Parking
Start and finish at Maple Springs Trailhead, the access for this full loop. The route returns to the same trailhead; confirm that your map follows both Sal Hollow and Buffalo Creek before leaving.
Overview
About Sal Hollow & Buffalo Creek Loop
Why go
- Small waterfalls and varied hardwood forest
- A smoother Buffalo Creek return
Heads up
- Long day with rocky, rooty, wet stretches
- Horse traffic and multiple creek crossings
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mammoth Cave map
Full mapElevation597–889 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 Sal Hollow & Buffalo Creek 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 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 Sal Hollow & Buffalo Creek Loop
The full circuitThis 10.
This 10.8-mile loop starts and finishes at Maple Springs Trailhead, following Sal Hollow out before returning on Buffalo Creek. Allow roughly 6.5–8 hours; the distance, uneven footing and creek crossings make it a full backcountry day. Check that your map shows the full Sal Hollow leg and Buffalo Creek return: shorter outings with similar names do not cover this whole circuit.
Sal Hollow outThe opening miles alternate between clearings and dense hardwood forest on a mostly…
The opening miles alternate between clearings and dense hardwood forest on a mostly well-trodden path. Expect small stream crossings and brief waterfalls nearby. Around 3.8 miles, pass the Turnhole Bend Trail intersection and stay on Sal Hollow. Farther in, the tread becomes less used, with more roots, rocks and muddy or swampy patches.
Rough middleThe roughest stretch includes a sustained rocky downhill around miles 5–6, followed by creek…
The roughest stretch includes a sustained rocky downhill around miles 5–6, followed by creek crossings at the bottom of the hollow. The trail climbs again past Sal Hollow Campsite shortly after mile 6; footing gradually eases beyond it. Rain can make the rocky slope and wet low spots slower and more slippery.
Buffalo Creek returnAt about mile 8, turn right at the junction onto Buffalo Creek for the easier return to Maple…
At about mile 8, turn right at the junction onto Buffalo Creek for the easier return to Maple Springs. Horses use this corridor too, so give riders room to pass. Pets are allowed on park surface trails when leashed no longer than six feet. Treat backcountry water, and watch for ticks and poison ivy in warm months.
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.
