I went to Mammoth Cave National Park the first time as a child with my family in the 70’s. I took my children to Mammoth in the 90’s. And I have lived within 45 minutes of Mammoth for the last 10 years. The only time during the last 10 years I was not at the Park at least monthly was during my deployment and when the government shutdown in 2013.
In all that time I have visited the cave maybe 10 times. Spelunking was the most exhilarating visit. Make sure you check out the tour offerings online https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/gocavetours.htm well before your visit and reserve a place. If you wait until your visit you will probably have a hard time getting past the cathedral.
All the other visits were spent enjoying all the other things there are to do at Mammoth.
First and foremost is the camping. Mammoth has a campground adjacent to the Visitors Center which is basic except for two sites. There are reservable as well as walk up sites. A store, showerhouse, laundry and post office are co-located at the front of the campground and there are toilet facilities in the campground. I used the access points in the campground to hike some of the trails and walk to the visitors center.
An aspect that I have just recently started exploring are the several dispersed camp sites throughout the park. These are free but you must check in at the Lodge before hiking to them. A good , waterproof map is key.
In addition at Maple Springs on the far side of the Green River Ferry ( yes, there is a cool little two car ferry) is the Maple Springs horse and group site camping area. Nice basic, shaded area with trailheads in the area.
Now that you have found your home for your stay what to do?
Kayaking/watercraft, fishing: several companies work the Green River. If you brought your own craft they will usually meet you at the Green River Ferry parking area and transport you up river for a nominal fee. Check ahead at least a day so they are tracking you and can coordinate.
Hiking, Trail Running, dirtbiking, , horse, Geocaching: My favorite trail run is from the main picnic area to the ferry, with several connectors. Just technical enough to keep you on your toes, definitely not a mountain but the hills and valleys give you good work out.
The Maple Springs Trailhead is the major access point for all things backpacking and horse back riding. It even has a handicap accessible horse “loading” area which is wheelchairs friendly.
If your going to geocache pre-save your coordinates and instructions cause there is no signal in the park. If you visit the restaurant at the lodge they have WiFi but it’s slloooowwwww. When we stay over I always try to do my site surfing first thing in the morning.
If you are dirt biking check your trails, some are limited access.
On our most recent visit we explored the new construction on the ferry trailhead. Pictures included.
Not Mammoth related or affiliated but a few things you may want to try while in the area:
http://www.kentuckywine.com/cave-valley-winery-at-park-mammoth-resort/
Guns and wine, can’t get much more Kentucky then that!
https://dinosaurworld.com/kentucky/
Dogs allowed ;)
http://kentuckydownunder.com/
Educational and fun, who knew!
http://mammothcave-adventures.com/
You will drop some green here but it is a lot of fun!
And there’s more ;) Happy Camping
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