In April 2014 we took the kids on an RV trip through 5 states. One of our stops along the way was Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. We were not quite sure about what to expect, as we had been to different caves and caverns before, and had read that this is the world’s longest! Mammoth Cave National Park with the kids was a fantastic experience, and I am so glad we decided to visit. Our first stop was the Visitor Center so that we could get some information, pick up our Junior Ranger booklets, and choose which tour we wanted to take.
There are various guided tours that you can take, or you can tour one part of the cave on your own. We opted for the Domes and Dripstones Tour, which ended up being a great choice.
Domes and Dripstones Tour
A wonderful complement to the Historic Tour, this trip includes a dramatic series of domes and pits, typical large trunk passageways, and a short journey through numerous dripstone formations.
This tour includes the entire Frozen Niagara Tour route.
Duration: 2 hours
Distance: 3/4 mile
Total Stairs: 500, including 280 on the initial staircase descent
Difficulty: Moderate
Tour Capacity: 118
Price: $12 Adults, $8 Youth, $6 Special Access
We entered the cave, and quickly descended down 280 stairs (very very narrow stairs). The ranger did warn us about claustrophobia and also about ducking to make sure we didn’t hit our heads. My poor husband is claustrophobic and also 6’4″. I looked back at one point and thought he was having a panic attack. Luckily the cave opened up, and there was plenty of space for most of the time.
I couldn’t get very good photos because they have a no flash policy & I have a crappy camera (note to self: get a new camera). I tried though. These photos really do not do justice to Mammoth Cave at all.
Whenever we go to a National Park, we usually force our kids (their words) to participate in the Junior Ranger program. I mean, life can’t be all about fun, can it? Truthfully they end up getting a lot out of it & they have great memories of these trips and experiences. They also have a cool collection of Junior Ranger badges from lots of National Parks.
This was our first visit to Kentucky, so we crossed one more state off of our our list! Mammoth Cave National Park was a great place to go with the kids! We would love to go back to Kentucky in the future to visit more of the attractions, such as this:
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