Mammoth Caves NP

26^th Sept – Mammoth Caves National Park

Mammoth Caves is the largest network of underground caves in the world with over 400 miles currently mapped. It has formed from underground rivers dissolving away the limestone. 



Fortunately a cap of sandstone over the limestone helps protect a lot of the region but aerial views show numerous sinkholes around this part of Kentucky that have formed over the millennia.  There are a number of different entrances and this provides for a choice of 9 different tours.

Our first underground tour was titled Domes and Dripstones. Although we only covered ¾ mile underground it took 2 hours as we had over 500 stairs twisting between the very narrow rocks,  (Paul had to twist and duck to squeeze through).  The highlight of the tour was the Frozen Niagara formation in the Drapery Room.

In the afternoon we went on the Historic Tour which took us along 2 miles of the cave in the 2 hours with only 440 stairs. This took us through some very large passages.  We crossed over the Bottomless Pit (which isn’t) and through  Fat Man’s Misery. At Mammoth Dome tower we had 155 stairs to climb up.
 .

In the evening we joined the Ranger led campfire story telling whilst 100 boy scouts descended to set up camp for the weekend.

27^th Sept – Green River

We took a picnic and did around 7 miles of hiking trails close to the camp site that took us through the trees down to Green River – which is rightly named.  We came across a turtle struggling his way through the forest undergrowth.   During our stay here we have seen deer, wild turkeys, squirrels and
various birds. The scouts had found a copperhead snake – but they had chopped off its head.

In the evening we joined the campfire talk given by a Ranger who is one of their cave explorers and told us all about caving and how they ‘map’ the cave system.

28^th Sept – Turnhole Bend Trail

We took the car across the Green River via the Ferry which was a very effective little paddle boat.  We hiked the Turnhole Bend trail, around 6 miles, on the west side of the park through some beautiful trees that were starting to change colour.  We met a couple of riders with their Tennessee Walker horses who had come across a rattle snake but we never saw one.

A very quiet evening sat by our own campfire:  Not only have all the boy scouts gone home but so have most of the other campers.

29^th Sept – 1^st Oct – Land Between the Lakes

On one of our hikes we met a lady who recommended a particular campsite on the Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area so we headed that way for some kayaking and fishing for a few days before heading further south for Tennessee.