Parking
Park at Maple Springs Trailhead off Green River Ferry Road. The path starts to the left of the restroom.
Overview
About Maple Springs Trail
Why go
- A quick gravel link into the north-side trail network.
Heads up
- The named segment is one way; retracing it doubles the distance.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mammoth Cave map
Full mapElevation756–790 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 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
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 as you drive up to 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 Trail
The short connectorMaple Springs Trail is a one-mile, one-way gravel connector from Maple Springs Trailhead to the…
Maple Springs Trail is a one-mile, one-way gravel connector from Maple Springs Trailhead to the fork with Mill Branch and Big Hollow. It takes about 20 minutes one way; turning back at the fork makes a roughly two-mile, 40-minute outing. The trail is most useful as a quick walk into the north-side trail network, not as a loop or a destination hike.
Footing and the forkThe path rolls through the woods on gravel.
The path rolls through the woods on gravel. It has some hills, with the steepest grade reported at about 10 percent. A branch toward Maple Springs Group Campground leaves near the start; a Research Center connector joins around 0.4 mile. At the end, Mill Branch goes left and Big Hollow right, so choose one only if you mean to continue farther into the network.
Access and trail sharingStart at Maple Springs Trailhead; the path begins to the left of the restroom.
Start at Maple Springs Trailhead; the path begins to the left of the restroom. Leashed dogs are allowed. This is a shared backcountry corridor, so keep dogs close and make room for horses and bicycles. There is no food service on this short segment.
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.
