SUTTON Travels: Mammoth Cave Kentucky USA Part 1 of 2

12 March 2021

Mammoth Cave Kentucky USA Part 1 of 2

Mammoth Cave / Geoffrey Sutton / suttong.com 2021

I visited Mammoth Cave National Park 8-9 March 2021. This post is about the cave itself--I'll write about the park in a separate post (See March 14 Mammoth Cave 2).

The entry to the park is free as is parking. I came in from Cave City and followed the signs to the visitor's centre. Mammoth Cave is part of the US National Park service. The site became a national park on 1 July 1941 and has been a World Heritage Site since 27 October 1981 and an international Biosphere Reserve since 26 September 1990.

I arrived early for my 9:15 tour time. Some people were able to sign up onsite but I purchased my ticket online. There are fees for the guided tour; however, during the pandemic restrictions, there were no ranger guided tours. Rangers were posted along the cave route. The route is not long compared to the more than 400 miles of explored passages, which make Mammoth Cave the longest cave in the world.

I took the photo below using my Pixel 4 phone in night mode. Flash photography is not allowed. I took my Canon SLR but found my phone easier to work with.

Mammoth Cave/ G Sutton 2021

There's some evidence of people living and/or working in the cave thousands of years ago. They found stick torches and there's soot on the walls from many users over the centuries. During the Civil War, miners worked the area--you can see evidence not far from the entrance. (Pixel 4 phone, night shot mode)

Mining in Mammoth Cave / suttong.com 2021

One interesting experiment was the treatment of tuberculosis. Small huts were built inside the cave. Unfortunately it didn't work. Apparently, cave air is not that pure.

Cabin for TB patients / suttong.com 2021

As I climbed the steps on my way out, there was a bat on the wall--nine steps down from the first landing.

Bat Mammoth Cave / suttong.com 2021

Notes

There's a list of things not to bring on tour so, click to see the website for details.

For example, no tripods, large packs...

Some roads were flooded so, see the website alerts
There are no toilets inside the cave but they are available in the visitor's centre and some other places in the park--See the park map.
In 2021, there were discounts for the price of a tour. For example, I got a lower price with my national park pass.

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A useful book on US National Parks