Mammoth Cave Historic Tour (Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky)

While visiting my aunt, I decided to revisit with my mother and bride-to-be, the largest cave system in the world at Mammoth Cave National Park. My father had brought me here when I was ten years old or so, but I don’t recall much of that trip due to my young age.

The cave itself is called mammoth not for any fossils of the great beast that may have been found within, but instead due to its great size. Approximately ten million years ago, an ancient river began carving out what has today become over 600 miles of underground passages. Explorers and spelunkers find more passages every year.

We opt to take the Historic Tour, which covers about two miles of passageways in this subterranean world. Our journey begins by passing under a small waterfall into a large limestone passageway, and then opening up into a room the size of a hockey arena. We then begin trekking down a long, straight corridor, the size of which, only a river would be capable of carving. I continually look around for Polyphemus hiding in the shadows, but the giant cave appears to be cyclops-free.

Continuing on, we pass through the dwarf-friendly Tall Man’s Misery and then through a section called Fat Man’s Agony – tight squeeze! Truly, this cave is a wonder of nature. Nearing the end of the planned path, we pass over several “bottomless” pits that descend into utter darkness. We finally reach a set of steel staircases constructed to make the ascent to the surface much friendlier to tourists. After many, many steps, we once again reach the arena-sized room and head back to the entrance and daylight.