Cave Tours

Follow in the footsteps of visitors from over two hundred years of history.

NPS Photo/ Thomas DiGiovannangelo

Ranger-led cave tours draw hundreds of thousands of people from around the world to the park each year. Participants on a cave tour will be treated to stunning geological formations and processes, as well as complex stories of human history dating back over 5,000 years, all inside the worlds longest cave system. 

Joining a guided cave tour is the only way to see inside Mammoth Cave and the other toured caves in the park, Great Onyx Cave and Wondering Woods Cave. 

For more information on cave tour descriptions, tour schedule, and ticket fees, visit the park website. 

Know Before You Go

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.

Details

Duration

1-6 Hours

Tour lengths vary. More information about the tour duration and distance is available by visiting the cave tour description page. 

Activity

Guided Tours

Ranger-led Tour inside Mammoth Cave.

Age(s)

Most cave tours accommodate all ages*. Youth under the age of 16 years, must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older.

*Age limitations are in place on crawling cave tours:

• The Trog Tour, ages 8 to 12 years. 
• Introduction to Caving, ages 10 years and up.
• Wild Cave Tour, ages 16 years and up. 

Pets Allowed

No

Activity Fee

Yes

Fees vary for each cave tour. Visit the park website for a full list of park fees. 

Location

Mammoth Cave Visitor Center

All cave tours start and end at the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center.

Reservations

Yes

Reservations are highly recomended. Reservations can be made at Recreation.gov.

Season

Year Round

Tour schedule varies by seasons. Check the current cave tour schedule of tour offerings for the dates of your visit to the park. 

Time of Day

Day

Accessibility Information

The difficulty of cave tours vary from easy, moderate, or difficult. Most tours include paved walking trails. Many of the tours also include several hundred stair steps.   

Service animals are welcome.  

More information about accessibility in the park is available.