Mammoth Cave National Park

Mammoth Cave National Park: A Majestic Underground Wonderland Just over 270 miles west of Great Smoky Mountains National Park about a 5 to 6.5-hour drive lies one of America’s most fascinating natural treasures: Mammoth Cave National Park in south-central Kentucky. As its name suggests, this park is home to the world’s longest known cave system , with over 426 miles of mapped tunnels stretching beneath the rolling hills of the Green River Valley. A Journey Beneath the Surface Mammoth Cave is a massive, labyrinthine network of caverns and passageways formed from ancient limestone and sandstone. Visitors are invited to explore its underground wonders on a variety of guided tours, ranging from easy walks through vast chambers like the Rotunda, to more physically demanding spelunking adventures that require crawling and climbing through narrow passageways. The caves are rich with geological features—stalactites, stalagmites, gypsum flowers, and towering domes. But beyond the geology,...