Lookout Mountain - Beneath Your Feet

This former entrance to Mammoth Cave has been closed off for thousands of years.

NPS Photo/ David Kem

Quick Facts

Location:

Mammoth Cave, KY 42259

Significance:

A former entrance into the cave that has been closed off from natural breakdown.

Designation:

World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Lookout Mountain is in Rafinesque Hall. This section of the cave was named after Constantine Rafinesque, a French Naturalist. In the early 1800’s he visited Mammoth Cave to study the natural fauna of Mammoth Cave. The view from Lookout Mountain is focused on a large pile of rocks, known as breakdown. This passage once continued but when the valley cut downward outside, erosion cut into the cave, causing the collapse in this section sealing the area off. 

NPS Mobile App Users: Click here to watch a video of a ranger at Lookout Mountain. 

Duration:

38.433 seconds

Join Ranger Mary as she shows you Lookout Mountain, 70 feet beneath the surface.