you. Let’s tell you that Violet City Tour is as fascinating in reality as it sounds.
Well, on Violet City Tour, you get to explore some of the most popular and oldest sections of Mammoth Cave. The best part is that you get to travel throughout by hand-held lantern light.
Trog Tour
If you are planning to take your kids along with you n Mammoth cave tours, then this one is the perfect option. We say so because Trog Tour allows visitors of the ages of 8 and 12 to join this tour.
This is an introduction to the Mammoth Cave tours and the perfect tour in which kids get the opportunity to worm their way through narrow passageways and tight spaces. The main highlights of the Trog Tour include the Rambo Crawl and the Duck Room.
We very well understand that so many options can be a bit overwhelming especially if you’re going on cave tours for the first time. To help you out, we researched a lot and even asked several park rangers about their favorite picks. We asked them for recommendations that they would like to give to first-time visitors to Mammoth Cave.
To sum up, we would say that the choice of the Historic Tour and Domes & Dripstones Mammoth Cave Tour is ideal. Well, these tours are a great combination because, in these tours, you get to see both ends of the cave system.
From all the aforementioned tour options, you can definitely consider going for the Violet City cave tour. Also, if you are looking for some adrenaline rush and adventure, you can definitely consider going for the Wild Cave tour.
Best Time to Visit Mammoth Cave
You can go for Mammoth Cave tours anytime during the year. Well, there are mainly two seasons of operation at the cave, which are winter and summer. Out of the two, it’s observed that the cave is crowded especially, during the summer.
It is during the spring and fall seasons that more tours are available during this time of year. As a result, the most popular time to visit the cave remains the summer for school trips and other parties.
If you are not much fond of the crowd, then you can definitely consider the winters to go for Mammoth Cave Tours. Winters here are quieter, fewer tours are offered, and also a lot fewer visitors.
So, if you look from a different perspective, winter may be the best time of year for you to visit. During the winters, temperatures stay at a constant 54°F inside of the cave, and hence, you can have a very pleasant visit during mid-winter.
Tour Schedule & Reservations
As we already mentioned above, summer and early fall seasons remain the most preferred time for people to go for Mammoth Cave tours. As a result, tours often sell out during this time of the year. Early reservations are a must and the only way you can ensure hassle-free and smooth tours.
Most people don’t know but the route availability as well as the times of the Mammoth cave tour keeps changing from time to time. The changes occur depending on the season. Hence, we would also highly recommend that you carefully review the tour schedule for the dates and other details of your trip.
It’s most likely that the park may publish the complete schedule or variety of tours 1 to 2 months prior to the tour date. Make sure you go through this information in detail before arriving at the park or while trying to reserve tickets for a tour.
How To Dress
While going for the best Mammoth Cave tours, there are some dress recommendations that you can follow. Irrespective of during which time of the year your tour is scheduled, you may wish to bring a light jacket along with you.
Based on tours scheduled during the summer or winter, we would recommend that you dress as well as carry appropriate ones depending on the temperatures.
We say so because the average temperatures near entrances of caves can vary widely especially, in winter. During the winters, the deep cave temperature can go below 54ºF (12ºC) while during the summers, the surface cave temperature can exceed 90ºF (32ºC).
Some Do’s & Don’ts
To begin with, if you are one of those visitors who have limited mobility, it’s recommended that you avoid going for selected cave tours. We say so because due to limited mobility issues, some cave tours may be too strenuous. Make sure that you carefully go through ad review respective cave tour descriptions, consider your limitations, and finally, choose specific tours to participate in.
Secondly, if you are any of your team members belong to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, you can ask for special arrangements. In most of the cave tours, assisted listening devices and sign language interpreter services are available. So, make sure that you ask and make these advanced arrangements for your tours.
Thirdly, when going for Mammoth Cave Tours, plan for adequate travel time to the visitor center. We would suggest that you arrive at your destination approximately 30 minutes before the start of your tour. This way you’ll be able to avoid the crowd and all the last-moment rush, hassle, etc. easily. This way you’ll have ample time left to find parking, pick up your physical paper tour tickets, time to use the restroom, and much more.
Last but not least, you should always stick to your group and cave tour guides. We would suggest that you avoid relying on your mobile GPS or other web-based mapping applications. We say so because often in these areas, these services often lead visitors off the track onto the wrong routes. There is a chance that you can be directed to routes requiring river crossings via ferry or onto narrow winding roads.
Conclusion:
So, with all these said, we come to the end of this guide on ‘Mammoth Cave Tours. Above, we have covered everything that you need to know about Mammoth Cave Tours. We are pretty sure that now you won’t face any trouble planning your tour. Now, as the knowledge part is over, it’s time for you to plan a tour of Mammoth Cave without any further ado.
Before we end this guide, we feel there’s one thing that you must know. There are a few things that you shouldn’t leave behind while going on these cave tours. There are things that visitors are strictly prohibited to carry with them on these cave tours.
Well, this is done in order to ensure the safety of others as well as the continued protection of Mammoth Cave. You shouldn’t leave behind things such as strollers, tripods, monopods, walking sticks, metal-framed backpacks, firearms, weapons, etc. Also, pets are not allowed on the cave tours.
Still, if you still got any queries regarding Mammoth Cave national park tours, you can always free to let us know about it. Also, if you feel there’s something that we didn’t cover in this guide, do let us know by commenting below.