Best Cabin Camping near Mammoth Cave National Park, KY

Been several times at different times of the year. The summer months fill up quick. Great place to visit on its own or with day trips to Mammoth Cave. Water slide, 2 pools, and other things for the kids to do during the hot summers. Karaoke, and games at night at the shelter. Food in the lodge is acceptable snacks for the pool but dont expect 4 star club food. Cabin Rentals, RV Site and Tent sites. All have a fire ring. Cabin came with a golf cart. Cabins are decent. group showers and restrooms are not that great. If I had one down side. If tent camping on the weekend bring earplugs. Durring the summer the adult beverages flow in the evening and into the night and the gas powered golf carts at 2am get annoying. Over all a great place in the summer for a close family retreat.

We were very impressed when we stopped on our road trip to visit Mammoth Caves National Park! They even had a nice area for our dog to stay while we were caving!

Mammoth Cave and the surrounding area offer many activities to suit anyone's desires. There are several competitive runs (5K and up) almost every weekend in the surrounding communities, and several are hosted in Mammoth Cave park itself. There is also the opportunity to go "caving", and you can walk through the caverns, and there are numerous hiking trails. Mammoth Cave offers tent, RV, and cabin camping - just be aware the cabins have running water, but no kitchens or air conditioning.

This is the kind of campground you can take your kids, never leave the campground, and have fun for days.  We went over a long weekend in October, with the point of the trip being to visit Mammoth Cave National Park.  The campground had activities for the kids all day Friday and Sunday.  We did arts and crafts, bingo, trick or treating, watched the golf cart parade, played on several of the different playgrounds, and putt putt golf.  

The bathhouses were very clean, campstore is well stocked.  This is a LARGE campground so renting a golf cart or bringing your bikes is recommended.  

The only downside - it is expensive. We paid almost $100/night.

The campgrounds was exceptional in quite setting , playground for the grandkids, near Green River lake, must have Ky temporary license to fish, boating, cabins rental, natural trails, campground has dumping stations, potable water, 4 shower houses, restrooms, handicap areas throughout, shaded and non-shaded areas, " cell service Verizon & AT&T Service 3 bars " depending above or below hill in camping area, water & electrical hook-up only. Over 200 sites with fire pit and pickneck tables, firewood can be purchase on site. Columbia city 20-30 minutes from campground walmart super-center, restaurants, Mexican and fast food, hardware, ATM'S, Rv repairs, automotive part stores,

We hiked the First Creek Loop Trail at Mammoth Cave National Park and backcountry camped. The campiste itself was okay. There was a fire pit and log to sit on. There were plenty of trees to hang a hammock. There was a water source, but the park ranger didn't really recommend getting and filtering water from it, and once we arrived, we could see why. You would have a difficult time actually getting down to the water as there was no real clearing or way to it. The also was a very thick, green sludge film on top of the water. So we carried in what we would need for our overnight. The campsite was decent size and away from any others, so it was nice an quiet. We did have to take a very short ferry ride in our car to get across the water.

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

We enjoyed this park so much, we are headed back! We stayed in the cute yellow with green shutter cabins nearly in the parking lot. It got hot during the day...no A/C in the cabins, but we headed underground to keep cool.

I loved the educational talks each night which was a close walk from cabins and campground. Watching the bats fly above us as the sun set during the talks was a plus.

The Visitor's Center is crowded! Tours fill up fast! So, book your tours ahead of time via the website and save yourself that headache. There are restaurants next to the Visitor's Center if you want to dine out.

I would plan for more time our next visit.   There are so many different cave tours.   We stayed in the cabins.  Nice area and the cabin was very clean with comfortable beds.   The ranger program for the kids is nice and they receive a badge when completed task in the book.  The park area was nice.   We saw deer 🦌 all evening.   No complaints.

Stayed in cabin 88 - bedbugs. Do not stay here.

When we arrived, the check in process was very easy and staff were helpful and friendly. Ice and firewood can be purchased on site. The efficiency cabin we stayed in was very clean and just perfect for 4 people. The cabin had a bunk bed and a futon bed. The kitchen had a small stove, sink and fridge. The bathroom was small but had a shower and toilet. There was a fire pit and picnic table. The jump pad was fun for the kids. The mini golf course needed a little cleaning/maintenance for the rocks and leaves on the course. The planned fall activities were so much fun for my kids. They did painting, bingo and games. All the staff we came in contact with were friendly. The cabin was situated in a convenient location to all activities. Our stay for this trip was awesome and I would recommend staying at this campground in the fall.

They are remodeling the old cabins that have been there since the early 1900s. And they look fantastic inside. The owner and the maintenance man were very accommodating. Would stay there any time when passing through. They are doing landscaping now and I expect it to look very nice when they are done.

Just had the most wonderful and relaxing couple of days with Ms Peggy “The hostess with the mostest!”  This is a private residence/little piece of Heaven. NOT A CAMPGROUND. We parked the camper in their front yard. Water and electric is available. Ms Peggy greeted us with a smile, brought us eggs, stuff to make s’mores and even invited us to sit on the porch and join her for supper. You can browse through the little antique shop and tour her adorable cabins. We were the only people there the first day but were joined by another camper and some Glampers on day two. FYI Cabins do not have bathrooms but the bathhouse is very close, clean and full of supplies if you need.  Lots of outdoor games for kids and adults as well as a train ride for the kiddos.  Lots of seating areas and fire pits. Wood provided. Could have stayed for way longer just to enjoy the peace and quiet and the company. We came as strangers and left as family! ❤️

Love this camp ground. Stayed in a cabin with Girl Scouts. Staff was friendly and helpful. Activities can be some what of a distance from each other, they do have golf carts to rent.  Pool was nice, gift shop and snack bar were great. Food was good. Shower house was clean. Over all great trip here. Loved swimming in the lake area!

Very clean well maintained campsite if not a little "tight". Camper lots are level and very near your neighbor. There's cabins of varying sizes that are very clean and compact. Lotsa things for kids to do from swimming to bouncy pad and hay rides. Best part of this Yogi park is its near Dinosaur World and Mammoth Cave which offer excellent scenery and outdoor activities.

Horrible place with very hateful, nasty owners. They lied to me on a booking website, insulted me for asking about discrepancies in what's advertised, would not describe what's inside the cabin and, because I asked questions about the place, called me bigoted stuff, called me not an American knowing I'm a US citizen, and later kept messaging me their hate on the booking site, harassing me.

Pros;

This is a simple little campground near Mammoth Cave. The owner is super nice and friendly.

It’s a small space with historic rock cabins near the road and the camp area is behind them in the yard area.

There is electric and water if you need it. We chose to stay in the more open area that was primitive.

There are 2 bathrooms and 2 showers.

We were the only ones camping so that was nice :)

Cons: It’s a small space near to the road. It feels a bit like backyard camping :)

What a cool park! Having been spelunking at small caves near home I wasn’t expecting this to be SO massive! The tour was impressive and informative. The park had more to offer than just caves though; there are many short hiking trails in the park as well. We stayed in one of the Woodland Cottages in a wooded area near the visitor center. Cabin was well maintained and nice. We checked out the campgrounds for family that was going to visit a couple months after us. Mammoth Cave campground was nice! Lots of trees seemed to give some seclusion to the large sites even though it was very busy. If we visit again, we will camp.

The Rough River Lodge , Falls of Rough , Ky no longer has a campground co-located, it was closed a few years ago when the dam was renovated. That being said there are two campgrounds Cave Creek and Axtel, in the immediate area, with the total available around the lake being 5.

The Lodge is an older building, the rooms overlook the lake. There are two cabin areas and a 2ish mile nature trail connects them with the lodge and Marina.

The area offers a small airport, boat ramp, miniature golf, beach, pool, tennis courts, small playground, picnic pavilion, and basketball court. Not much shade and just like the rest of the area busy.

We stayed here one night. It's a small campground about 35 mins from Louisville and has about 40ish sites for RVs with electric and water, some with sewage. Our site was fairly small and pretty close to other sites but it was easy enough to get into and fit our 12ft pop up without issue. They have 2 bathrooms(the one by the laundry/store is very nice!), a catch and release pond(small, but there are small bluegill and some bass), a nice playground, clean pool, store on site, and overall we had a great time. There are also several connections for wifi, and cable(we didn't try it). The staff seemed very nice. Our site without sewage was $30 plus tax, they also offer tent sites and small cabins($40-50 with air conditioning) if that's your thing. Our site was nice and shaded. We were disturbed a few times by trains in the middle of the night- otherwise it was pretty peaceful and quiet.