Parking
Start at Maple Springs Trailhead by the group campground on Green River Ferry Road. From the Visitor Center, use the Green River Ferry route or drive around through Brownsville.
Overview
About Maple Springs, Buffalo Creek Trail, and Raymer Hollow Trail Loop
Why go
- Links several named backcountry trails into one circuit from Maple Springs.
- Combines wooded paths with creek-side trail sections.
Heads up
- A substantial full-day walk, with an unresolved 10.8-mile versus 14.2-mile route listing difference.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mammoth Cave map
Full mapElevation709–889 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Mammoth Cave alerts
- ClosureGreen River Ferry temporarily out of serviceMentions Green River Ferry, referenced in this guideThe 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
- 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Mammoth Cave Tour Guide
Your drive to Maple Springs, Buffalo Creek Trail, and Raymer Hollow Trail 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 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 Maple Springs, Buffalo Creek Trail, and Raymer Hollow Trail Loop
The full circuitThis is a 14.
This is a 14.23-mile loop from Maple Springs Trailhead, linking Buffalo Creek, Collie Ridge, Raymer Hollow, Mill Branch and the Maple Springs Connector before returning to the start. Allow about six hours for a long day on backcountry trails. The stored line includes the short approach from the trailhead and a return to Maple Springs.
A listing for this same-named loop gives 10.8 miles, but its track could not be confirmed against the mapped trail connections. The route saved here follows the complete connected trail chain described above. Plan for 14.2 miles and check the current park backcountry map before you go.
What the walk is likeThe circuit crosses wooded ridges and hollows on mapped dirt paths, with a gravel section on…
The circuit crosses wooded ridges and hollows on mapped dirt paths, with a gravel section on the Maple Springs Connector. Buffalo Creek is associated with creek and forest views, though no single viewpoint on this loop was verified. Several trail junctions connect the named corridors, so keep the route and a current map handy.
Start at Maple SpringsBegin at Maple Springs Trailhead by the group campground on Green River Ferry Road.
Begin at Maple Springs Trailhead by the group campground on Green River Ferry Road. From the Visitor Center, reach it by the Green River Ferry route or by driving around through Brownsville. The saved line starts and ends at the trailhead.
Shared backcountry trailsHorse riders use these corridors; hikers should yield and give horses room to pass.
Horse riders use these corridors; hikers should yield and give horses room to pass. Ticks are one of the park's common backcountry concerns. Pets may use surface trails when leashed no longer than six feet; keep dogs calm and close when horses 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.
