Mammoth Cave

Just got back from our first cave tour and wow. The Rotunda is incredible in person. Pictures don’t do it justice but I tried anyway. We also did the Frozen Niagara tour and it was completely different but just as amazing.

The Journey

We left early Saturday morning and got to the park around lunch. The drive through Kentucky was pretty, lots of rolling hills and farmland. Set up camp at the campground and grabbed some food before our afternoon tour. Weather has been good so far, a little humid but not too bad.

Mammoth Cave Rotunda

Discovery Tour

The Discovery Tour took us through the Rotunda, which is this massive chamber that was used for mining saltpeter back in the War of 1812. The guide said they found artifacts from miners going back hundreds of years. It’s hard to imagine people working down there with just torches and picks. The whole place feels ancient.

Mammoth Cave Rotunda (different angle)

The cave stays at 54 degrees year round, so it was a nice break from the heat outside. We walked about two miles underground and saw some pretty cool rock formations. The self-guided tour lasted about an hour. My legs are a little tired but it was worth it.

Campground

Back at the campground, we spotted a white-tail deer fawn just hanging out near our site. It didn’t seem too bothered by us. Got a few pictures before it wandered off into the woods. Pretty cool to see wildlife up close like that.

White-tail Deer Fawn

Day Two Hiking

Spent the second day hiking around the park. The trails are really nice and take you through some dense forest. Saw a timber rattlesnake sunning itself on some rocks along the trail. Kept my distance but got a decent photo. Made me watch where I was stepping for the rest of the hike.

Timber Rattlesnake

Frozen Niagara

We also did the Frozen Niagara tour. This section of the cave is totally different from the Discovery Tour. Tons of stalactites and stalagmites everywhere. The formations look like frozen waterfalls, which is how it got the name. Some of them have been growing for thousands of years.

Frozen Niagara Stalactites

The lighting they have set up really shows off the different colors in the rock. Lots of oranges and browns from the minerals. The paths wind through the formations and you have to duck in a few spots. It’s like walking through a natural cathedral.

Frozen Niagara Path

Wrapping Up

Heading home tomorrow morning. Been a good trip. Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system in the world at over 400 miles of mapped passages, and we only saw a tiny fraction of it. Would definitely come back and do some of the longer tours.

Missing home a bit but glad we made the trip. The cave is something you have to see in person to really appreciate. Worth the drive.