Hiking a Trail at Mammoth Cave National Park

When you think of Mammoth Cave National Park, you probably think about walking through a dark cave deep in the earth, and it is true that the cave tours are the main attractions at Mammoth Cave. However, there are above-ground hiking trails to be discovered there, too. On our first visit, we decided to go for a hike before our Historic Cave Tour.

After checking out our options, we decided on the Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike and Hike Trail, partly because it starts out very near the Visitor Center, which was where we parked for our cave tour. However, we knew that we would not hike the entire trail, as it is over 9 miles long, and then we would have to hike the same 9 miles back to the Visitor Center. But we thought that we could walk for a while, keeping a watch on the time, and then turn around and go back. There was even a cemetery on the map that we thought we might see. So we each grabbed a bottle of water, as it was already getting hot out, and we set out on the trail.

The first part of the trail was concrete, as this was the portion near the Visitor Center. We knew that would not last for very long, but that was okay with us, since we all had our hiking shoes on.

Soon, we were on the gravel trail, and also in the trees. The shade from the trees helped a bit to block the heat of the sunlight. The tree also blocked what little breeze there was, unfortunately. But I was still thankful for the shade. (Just a reminder to wear a hat, which of course I did.)

I love trail views like this, so of course I took a few photos to get one that I liked. For a quick glance, all trails might look the same, but each one has its differences based on foliage from different areas, steepness, curves, and all kinds of other factors. So I photograph them all when I can.

You might also know that I love wooden boardwalks, and we encountered this one along the trail. As you might guess, the trail is called the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail because it follows the path of a former railroad that originally brought tourists to Mammoth Cave from 1896 to 1931.¹ Wouldn’t it have been interesting to see the original railroad bridge that was here?

Near the boardwalk bridge in the previous photo, there was an overlook to see the valley down below. We could not see too much of the valley because of the trees,² but it as still a beautiful view.

After hiking over 2.5 miles, we made it to the Furlong Cemetery, which we had chosen as our main destination, not knowing for certain that we would even make it that far. When we reached the cemetery, we found it to be overgrown. Not wanting to risk getting into anything rash-inducing, as one of us is very susceptible to anything that might cause a rash, we just look on from the path. You can see one grave marker at the end of the almost-overgrown path here.

Here is one more cemetery photo, and you can see another grave marker right in the center of this photo. Once again, we did not try to get close to it, because none of us wanted to itch for a couple of weeks.

At that point, we turned around and hiked the 2.5 miles back to the Visitor Center to eat a picnic lunch and then enjoy the natural air-conditioning of our cave tour, since we had worked up quite a sweat on that hot and humid day.

One final note: One of the nice things about hiking a trail at Mammoth Cave National Park is that there is no fee, and no reservation is needed, which is different from the cave tours that require a fee and a reservation. Hiking an outdoor trail may not quite have the same excitement level as a cave tour, but for us it was a nice addition to our day. Just throwing that out there if you are looking for something free to do at Mammoth Cave National Park.

Getting Along

Do you have trouble getting along with other people? Do some people just rub you the wrong way? One of the many good things about the people in the first two photos here is that we all get along well with each other. Those are the kinds of people that it is a joy to be around.

But not all people are always a joy to be around. But we are still called to love one another.

So what do we do? We remember that we might not always be the easiest people to be around, either. We practice patience and bear with one another. We forgive one another. We do our best to live in peace. And we are thankful to God for all he has done for us.

We can’t change other people, but we can change our attitudes. That does not necessarily mean that we associate with those people and spend all or time with them. But it does mean that when we have the occasion to be around them, we treat them with love and respect, just like we want to be treated.

Treat one another with love, even those who are not always easy to be around.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. - Colossians 3:12-15

About the Photos

I liked the wooded look of the wooded photos, but I always try to tweak the colors just a bit to be more to my liking. Sometimes the green tones of the leaves can get out of hand if you try to turn up the color saturation, as I often do. But I am happy with how these turned out.

Photo: Each photo is a single Raw exposure, processed in Raw Therapee and GIMP.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Rokinon 35mm f/1.8
Date: June 22, 2024
Location: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky