Parking
Start at the Lincoln Trailhead backcountry lot on Ollie Road, north of Green River. From the Visitor Center side, the Green River Ferry is the shorter crossing when operating; otherwise use the longer road route.
Overview
About Collie Ridge Trail
Why go
- Sand Spring Cemetery adds a memorable backcountry history stop.
- A broad old-road tread and mostly gradual grades make the ridge route straightforward to follow.
Heads up
- The standalone hike is a long 8.4-mile return walk with no short loop at the road end.
- Loose gravel on the steep hollow descent and climb can make footing slippery.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mammoth Cave map
Full mapElevation778–909 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Mammoth Cave alerts
- ClosureGreen River Ferry suspendedMentions Green River Ferry, referenced in this guideGreen 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 Collie Ridge 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 trailhead
Lincoln Trailhead and Collie Ridge Loop0:00 / 0:24
“You're approaching Lincoln Trailhead, where the Collie Ridge Loop offers a long walk through hardwood forest and creek hollows.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Mammoth Cave Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Men Who Planted the Forest
- A Shell That Shuts
- First Creek Trailhead
- A Tourist Trail in the Darkness
- 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 Collie Ridge Trail
Plan for an out-and-backThis forested backcountry route follows an old dirt road from Lincoln Trailhead to the road’s…
This forested backcountry route follows an old dirt road from Lincoln Trailhead to the road’s end at the separate Collie Ridge Campsite Trail. Walk about 4.2 miles to that junction, then return the same way for an 8.4-mile hike; allow roughly 4 to 5 hours. The mapped line shows the corridor once. It does not include the rough final 0.35-mile campsite path or the longer side-trail loops.
Follow the old roadThe tread is mostly a wide dirt road with occasional loose stones. At about 0.
The tread is mostly a wide dirt road with occasional loose stones. At about 0.4 mile, turn right at an old-road junction; at the T around 0.8 mile, keep left (the right branch heads toward the riding stables). A gradual climb reaches the ridge near 1.3 miles, followed by a mostly level stretch to the Raymer Hollow and Blair Spring Hollow junction near mile 2. Blue blazes and occasional mileage markers help; on the return, watch for the parking sign because the turn back to the lot is easy to miss.
Sand Spring CemeteryAbout a tenth of a mile beyond the Raymer and Blair junction, the trail passes this small…
About a tenth of a mile beyond the Raymer and Blair junction, the trail passes this small backcountry cemetery. Markers include the graves of Zelbert Elmore (1922–1925) and Elmer L. Elmore (1921–1990); some older fieldstones are worn or unreadable. Please treat the site respectfully.
Take care in the gravel hollowPast the cemetery, the road drops steeply through a hollow over a roughly 400-foot stretch of…
Past the cemetery, the road drops steeply through a hollow over a roughly 400-foot stretch of loose gravel tread, then climbs back out. The loose stones can shift underfoot. Hikers and horses share this route; leash pets and step aside calmly to let horses pass. Picnic tables and hitching posts stand at several named junctions, but dependable water and toilets were not confirmed along this hike.
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.
