. Western Kentucky is known as the land of a thousand sinkholes, with Mammoth National Park being at the center. This 53,000 acre wildlife preserve is just part of the huge forest that once spread over most of eastern and central North America. On the surface the land is beautiful rolling hills and tall trees, but below lies a mysterious world of tight spaces, grand rooms and elegant formations.
Although photography and videotaping is allowed, the use of tripods, monopods, walking sticks, and canes (unless needed for health reasons) are forbidden because they create tripping hazards. Since most of the tours include stairways and bumpy passages, strollers are also forbidden. Some visitors choose to carry their toddlers in backpack style carriers which is fine, but it is necessary to be aware of the low ceiling and bending areas in order to avoid bumping the child’s head.
The Kentucky area was a shallow sea 350 million years ago. As the water dropped, the land evolved into layers of sandstone on top and limestone underneath, creating unique conditions for cave formation. Underground rivers carved the passages, and the larger rooms were formed by whirlpools as the water levels steadily dropped over 70 million years. The underground river still exists 450 feet below the surface, emptying into the Green River.
Frozen Niagara Passage
The park is open year round, but May through September is the best time to visit this park because of the mild summer weather. By April, the snow is gone and temperatures are in a comfortable range of 13ºC at night and 24ºC during the day. The summer months get as hot as 27ºC, but nighttime temperatures drop off to a comfortable18ºC. The winter snows usually begin in November and, although the park is open, some roads may be closed.
The millions of years’ water action left 350 miles of explored territory and potentially another 600 miles of undiscovered areas, which are the habitat of 130 cave life forms including crickets, fish and bats. Most of the caves are dry now and lack the stalactite and stalagmite formations often seen in wet caves. Most of the current park tours feature enormous rooms and elegant water-carved passageways. However, the Frozen Niagara Tour and the Great Onyx Lantern Tour specifically include wet cave formations of soda straws and flowstone.
View some related video clips below.
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