Cave Tours

PLEASE NOTE

In response to COVID-19 and following guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, Mammoth Cave National Park is only offering the Extended Historic cave tour, as a self-guided tour. Tour space will be limited. Tickets to Mammoth Cave often sell out and tours may be booked upon your arrival unless you have made a reservation in advance. Reservations are strongly recommended and are the only way to ensure you have a spot on the tour.

Please be aware due to COVID-19, that services inside the visitor center will be extremely limited. To facilitate receiving your tickets please download them onto your smart phone or print them in advance. 

 

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Tour Schedule

Tour route availability and times change depending on the season. Before arriving at the park or trying to reserve tickets for a tour, please review the tour schedule for the dates of your trip. Read more about tour descriptions at the bottom of this page.

March 6, 2021 - May 31, 2021

Tour	Departure Time
Extended Historic Tour (Self-Guided)	9:15, 9:30, 9:45, 10:00, 10:15, 10:30, 10:45, 11:00, 11:15, 11:30, 11:45, 12:00, 12:15, 12:30, 12:45, 1:00, 1:15, 1:30, 1:45, 2:00, 2:15, 2:30, 2:45

 

Tour Reservations

Tickets are required to enter Mammoth Cave. Reservations are not required, but are strongly recommended. Cave tours frequently sell out and reservations are the only way to ensure a spot is available for your party. Please plan accordingly.

 

Visit Recreation.gov To

Reserve Your Mammoth Cave Experience

 

Some Tour Routes are Closed for Trail Rehabilitation Projects

A trail rehabilitation project within the cave has started.  

The Grand Avenue and Wild Cave Tours are temporarily closed.

The trail work will improve the walking path, stairs, handrails, seating and resource issues along approximately two miles of trail. The entire project is scheduled to take 18-20 months to complete.

 

Know Before You Go

 

White Nose Syndrome Alert

White-nose Syndrome has been confirmed in Mammoth Cave. All participants on cave tours must walk on bio-security mats immediately following the conclusion of their tour. No exceptions. Your assistance is required to slow the spread of this fungal disease affecting bats. 

 

Things To Leave Behind

To ensure the safety of all visitors and the continued protection of Mammoth Cave the following items are not permitted on cave tours:

• Flash photography (photography is allowed if the flash is turned off)
• Child backpack carriers (front packs are permitted)
• Strollers
• Tripods/Monopods
• Walking sticks
• Metal framed backpacks and backpacks that are higher than the shoulder or that are of a length that extends below the hips (i.e. large trekking backpacks)
• Firearms or other weapons
• Pets (Day use kennels at the Lodge at Mammoth Cave are available for rent. Learn more about pets in the park.)

Mammoth Cave is for Everyone

During the spring and fall seasons the park is a very popular destination for school trips and other parties. As a result, your tour may include other group(s) of various ages.

Dress Appropriately

You may wish to bring a light jacket during your tour. Cave temperatures can vary widely near entrances (especially in winter), deep cave temperature is 54ºF (12ºC) while surface temperatures in the summer can exceed 90ºF (32ºC).

Cave Tour Accessibility

Visitors with limited mobility may find some cave tours too strenuous. Please review cave tour descriptions and consider your limitations when choosing which tour to participate on.

For members of the deaf and hard of hearing community, assisted listening devices and sign language interpreter services are available with advanced arrangements.

The park is committed to providing accessible options for all visitors. Learn more about accessibility in the park.

Getting Here

When traveling to the park for a cave tour, plan for adequate travel time to the visitor center to arrive around 30 minutes before the start of your scheduled tour. This will allow for time to find parking, pick up your physical paper tour tickets and time to use the restroom.

Do not rely on your mobile GPS or web based mapping applications. These services often lead visitors off track onto routes requiring river crossings via ferry or onto narrow winding roads not suitable for large vehicles. More information about travel directions to the park are available.

 

 

Descriptions of Currently Offered Cave Tours

Extended Historic Tour (Self-Guided)

Walk a hillside trail down to Mammoth Cave's most famous entrance and follow the path used for over two centuries of touring. Stroll at your own pace and experience the grandeur of large trunk passages in the world's longest cave. Discover how Mammoth Cave has intrigued countless visitors since the first human entered its darkness nearly 5,000 years ago. Tour enters and exits at the Historic Entrance, visiting the Rotunda, Methodist Church, a historic salt peter mining site at Booth’s Amphitheatre, Giant’s Coffin, and a mid-19th century stone built hut used for treating Tuberculosis. Guides will be stationed at various locations along the route for any assistance or questions you may have.

This tour includes the entire Broadway Tour route and Mammoth Passage Tour route.

Duration: 1.5 hours
Distance: 2 miles (3.2 km)
Total Stairs: 160
Difficulty: Easy
Ages: All ages. Youth under the age of 16 years, must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older.
Restrooms: No
Tickets available for each tour time: 32
Fees: $23 Adults, $17 Youth, $11.50 Senior Pass Holder, $11.50 Access Pass Holder

 

Other Cave Tours

Mammoth Cave offers numerous cave tours throughout the year. The selection of tours changes seasonally and with staffing availability. You can read descriptions and learn more about these other cave tours before planning your trip to the park. Check back with our cave tour schedule or park calendar to see future offerings of these other cave tours.