Parking
Begin at Hotel Parking/Cavers' Camp Store. Accessible-space availability and lot capacity were not confirmed.
Overview
About Engine No. 4 Trail
Why go
- A short, specific history stop that fits between cave activities
- The trail is marked accessible
Heads up
- Only 0.2 mile; the locomotive is the main attraction
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mammoth Cave map
Full mapElevation741–755 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 Engine No. 4 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
The Lodge and Heritage Trail0:00 / 0:33
“You're coming up on The Lodge at Mammoth Cave, across the footbridge from the visitor center. You can stop here without staying overnight.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Mammoth Cave Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Visitor Center and Historic Entrance
- Mammoth Cave Campground and Caver's Camp Store
- Mammoth Cave Picnic Area and Dixon Cave
- Green River Ferry and Echo River Springs
- 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 Engine No. 4 Trail
A quick stop with a destinationEngine No. 4 Trail is a 0.
Engine No. 4 Trail is a 0.2-mile out-and-back from Hotel Parking/Cavers' Camp Store to the preserved Mammoth Cave Railroad locomotive in the visitor-center area. Allow about 15 minutes for the walk and a pause at the engine. This is a compact history stop, not a longer woodland hike.
The railroad is the pointEngine No. 4 is a historic steam locomotive displayed near the lodge and campground.
Engine No. 4 is a historic steam locomotive displayed near the lodge and campground. The Mammoth Cave Railroad's first passenger ride happened in 1886, though the park history does not identify this particular engine as the locomotive on that first trip. If you want an above-ground history stop between cave activities, this is an easy one to fit in.
Access and footingThe trail is marked accessible.
The trail is marked accessible. Its mapped line crosses a dirt footpath and a short wooden boardwalk; published grades and surface transitions are not available, so check with the park if you need those specifics. Leashed pets are allowed on surface trails, with a six-foot leash limit. Start from Hotel Parking/Cavers' Camp Store.
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.
