Parking
Start at Maple Springs Trailhead. The route ends at a Collie Ridge Trail junction, with no vehicle pickup there verified; plan to retrace unless you have a confirmed ride.
Overview
About Buffalo Creek Trail
Why go
- Sinkholes and small cave openings add karst detail to the early route.
Heads up
- The point-to-point route is awkward without a confirmed pickup; retracing makes an 8.8-mile day.
- Loose stones in muddy depressions can shift, and some junction markers are easy to miss.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mammoth Cave map
Full mapElevation548–853 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Mammoth Cave alerts
- ClosureGreen River Ferry suspendedGreen River Ferry service is suspended because low water levels prevent operation. - Service will resume once water levels rise and conditions are safe; a river forecast is available.Official details
- ClosureAccessible Tour unavailableThe Accessible Tour is 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Mammoth Cave Tour Guide
Your drive to Buffalo Creek Trail, 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
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 near 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 Trail
A one-way backcountry walkBuffalo Creek Trail is a 4.
Buffalo Creek Trail is a 4.4-mile point-to-point route from Maple Springs Trailhead to a junction with Collie Ridge Trail. It is a wooded backcountry corridor, not a creekside stroll or a viewpoint hike. Allow about two to three hours one way. If you need your car back at Maple Springs, retracing makes it about 8.8 miles; no vehicle pickup at the Collie Ridge end was verified, so arrange a real ride before treating it as a shuttle.
Road first, then narrower treadThe opening roughly 2.4 miles follow an old service road through forest.
The opening roughly 2.4 miles follow an old service road through forest. The route then narrows toward Collie Ridge, with a muddy climb reported near mile 3. The stretch near Maple Springs does not follow visible water despite the name, so expect a corridor walk rather than a creekside payoff.
Karst beside the treadSinkholes and small cave openings show up beside the early road section.
Sinkholes and small cave openings show up beside the early road section. They are part of the landscape, but stay on the trail instead of leaving it to explore. Muddy depressions are sometimes filled with loose stones that can shift underfoot; take extra care there.
Junctions, water and trail useBuffalo Creek connects with Turnhole Bend, Dry Prong, Sal Hollow and Collie Ridge trails.
Buffalo Creek connects with Turnhole Bend, Dry Prong, Sal Hollow and Collie Ridge trails. Blue blazes are used on the backcountry routes, but some mile markers and junction signs may be missing; carry a current park backcountry map. No on-route drinking-water point or food stop was verified, so bring what you need. Leashed dogs are allowed on park surface trails, with a six-foot maximum. Horse use is unclear: park planning material marks Buffalo Creek pedestrian-only, while other trail descriptions report horses, so check current posted signs. Backcountry camping requires a permit.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Mammoth Cave
228 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
23 sightingsTricolored BatMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
75 sightingsCave SalamanderMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
151 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.
