Parking
Start at the Maple Springs Trailhead parking area. Lot capacity, fees and overflow arrangements were not verified.
Overview
About Buffalo Creek, Collie Ridge & Mill Branch Loop
Why go
- One full loop links three distinct backcountry trail corridors without retracing.
- The route changes from old fire road to ridge track and creek hollow.
Heads up
- The first 2.5 miles on old fire road can feel repetitive.
- Horse-softened mud, creek crossings and the long final climb slow the back half.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mammoth Cave map
Full mapElevation627–863 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 Buffalo Creek, Collie Ridge & Mill Branch 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 trailhead
Maple Springs Day Use Area0:00 / 0:26
“You're approaching Maple Springs Day Use Area, a useful picnic stop before exploring the north-side trails. Stop here for a meal you've brought or a woodland walk; there's no overlook to seek out.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Mammoth Cave Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Good Spring Baptist Church and Cemetery
- One Tree, Many Trunks
- A Mussel’s First Ride
- A Bat Among the Leaves
- 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 Buffalo Creek, Collie Ridge & Mill Branch Loop
What this loop isThis is a 9.
This is a 9.3-mile loop from Maple Springs Trailhead, linking Buffalo Creek, Collie Ridge, Mill Branch and the Maple Springs return. Budget about five hours. It is a long surface hike through wooded ridges and creek hollows, not a cave tour or a summit-view walk. I’d pick it for a full backcountry day; skip it if you want a short stroll or a single big destination.
Buffalo CreekStart on the broad, old fire road and stay on it for about 2.5 miles.
Start on the broad, old fire road and stay on it for about 2.5 miles. At the Bluffs Campsite Trail junction, turn right to remain on Buffalo Creek. The track narrows to singletrack, then drops through a couple of creek channels that may be dry before climbing the horse-used hill near mile three. Horse traffic can leave this section soft and sloppy. Watch for the smaller direction signs once you leave the wide road.
Collie RidgeAt the junction, turn right uphill onto the doubletrack Collie Ridge Trail.
At the junction, turn right uphill onto the doubletrack Collie Ridge Trail. Follow it for roughly two miles through a gently rolling, wooded ridge to Mill Branch. The reward is time in the park’s backcountry and occasional views toward nearby creeks and hollows; the ridge forest puts on color in autumn.
Mill BranchTurn right onto Mill Branch around mile 6.1.
Turn right onto Mill Branch around mile 6.1. The trail trends downhill to a rocky descent near mile seven, a creek crossing and a rocky climb. Near mile eight, it follows a creek on your right before the long, gradual climb out of the hollow. Some blazes still show the initials from the former Raymer Hollow name; follow the current direction signs at the modified end.
Return to Maple SpringsAt the end, follow signs left toward Maple Springs Loop Road.
At the end, follow signs left toward Maple Springs Loop Road. Stay on the Maple Springs trail for roughly a mile of gently rolling terrain back to the trailhead. A road alternative is about 0.8 mile but includes a large hill; the mapped route uses the trail return. The distance here is for the complete loop, including the return.
Access, dogs and waterUse the Maple Springs Trailhead parking area.
Use the Maple Springs Trailhead parking area. Pets are allowed on park surface trails on a leash up to six feet; move aside and keep dogs calm when horses pass. No potable water source was confirmed along this route, so don’t rely on the creeks for drinking water. Backcountry camping requires a permit, but this day loop does not use a backcountry campsite.
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.
