What is cool about Mammoth Cave?

Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is the world's longest known cave system, with more than 400 miles explored, and one of the oldest tour attractions in North America.



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More Than A Cave Rolling hills, deep river valleys, and the world's longest known cave system. Mammoth Cave National Park is home to thousands of years of human history and a rich diversity of plant and animal life, earning it the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.

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Numerous people have died in the cave over the decades, including slaves and tuberculosis patients, but the exact number of deaths is unknown. For this reason, Mammoth is regarded as a haunted realm and many people have claimed to sense spirits, or have unexplained objects appear in their photos.

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Mammoth Cave National Park Facts
  • A Number Of Different Native American Groups Lived In The Green River & Mammoth Cave Area.
  • According To Legend, The Cave Was Discovered By A Hunter Tracking A Wounded Bear.
  • Mammoth Cave Played An Important Role In The War Of 1812.
  • A Slave Made Mammoth Cave The Popular Site That It Is Today.


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In addition to this rich diversity of primitive sharks at Mammoth Cave, two partial cartilaginous skeletons of different species of sharks occur within Mammoth Cave. One specimen was discovered by a caver with the Cave Research Foundation and the other has been known by the park guides for years.

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Swimming in park waters is not recommended.

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Younger fossils (hundreds to thousands of years old) represent bears, raccoons, woodrats, and many bats that utilized the cave before humans started to visit it. Ongoing research will undoubtably uncover more fossil remains, but so far, no mammoths have been found in Mammoth Cave!

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In doing so, Houchin has been credited with the discovery on Mammoth Cave. While this legend has been shared and reshared for decades, the first written account of the story happened nearly 20 years after the fact. American black bears, which were once commonly seen in the area, are now rarely found in the park.

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One of these features is the Bottomless Pit, situated just beyond the rockfall known as Giant's Coffin. This pit has a depth of about 105 feet. Directly above the pit is a dome-shaped circular well some 63 feet high.

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Around approximately 3000 BCE, those prehistoric peoples discovered the cave, which they sometimes used for shelter. Mummified bodies have also been found in the caves, suggesting that ancient Natives saw it as a sacred place suitable for the eternal rest of their dead.

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