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Accessibility
Headquarters Campground Area - Loop D has two designated wheelchair accessible campsites. Restroom facilities are also accessible. The nearby camp store, post office and laundry facilities are also accessible. Camping facilities are available March through November.
Heritage Trail - This level offers all visitors a leisurely stroll and had been specially designed to accommodate visitors with disabilities. The trail features wheelchair turnouts, rest areas with benches, and lights for evening use. Along this trail you will find a beautiful overlook, large trees, and the historic "Old Guide's Cemetery". You can borrow a cassette tape describing the walk at the Visitor Center. The trail begins at the end of the foot bridge near the Mammoth Cave Hotel.
Hotel and Restaurant - The hotel provides access for visitor's in a wheelchair. Four fully accessible overnight accommodations and two fully accessible sets of restrooms are available.
Picnic Area - Open seasonally, the Picnic Area is minimally accessible. There are two handicapped parking spaces and picnic tables. Restrooms are not accessible for mobility impaired visitors.
Ranger Activities - Some ranger-led activities are accessible. Check out the tours before you reserve a place. The Mobility Impaired Tour and the Travertine tour are designed for those with trouble walking or otherwise physically impaired.
Visitor Center - The Visitor Center and its restrooms are accessible. One or more rangers are trained - to some degree - in sign language. Call the park ahead to find out if a sign language interpreter will be available for your tour.
Backcountry
Over a dozen campsites dot the 70+ miles of trail on the North Side. Hike here and you may not see another living soul. Seek solitude in the rugged hills and deep valleys, camp by river, lake or waterfall, explore bluffs and ridgetops. Ride horses along these backcountry trails or guide yourself on a spelunking trip into Ganter Cave. Drive the scenic routes of Houchins Ferry Road and Little Jordan Road. Seek out the Big Woods, one of the few remaining stands of old-growth timber in Kentucky. If you have a large group of friends, camp out at the Maple Springs Group Campground.
See the Camping Page for more information.
Basic Visit Recommendations
Mammoth Cave National Park was established to preserve the cave system, including Mammoth Cave, the scenic river valleys of the Green and Nolin rivers, and a section of south central Kentucky. This is the longest recorded cave system in the world with more than 336 miles explored and mapped.
Touring the cave, hiking the forest trails, canoeing, fishing, camping. Combining a cave tour with a surface hike is the best way to get the full picture of this resource.
The shortest cave tour (in season) is the Discovery Tour, 45 minutes. Guided tours last 1.25 hours to 6.50 hours. Three to four days are recommended to make a complete summer visit. CAVE TOUR RESERVATIONS ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.
Biking
Bicycles are allowed in the park on the park roads. No bicycles, roller-blades or roller skates are permitted on the trails in the park, except for the designated bicycle trail. The bike trail is a mile long gravel trail that connects Loop B of Headquarters Campground with the Carmichael and Violet City Entrance Road.
Boating
Canoes are available through liveries outside the park. Inquire at the Visitor Center. Boats may be taken in and out of the water at Green River Ferry and Houchins Ferry. Canoes may be taken in and out at Green River, Houchins and Dennison Ferries.
See the Camping Page for more information.
Camping
There are four campgrounds in Mammoth Cave National Park. They are: Dennison Ferry, Headquarters Campground, Houchins Ferry camping area, and Maple Springs Campground.
See the Camping Page for more information.
Cave Tours
See the Cave Tour Page for more information.
Fees
Park entry is free. Cave tours have varying fees. For rates at the Mammoth Cave Hotel in the park, call: 502-758-2225
Fishing
Over 30 miles of the Green and Nolin Rivers trace through the park and offer a wealth of recreational opportunities. Angle for muskellunge, bluegill, catfish, bass, perch, crappie, and other game fish.
See the Camping Page for more information.
Food and Supplies
The park concessioner operates food service and a camp store.
Hiking
There are 70+ miles of trail on the North Side. Hike here and you may not see another living soul. Seek solitude in the rugged hills and deep valleys, camp by river, lake or waterfall, explore bluffs and ridgetops. See the Hiking Page for more information
Horseback Riding
Sixty miles of trails north of the Green River (all except Ganter Cave Trail) are open for horseback riding.
See the Camping Page for more information
Lodging
Mammoth Cave Hotel offers hotel rooms, a restaurant, and gasoline station open all year. Rustic cottages, a camp store, hot showers, and a coin operated laundry are available from spring to fall. For reservations write: National Park Concessions, Inc., Mammoth Cave, KY 42259-0007.
There is accommodations outside the park in Park City and Cave City.
See the Lodging Page for more information
There are four campgrounds in Mammoth Cave National Park. They are: Dennison Ferry, Headquarters Campground, Houchins Ferry camping area, and Maple Springs Campground.
See the Camping Page for more information.
Permits & Reservations
Reservations are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED for cave tours. Those wishing to camp overnight in the backcountry must obtain a backcountry use permit (no charge) at the Visitor Center Information Desk. No permit is required for fishing in the park.
Pet Information
Pets must be on a leash and under physical restraint at all times. Do not leave pets unattended at your campsite. There is also kennels at the Mammoth Cave Hotel.
Programs, Activities
Regularly scheduled ranger-guided tours are available. Environmental Education programs for local area schools are given in spring and fall; reservations required. Elderhostel programs are conducted twice a year in cooperation with Otter Creek State Park in Louisville, KY.
See the Calendar Page for more information.
Visitor Center Area
| Phone | Dates | Hours | Programs | Facilities |
| 270-758-2328 | All Year (closed 25 Dec) | 8:00am - 5:00pm CT | Films: "Water and Stone" and "Voices of the Cave"; auditorium talks and slide presentations; exhibit on cave exploration; relief map of park; "video aquarium" | Water fountains, restrooms, Eastern National bookstore, information desk, weather reports, ticket office, boat tour concession |
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See the Calendar Page for more information.
Weather
The temperature in the cave is approximately 54° Fahrenheit. A light jacket or sweatshirt is recommended. Below ground temperatures stays more or less 54° F. The cave temperatures can fluctuate as much as 6° either way in the passageways close to the surface. Entrances may be very cold. The lower passageways are more constant.
See the Weather Page for current conditions, forecasts and other weather data.
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This site is in no way associated with the United States Government, the Department of the Interior or the National Park Service
