- State: KY
- NPCA Region: Southeast
- Est. Date: 1941
Air Quality Conditions
View the Polluted Parks ReportVisibility
Unsatisfactory
Health
Unsatisfactory
Nature
Significant Concern
Climate Change Threats
Explore Mammoth Cave National Park, the longest cave system on Earth, featuring the richest known habitat for cave wildlife in the world.
It may be difficult to think of caves as spacious and grand, but these are no ordinary caves. Humans first discovered this complex limestone labyrinth some 4,000 years ago beneath the Green River Valley of Edmonson County, Kentucky. To this day, explorers have yet to find an end to it, despite mapping more than 400 miles of passageways.
Denizens of Darkness
Mammoth Cave is home to a variety of animals known as troglobites — wildlife species that are specially adapted to live in a cave environment. These residents include eyeless fish, cave salamanders and an endangered albino cave shrimp.
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Blog Post
Haunted Parks: 6 Ghostly Getaways
Ghost stories might scare your campfire circle. They can also offer hyperlocal histories for travel destinations around the country. Learn about a few spectral park visitors — if you dare…
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Blog Post
Prehistoric Sharks Discovered at Mammoth Cave, Among Other Scientific Surprises
Paleontologists uncover remarkable findings at three separate park sites, with potential for more new discoveries
My Park Story
Greetings from Mammoth Cave National Park
I had visited five national parks before I visited Mammoth Cave, including the Grand Canyon, but it was at Mammoth Cave that I truly fell in love with national parks. You see, in none of my five previous park visits had I really understood that I was in a national…
More about Mammoth Cave
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Read more about Get Underground for Mammoth Adventures This Spring
Blog Post Get Underground for Mammoth Adventures This Spring Go below the Earth’s surface to explore exquisite realms that evolved in total darkness. See twisting pathways through limestone and marble, crystal-lined walls, and distinctive rock formations that can only be discovered on foot. These 10 national park caves are places to learn about the mysterious worlds under our feet.
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Read more about Polluted Parks: How Dirty Air is Harming America’s National Parks
Report Polluted Parks: How Dirty Air is Harming America’s National Parks “Polluted Parks” graded the pollution-related damage in the 48 national parks required by the Clean Air Act to have the highest possible air quality.
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Read more about One-of-a-Kind Destinations: 11 National Park Curiosities
Blog Post One-of-a-Kind Destinations: 11 National Park Curiosities National parks preserve wondrous landscapes, stories, and artifacts—as well as a whole host of weird and exceptional sights. From wacky-looking rocks to giant monuments of steel, here’s a short list of places to explore that are like nowhere else in the world.
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Read more about Fighting Fluff
Magazine Article Fighting Fluff At well-known caves around the country, volunteers armed with tweezers and brushes keep lint—yes, lint—at bay.
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Read more about In the Dark
Magazine Article In the Dark How do animals adapt to cave life?
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