Mammoth Cave National Park

Mammoth Cave National Park protects the world's longest known cave system with over 420 mapped miles and counting. This vast limestone labyrinth formed over millions of years as slightly acidic groundwater dissolved rock along ancient fractures. Each survey extends the record as new passages continue being discovered in this three-dimensional underground wilderness. The cave harbors extraordinary diversity including over 130 species, many found nowhere else. Blind cave fish, cave crayfish, and endangered Indiana bats represent millions of years of evolutionary adaptation to eternal darkness. Above ground, the park protects old-growth forests along the Green River valley, creating a complete ecosystem from surface to deepest cave. Human history spans 5,000 years from prehistoric mineral miners to enslaved guides who first mapped extensive passages. The cave's immensity offers experiences from easy walks past flowstone formations to wild cave tours crawling through undeveloped passages. This UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve demonstrates karst processes while preserving both natural and cultural heritage underground.

Water Features

Green River, underground rivers

Ecosystem

This destination features a temperate forest ecosystem.