Parking
Use White Oak Trailhead on Ugly Creek Road; it is the start of the campsite route. No alternate day-hike access was verified.
Overview
About White Oak Trail
Why go
- A real destination at a primitive Green River campsite.
- A wooded backcountry walk with a clear riverside turnaround.
Heads up
- Five miles on the same route, with a climb back from the river.
- Activity across the river can interrupt the quiet at camp.
The trail ends at a primitive site for backpackers, with a riverside setting rather than a viewpoint or built attraction. The site lies across the water from Dennison Ferry, so activity on the opposite bank can take some of the solitude away. If you’re hiking for the day, turn around at the campsite and retrace the same route.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe campsite is the payoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Mammoth Cave map
Full mapElevation554–899 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 White Oak 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
White Oak Trailhead0:00 / 0:22
“White Oak Trailhead is coming up, for a wooded hike to a primitive campsite beside the Green River. It's five miles out and back, taking about two and a half to three hours, with the climb saved for the return.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Mammoth Cave Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Cave’s Collector
- Finding Food Without Eyes
- Dennison Ferry Day Use Area
- The Cave’s Seasonal Breath
- 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 White Oak Trail
A five-mile out-and-backWhite Oak Trail is a primitive, wooded backcountry route to the White Oak campsite along the…
White Oak Trail is a primitive, wooded backcountry route to the White Oak campsite along the Green River, across from Dennison Ferry. From White Oak Trailhead on Ugly Creek Road, the campsite is about 2.5 miles away; plan on 5 miles round trip and about 2.5 to 3 hours. The route trends downhill toward the river, so the return climb is where you’ll feel the effort. This is a destination walk, not a loop.
Plan for a primitive trailThe route stays on natural woodland tread.
The route stays on natural woodland tread. Backcountry water is scarce and unreliable: carry enough for the day, and treat anything collected. Overnight use of the White Oak campsite requires a backcountry camping permit. Dogs may come on park surface trails on a leash no longer than six feet.
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.
