Wheelchair Accessibility at Mammoth Cave National Park
Mammoth cave is the largest cave in the United States and also considered the longest cave in the world. There are 365 miles of explored caverns, but it’s estimated that there could be as many as 600 more miles that are not yet explored. Surprisingly, this cave and the national park that surrounds it are wheelchair accessible. Here is my full accessibility report.
Where to Stay
There are several campgrounds in the area and the national park itself has two campgrounds that have ADA sites. Check ahead if the sites include electric. We stayed at a nearby campground.
There is also a lodge withing the park that has accessible rooms available.
Wheelchair Accessible Things to Do
There are a wonderful variety of activities within the park that are wheelchair accessible.
Cave Tour
There is a completely wheelchair accessible cave tour available. This ½ mile tour takes place via a paved path throughout the cave. On this tour you will see the remains of an old restaurant that was once used in the cave, formations and learn a bit of history as well.
The Frozen Niagra Cave Tour is an option for people with some even limited mobility. This ¼ mile tour takes you deeper into the cave. There are 14 steps along this tour. The tour lasts about 1 ¼ hours and requires a bus ride to the entrance.
Visitor Center
The visitor center is fully accessible with handicap parking and restrooms. The doors are push button powered. Exhibits have been lowered to make them more accessible and there is a short film available to watch. Here you will learn how the cave was formed, the history of its early use and so much more.
Accessible Trails
Echo River, Heritage, Sand Cave and Sloan’s Crossing Pond Trails are all wheelchair accessible. Each trail offers a different and interesting look at the park.
When I visited, we took the Echo River Trail and it was lovely. This trail shows where the water comes out of Mammoth Cave and flows into a stream. It’s a beautiful blue due to the limestone sediments from the cave.
We visited in April, so the plants were just starting to get buds on them. I would love to see it during the summer or even fall. I bet it’s incredible. If I go back, I’d also like to try the other accessible trails.
Check out the Natural Entrance.
The natural entrance to the cave is HUGE. So big in fact, that you could stack two big buses on top of each other in the entrance. Unfortunately, this entrance to get into the cave is not wheelchair accessible and has about 98 steps.
The paved path to get to the entrance is doable however. There is an extended incline on the path, but I was able to manage it on my mobility scooter. Manual wheelchair users may want some assistance.
Ranger led programs.
As with most national parks, there are ranger programs throughout the day. These programs allow you to ask questions and get a unique perspective on the park. They are also generally wheelchair accessible. Check at the visitor center for times and locations.
Final Thoughts on Wheelchair Accessibility at Mammoth Cave National Park
I really enjoyed my day at this park. There was beautiful scenery, interesting history and I got to go into a cave! Although I would’ve loved to see even more of this giant cave, I was happy that the accessible tour had some interesting things to see and learn. The ½ mile tour is longer than some of the other accessible caves I’ve been to.
If you are ever traveling through Kentucky, I highly recommend a visit to this amazing park. For other things to see in Kentucky, check out my blog post here.
