- 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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Magazine Article
A Growing Gallery
How one woman’s vision turned into a multi-year project that has brought thousands of student artworks to dozens of national park sites.
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Blog Post
How the CCC’s Work Lives On in National Parks
Both beautiful and functional, projects built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s endure at national parks ... and we can thank Frances Perkins for getting the CCC started.
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 Great American Outdoors Act Success Stories
Fact Sheet Great American Outdoors Act Success Stories The Great American Outdoors Act is providing crucial funding – up to $6.65 billion over five years – to fix our national parks’ crumbling roads, decaying buildings, outdated water systems and many more repair needs. This bill, along with other funding sources, is ensuring our parks can continue to welcome millions of visitors each year and protect the natural and cultural resources that tell our nation’s history.
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Read more about See a Sky Full of Stars at These Certified Dark-Sky Parks
Blog Post See a Sky Full of Stars at These Certified Dark-Sky Parks Lay out a blanket after the sun goes down and see a clearer view of the galaxy at these designated dark-sky parks.
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Read more about A Mammoth Homecoming
Magazine Article A Mammoth Homecoming A restored 170-year-old stagecoach returns to Kentucky’s only national park.
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Read more about A Collision of Breaths
Podcast Episode A Collision of Breaths Poetry and the parks are always there for us when we seek beauty, solace and meaning. Today, we celebrate that timeless connection ― and National Poetry Month ― with some of our favorite national park poems.
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Read more about 9 Park Success Stories Advocates Made Possible
Blog Post 9 Park Success Stories Advocates Made Possible On the two-year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act, parks around the country are seeing big, tangible improvements as a result of this historic bipartisan victory.
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Read more about Haunted Parks: 6 Ghostly Getaways
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 — including kidnapped sailors and a skinny-dipping conservationist.
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Read more about Hidden Names, Hidden Stories
Magazine Article Hidden Names, Hidden Stories A journey to the depths of Mammoth Cave to record signatures left by Civil War soldiers.
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Read more about Prehistoric Sharks Discovered at Mammoth Cave, Among Other Scientific Surprises
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
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Read more about Underground Adventures
Blog Post Underground Adventures Go below the Earth’s surface to explore exquisite realms that evolved in total darkness. 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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