Robert Cetera

Explore on the kids-only Trog Tour

Duration: 2½ hours
Caving Distance: 1 ½ miles
Sells Out at: 12 children, ages 8-12
Restroom Available? No
Description: This tour offers an off-trail adventure for children ages 8–12. Begin with a short hike through the forest down to the Historic Entrance of Mammoth Cave and see how the surface and subsurface are connected. Put on your hard hat and headlamp as you travel off-trail and learn how early visitors ventured through the cave as well as how cavers safely explore today. Unlock the secrets of how the animals of Mammoth Cave survive in this dark underground world. Children will get a first hand experience of “discovering” a new world as they hike, crawl and belly slide through rarely visited sections of Mammoth Cave.
Landmarks Seen: Natural Entrance, Rotunda, Broadway Avenue, Methodist Church, Giant's Coffin, Wooden Bowl Room, Ganter Avenue
Elevation Changes: 170 feet
Physical Challenges: Hiking up and down the trail to cave entrance; some tight crawling through dust and over rocks
Restrictions: • Children must be at least 8 years old and no older than 12 years old • Long pants and sturdy athletic shoes or hiking boots required; children's work or gardening gloves recommended • Helmets, kneepads and lights provided; Child may bring soft athletic kneepads - no plastic • Parents must stay with child for first fifteen minutes of program outside and help them "suit up"; parents must be at return location ten minutes prior to end of tour • Trog Tour is not recommended for children with asthma or severe allergies to dust and molds • Requires a minimum of 2 participants • No bags permitted • Trog Tour is best enjoyed with a friend or sibling.

NOTICE:  Footwear and/or packs used on crawling activities within Mammoth Cave National Park must not have prior exposure to any cave or mine in the states listed below cited as a potential source for White Nose Syndrome. In the event potentially contaminated gear is brought, it will require a cleaning process that includes full submersion in a liquid disinfectant cleaning solution. Visitors will be required to wear park helmets, headlamps and kneepads. Visitors wishing to bring their own knee pads or additional gear such as gloves or elbow pads must bring only new sets.

The states included are: 

• Connecticut
• Deleware
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusettes
• North Carolina
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Ohio
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• West Virginia