Mammoth Cave National Park

Frozen Niagara flowstone formation Mammoth Cave National Park[1] is a United States National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kentucky's Caves and Lakes region. It preserves the world's longest known cave system, with over 392 miles of caves. The park was established in 1941 and currently draws nearly two million visitors annually. Understand History The cave itself is approximately fifteen million years old. Humans have been visiting the cave for approximately four thousand years, although it was only discovered by Europeans in 1797. Through 1816 the cave was mined for nitrates, used in gunpowder, but after the war of 1812 ended it was sold and cave tours became popular. With nearly two hundred years as a tourist attraction Mammoth Cave is one of North America's oldest tourist destinations. Landscape Flora and Fauna Mammoth Cave National Park is home to over 70 threatened, endangered or state listed species. More than 130 species are regular inhabitants of the caves. These species are divided almost equally among three classes of cave life: obligate cave dwellers known as troglobites, facultative species which can complete their life cycle in or out of caves (troglophiles), and those that use caves for refuge (trogloxenes). The Park has cave species and biotic cave communities that are among the most diverse in the world. Because of its diverse array of landscapes and habitats, the Park contains an extraordinary 1300 species of plants. Climate Kentucky has a moderate climate, characterized by warm, yet moist conditions. Summers are usually warm, and winters cool. An average 46 in (116 cm) of precipitation fall in spring, the rainiest season. Get in Most visitors access the park from two roadways which have interchanges with Interstate 65, one near Park City, Kentucky (KY 255) and the other near Cave City (KY 70). KY 70 also enters the park from the west side of the park, near Brownsville. No entrance fee is charged. No public transportation is available. The nearest commercial airports are in Louisville and Nashville. Fees/Permits There are no fees to enter the park. Guided cave tours, however, range in price from $5 to $48. Get around Cave tours depart from the park visitor center in buses. No public transportation is available in the area, including taxi service. Do A mammoth entrance to a mammoth cave Cave tours During the summer it is possible to explore a tiny part of the cave without a ranger, but all other areas of the cave require a ranger guide. In the summer reservations are strongly recommended as tours sell out quickly, but at other times of year it is usually possible to sign up for a tour when you arrive at the park. Frozen Niagara Tour. Offered daily, year-round. This short tour visits the most highly-decorated area of the cave, offering a chance to see cave formations including the massive "Frozen Niagara". The tour lasts for 1.25 hours and covers approximately a quarter of a mile, with a few stairs and some ducking. $10.  edit Historic Tour. Offered daily, year-round. This tour enters through the natural entrance and covers two miles of cave passages, including Fat Man's Misery, several old mining areas, Mammoth Dome, and a variety of lengthy caverns. There is a fair amount of ducking, twisting, and stair climbing during the two hour tour. $12.  edit Other activities The park offers a tremendous number of hiking trails, as well as options for boating, wildlife viewing, and general recreation. Buy Within the park there is a gift shop at the visitor center, and a store at the hotel offering gifts as well as snacks and basic supplies. Eat A restaurant is located at the Mammoth Cave Hotel. This is the only public food service within the park proper. Outside of the park, fast-food restaurants are found in Cave City (McDonald's, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Long John Silver's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen), as well as Cracker Barrel and Jerry's family-style restaurants, and three independent restaurants. More dining options are found ten miles east of Cave City in Glasgow, or 28 miles south in Bowling Green. Drink Barren and Edmonson counties are "dry," though residents of Cave City voted in November 2005 to allow liquor by the drink in restaurants only. The nearest full liquor service and sales are in Bowling Green. Sleep Motel and camping facilities are available within the park itself. National chain motels can be found in nearby Cave City and Park City. There are also Bed and breakfasts located just minutes from the park. Lodging Mammoth Cave Hotel, Phone: (270) 758-2225 is located within the park. It features 42 standard motel-style rooms, 20 more rooms in the "Sunset Lodge" near the main hotel facility, and two groups of cottages with limited facilities (open only during summer). Nightly rates range from $38 for cottages to $92 for motel rooms during the summer. A restaurant, snack bar and gift ship are on the premises. The hotel is just across a small ravine from the Visitor Center, from which all cave tours depart. A paved trail adjacent to the hotel leads directly to the Historic Entrance of Mammoth Cave. Camping Mammoth Cave National Park has several camping options. The Headquarters Campground, adjacent to the visitor center, has 109 spaces suitable for all types of RV's. No hookups are provided; a shower/toilet house is available. $16/night ($8 with Golden Age/Golden Access pass), maximum stay 14 days. Houchins Ferry Campground is a primitive 12-site campground, not suitable for RV's or trailers and accessible only by ferry. $12/night ($6 with Golden Age/Golden Access pass). Maple Springs Group Campground is located six miles from the visitor center, and features seven sites for up to 24 campers each; four sites have horse facilities. $25/night. Stay safe Wear a hard hat Get out Nashville, the home of country and gospel music (including the Grand Ole Opry), is located about 75 miles south of the park on I-65. Louisville is the home of the Kentucky Derby, the world's most famous horse race. 80 miles north of the park on I-65. Bowling Green is home of the factory where the Corvette sports car is manufactured, the nearby National Corvette Museum, and the Lost River Cave. 28 miles south on I-65. Barren River Reservoir State Resort Park features extensive boating and fishing on a man-made reservoir. A lodge and large campground are located in the park. From Mammoth Cave, take KY 70 to Cave City, KY 90 to Glasgow, then south on U.S. 31-E to the park, about 20 miles from Mammoth Cave. The park is home to the annual Glasgow Highland Games, one of the largest Scottish athletic evens in the nation. Lexington, the "Horse Capital of the World" and home to many Thoroughbred horse farms. 100 miles northeast; take I-65 north to Elizabethtown, then the Martha Layne Collins Blue Grass Parkway east to Lexington. This is a usable article. It has information about the park, for getting in, about a few attractions, and about accommodations in the park. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!