Parking
Use Lodge parking and walk about 0.3 mile to the campground-side trail junction. This is a point-to-point segment, so plan a return or continue on the connected trails.
Overview
About Whites Cave Trail
Why go
- A useful short link from the campground to the south-side trail network.
Heads up
- Two steep hills; walking back doubles the connector to about 1.2 miles.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Mammoth Cave map
Full mapElevation630–804 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 Whites Cave 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 area
Mammoth Cave Campground and Caver's Camp Store0:00 / 0:34
“You're nearing Mammoth Cave Campground and the seasonal Caver's Camp Store, a handy stop for groceries, snacks, cold drinks, or a forgotten camping item.”
Plays on the road 0.1 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Mammoth Cave Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Lodge and Heritage Trail
- Visitor Center and Historic Entrance
- Mammoth Cave Picnic Area and Dixon Cave
- Green River Ferry and Echo River Springs
- 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 Whites Cave Trail
A short campground connectorWhites Cave Trail is a 0.
Whites Cave Trail is a 0.6-mile point-to-point link from Mammoth Cave Campground Trail to Sinkhole Trail. The stored distance is the one-way connector; walking it back the same way makes a roughly 1.2-mile outing. It is useful as part of a longer south-side walk, but by itself you need to arrange a return or continue onto connected trails.
Where the hills areFrom the Sinkhole end, the path starts nearly level, then climbs two short, steep hills with a…
From the Sinkhole end, the path starts nearly level, then climbs two short, steep hills with a level patch between. At the four-way junction, follow the Campground sign east; that branch is easy to miss on a schematic map. The remaining climb is gentler, then the trail levels near Campfire Circle and the campground. From the campground end, the steep hills are downhill. The unpaved path is generally smooth; allow about 20 minutes each way.
The namesake caveWhites Cave sits just off Sinkhole Trail near the connector's western end, not on this…
Whites Cave sits just off Sinkhole Trail near the connector's western end, not on this connector. You can add the short side trip to see its gated entrance, but the cave is closed to visitor entry. Leashed pets are allowed on surface trails; the leash must be no longer than 6 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.
