Parking
Start at the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center and use its parking area; the trail begins at the center.
Overview
About Historic Entrance Trail
Why go
- A close look at Mammoth Cave's enormous natural entrance
- A short paved walk from the Visitor Center
Heads up
- The entrance is the main payoff, so the short route repeats on the way back.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mammoth Cave map
Full mapElevation677–739 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 Historic Entrance 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
Visitor Center and Historic Entrance0:00 / 0:33
“You're approaching Mammoth Cave Visitor Center, where the cave tours meet. Give the exhibits a look before heading underground.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Mammoth Cave Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Lodge and Heritage Trail
- Mammoth Cave Picnic Area and Dixon Cave
- Mammoth Cave Campground and Caver's Camp Store
- 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 Historic Entrance Trail
The short walk to the cave mouthHistoric Entrance Trail is a paved out-and-back from the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center to the…
Historic Entrance Trail is a paved out-and-back from the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center to the cave's historic opening. The mapped path is about 0.11 miles each way, so retrace it for roughly 0.2 miles total. It is a quick surface walk, not a cave tour. Allow about 15 to 20 minutes if you stay a while at the entrance.
Look at the entranceThe cave mouth is the main payoff: a broad opening in the limestone hillside, reached by steps…
The cave mouth is the main payoff: a broad opening in the limestone hillside, reached by steps with handrails. It is Mammoth Cave's largest natural entrance and has drawn explorers for centuries. A spring on the slope above can spill into a waterfall when it is flowing.
The way backStart at the Visitor Center and follow the paved connector to the entrance, then return the…
Start at the Visitor Center and follow the paved connector to the entrance, then return the same way. The walk drops toward the cave, so expect a short climb back; leashed pets are allowed on the park's surface trails. Steps at the entrance mean this is not a step-free approach.
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.
