|
Contact: Vickie Carson, 270-758-2192
MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky., January 10, 2018 – Mammoth Cave National Park will offer two free Mammoth Passage cave tours and one free Historic cave tour on Monday, January 15, 2018, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Space is limited to 120 tickets for the 10:30 Historic tour, and 70 ticket for each of the 9:30 and 12:30 Mammoth Passage tours.
Participants must pick up a free ticket in the visitor center on January 15 before going on these tours. The visitor center opens at 8:30 a.m. Both tours depart from the Mammoth Cave Lodge Rotunda Room and require a walk down and up the steep hill below the visitor center.
Mammoth Passage Tours will depart from the Mammoth Cave Lodge's Rotunda Room at 9:30 and 12:30 (Central Time) for those who have previously picked up a ticket at the visitor center. Anyone without a ticket at the 9:30 and 12:30 departure times will not be allowed on the tour. The ¾-mile, 1¼-hour Mammoth Passage tour is limited to 70 people. Visit the Rotunda, one of the largest rooms, explore a vast canyon passageway, and learn about 19th-century saltpeter mining operations and the geologic origins of Mammoth Cave on each of these tours.
Historic Tour will depart from the Mammoth Cave Lodge's Rotunda Room at 10:30 for those who have previously picked up a ticket at the visitor center. Anyone without a ticket at the 10:30 departure time will not be allowed on the tour. The 2-mile, 2 hour tour is limited to 120 people. Participants see all of the Mammoth Passage route, plus Bottomless Pit, Fat Man’s Misery and Mammoth Dome. There are a total of 540 steps on this tour.
Note – Cave tour requirements regarding white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats: While there are no known harmful effects to humans, WNS is responsible for the death of millions of hibernating bats across the eastern United States since its discovery in 2006. WNS was found in Mammoth Cave in winter 2012-13. To minimize the spread of WNS fungus, all participants on cave tours must walk across bio-security mats immediately following the conclusion of their tour to clean their footwear. |
Last updated: January 10, 2018