Mammoth Cave National Park
Kentucky
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
6.8 h fully dark
Crowds
low
Open today
Open
Entrance
Free entry
Elevator for Accessible Tour Out of Service
Due to mechanical issues with the cave elevator, the Accessible Tour is currently unavailable. Please check back for updates or call the visitor center at (270) 758-2180.
Temporary Closure of Select Trails for Rehabilitation Project
The Old Guides Trail, Heritage Trail, Sunset Point Trail and areas of the Sinkhole Trail are currently closed due to a trail rehabilitation project.
Tickets are required to enter Mammoth Cave
Reservations are strongly recommended. Reservations are the only way to ensure a spot is available for your party. Please plan accordingly by visiting Recreation.gov to secure your tickets in advance. Availability of walk-up tickets is not guaranteed.
Official NPS alert →Rolling hills, deep river valleys, and the world's longest known cave system. Mammoth Cave National Park is home to thousands of years of human history and a rich diversity of plant and animal life, earning it the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Region.
Topics
No entrance fee.
Hours & seasons
Mammoth Cave National Park is open 24-hours a day, although services such as cave tours and the visitor center are limited after-hours. There is no gate at the park entrance. Please note that camping is only possible either in designated campgrounds or backcountry campsites with a valid reservation or permit.
Generally open:
winterspringsummerfallHours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 2707582180
✉ maca_information@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec
Typical crowds: low
Weather now: ☀️ Clear, 83°F
☁️ 87°/68°
☁️ 89°/72°
🌧️ 88°/71°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
17%
Feb
23%
Mar
71%
Apr
65%
May
67%
Jun
89%
Jul
100%
Aug
76%
Sep
56%
Oct
53%
Nov
33%
Dec
35%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Live conditions
Things to do
Cave Tours · <p>Tour lengths vary. More information about the tour duration and distance is available by visiting the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/explore-all-tours.htm">cave tour description page</a>. </p>
Become a Mammoth Cave Junior Ranger
Explore Wildflowers at Cedar Sink · 1 mi · <p paraeid="{c6ca6972-07e0-4d77-b2f9-410a72f7fa48}{147}" paraid="743525323">This is a 1-mile (1.6 km) loop trail that begins and ends at the Cedar Sink trailhead. </p> <p paraeid="{c6ca6972-07e0-4d77-b2f9-410a72f7fa48}{173}" paraid="870707474">As Cedar Sink is located approximately 10 minutes away from the visitor center, you will need to factor travel time and parking into your schedule for the day. </p>
Viewing Park Wildlife
Attend a Ranger-led Program
Houchin Ferry to Brownsville · 3.6 mi · <p><strong>Trip Distance:</strong> 3.6 miles (5.7 km)<br /> <br /> <strong>Approximate Travel Time:</strong> 1.5 to 2 hours</p>
Nolin River Dam to Houchin Ferry · 11.1 mi · <p><strong>Trip Distance:</strong> 11.1 miles (17.8 km)<br /> <br /> <strong>Approximate Travel Time:</strong> 4 to 6 hours</p>
Green River Ferry to Houchin Ferry · 12.4 mi
Campgrounds
Houchin Ferry Campground ↗ · 12 sites
Mammoth Cave Campground ↗ · 111 sites · dump station
Maple Springs Group Campground ↗ · 7 sites · hookups
Visitor centers
Mammoth Cave Visitor Center
Accessibility
1 accessible campground(s)
49 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Mammoth Cave National Park — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to Mammoth Cave National Park — each spans a cross-park journey.
Ed Bishop
— African America History, Mammoth Cave, Black HistoryEd Hawkins
— Mammoth Cave, Mammoth Cave National Park, African AmericanFloyd Collins
— Mammoth Cave, Mammoth Cave Baptist Church, Mammoth Cave National ParkFrances Benjamin Johnston
— Women's History, Photographer, Mammoth CaveGeorge Morrison
— Mammoth Cave, Mammoth Cave National Park, CaveHenry Bransford
— Bransford, Mammoth Cave, SlaveryJenny Lind
— Mammoth Cave, Mammoth Cave National Park, SingerLady Victoria Welby
— Mammoth Cave, Women's HistoryPassport stamps
Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.
🎫 Mammoth Cave Visitor Center
Places to see
Audubon Avenue
audio
Audubon and Little Bat Avenue - Beneath Your Feet
audio
Booth's Amphitheatre - Beneath Your Feet
audio
Booth’s Amphitheatre
audio
Broadway
audio
Dennison Ferry
audio
Doyel Valley Overlook
audio
Fat Man's Misery - Beneath Your Feet
audio
Floyd Collins Homestead
audio
Frequently Asked Questions
audio
Giant's Coffin - Beneath Your Feet
audio
Good Spring Baptist Church & Cemetery
audioAudio & media
🎧 Audio Tour of Mammoth Cave ↗ · 23 mintranscript
🎧 Birds ↗ · 1 mintranscript
🎧 Green River Ferry ↗ · 1 mintranscript
🎧 Waterfall at the Historic Entrance ↗ · 1 mintranscript
🎧 Music in the cave ↗ · 2 mintranscript
🎬
🖼
Learn more
Recipients of the 2003 Environmental Achievement Awards
Recipients of the 2005 NPS Environmental Achievement Awards
Recipients of the 2010 NPS Environmental Achievement Awards
Discover the innovative and exciting programs of the recipients of the national and regional 2011 Freeman Tilden Awards for excellence in interpretation.
Since 2002, the National Park Service (NPS) has awarded Environmental Achievement (EA) Awards to recognize staff and partners in the area of environmental preservation, protection and stewardship.
Winner of the Mammoth Cave National Park's 2021 International Years of Cave and Karst art contest.
The National Park Service congratulates the regional recipients of the 2023 Excellence in Volunteerism Awards. These nominees embody the values of service, engagement, and stewardship fundamental to our national parks.
The National Park Service congratulates the regional recipients of the 2025 Excellence in Volunteerism Awards. These nominees embody the values of service, engagement, and stewardship fundamental to our national parks.
Ranger School
Park-grounded courses you can learn with the Ranger.
Clay Caves
Open →
Mammoth Cave Mobile
Open →
Park Puzzle
Open →
Shapes Of The Season
Open →
Squirrels Need A Home - or - Bats Need A Cave
Open →
Tasty Trees
Open →
Webbing The Wonders
Open →
How Mammoth Cave National Park connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
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VisitorCenter
PassportStamp
Trail
ThingToDo
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