Parking
Use Maple Springs Trailhead within Maple Springs Campground, then follow Big Hollow trail connections to North Loop Junction. The approach from the campground is outside the listed South Loop distance; parking capacity was not established.
Overview
About Big Hollow Trail South Loop
Why go
- A shaded circuit through rocky outcroppings and woodland.
Heads up
- The campground approach adds walking, and full-route measurements differ.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mammoth Cave map
Full mapElevation768–869 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Mammoth Cave alerts
- ClosureAccessible Tour unavailableThe Accessible Tour is currently unavailable because mechanical issues have taken the cave elevator out of service. - Check back for updates or call the visitor center at (270) 758-2180.Official details
- ClosureGreen River Ferry temporarily out of serviceThe Green River Ferry has temporarily suspended operations because low water levels make service unsafe. - Ferry service will resume once water levels rise and conditions are safe.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Mammoth Cave Tour Guide
Your drive to Big Hollow Trail South Loop, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Mammoth Cave National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
A Mussel’s First Ride0:00 / 0:29
“A freshwater mussel starts life with a journey on a fish. The Green River holds many kinds of mussels, including the sheepnose. Its tiny larvae attach to a fish's gills or fins and develop there for a few weeks.”
Plays on the road 0.4 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Mammoth Cave Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- One Tree, Many Trunks
- Maple Springs Day Use Area
- Mammoth Cave Picnic Area and Dixon Cave
- Visitor Center and Historic Entrance
- 52 audio storiesacross Mammoth Cave’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor White-tailed Deer, Tricolored Bat, Cave Salamander, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 47 trails, 42 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Big Hollow Trail South Loop
The route from North Loop JunctionBig Hollow Trail South Loop is a wooded, multiuse lollipop in Mammoth Cave’s Big Hollow system.
Big Hollow Trail South Loop is a wooded, multiuse lollipop in Mammoth Cave’s Big Hollow system. Start at North Loop Junction, follow the South Loop Connector to the closed circuit, walk the loop, then retrace the connector. The park lists 3.7 miles from the junction. The circuit alone measures about 2.5 miles; the full connector, circuit and return line maps to about 4.1 miles, so leave room for a little extra. Set aside roughly two to three hours from the junction, plus the walk in from Maple Springs.
Dirt tread and rocky woodsThe route runs through dense woodland on dirt singletrack, with rocky outcroppings, changing…
The route runs through dense woodland on dirt singletrack, with rocky outcroppings, changing trail width and regular grade changes. There is no named overlook or summit; the appeal is the wooded circuit and the rougher rock features along it. The park’s trail descriptions treat Big Hollow as a shared hiking and mountain-biking system, so watch and listen for riders on the same track, especially around bends.
Access and dogsThe park directs visitors to the Maple Springs Trailhead within Maple Springs Campground for…
The park directs visitors to the Maple Springs Trailhead within Maple Springs Campground for access to Big Hollow. From there, follow the Big Hollow trail connections to North Loop Junction; that approach from the campground is outside the route distance above. Dogs are allowed on surface trails when leashed no longer than six feet.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Mammoth Cave
227 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
21 sightingsTricolored BatMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
75 sightingsCave SalamanderMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
149 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
13 sightingsBarred OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
40 sightingsSnapping TurtleMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Mammoth Cave. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
