Parking
Start at First Creek Trailhead. The point-to-point route ends at Collie Ridge Trail; for a same-lot hike, return the same way, about 9.2–9.8 miles total.
Overview
About Wet Prong Trail
Why go
- Remote hardwood-forest route
- Small cave shelter beside Wildcat Hollow
Heads up
- Muddy, hoof-worn tread near the creek
- Confusing junctions and very steep shortcuts
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mammoth Cave map
Full mapElevation571–883 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Mammoth Cave alerts
- ClosureGreen River Ferry suspendedGreen River Ferry service is suspended because low water levels prevent operation. - Service will resume once water levels rise and conditions are safe; a river forecast is available.Official details
- ClosureAccessible Tour unavailableThe Accessible Tour is 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 Wet Prong 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
First Creek Trailhead0:00 / 0:26
“First Creek Trailhead is ahead, a starting point for a long woodland hike with Nolin River views.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Mammoth Cave Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Men Who Planted the Forest
- A Tulip in the Treetops
- What the Crickets Bring Back
- Lincoln Trailhead and Collie Ridge Loop
- 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 Wet Prong Trail
Route and commitmentWet Prong Trail is a 4.
Wet Prong Trail is a 4.6-mile point-to-point walk from First Creek Trailhead to Collie Ridge Trail. The park lists 4.6 miles one way; another detailed route measures 4.9. Walking back to First Creek makes roughly 9.2–9.8 miles, so allow most of a day. Near Collie Ridge, the app line estimates a short connector that is missing from the mapped trail centerlines; follow the onsite trail signs and park map through that stretch.
Tread and wayfindingThe route stays in hardwood forest on a narrow dirt tread, with leaf litter, rocky patches and…
The route stays in hardwood forest on a narrow dirt tread, with leaf litter, rocky patches and muddy, hoof-worn sections near the creek. Blue blazes mark the way, but some junctions can be confusing and many quarter-mile markers are missing. Stay on the main switchbacks; unsigned shortcuts are much steeper.
Creek crossingsThe trail crosses Wet Prong and Wildcat Hollow.
The trail crosses Wet Prong and Wildcat Hollow. High water can make a crossing require wading, and the approach can be muddy. Look for the small cave shelter beside the Wildcat Hollow crossing.
Shared trailHorses use this backcountry route.
Horses use this backcountry route. Leashed pets are allowed on the park’s surface trails; give riders room to pass.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Mammoth Cave
228 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
23 sightingsTricolored BatMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
75 sightingsCave SalamanderMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
151 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.
