Loading...

Distance:
4.0 Miles
Type:
Difficulty:
Strenuous
Time to Hike:
4 hours
Surface Type:
Dirt
Park:
Mammoth Cave National Park
Town:
Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
Directions:
37.185592, -86.100946
Added:
April 27, 2022
Updated:
April 27, 2022

The Grand Avenue Tour at Mammoth Cave National Park is a 4-mile one-way hike underground that passes through several types of caves like slot canyons, tubular passageways, and tunnels sparkling with gypsum crystals all within Mammoth Cave. This tour of Mammoth Cave is the longest walking tour the park has to offer and lasts 4 hours.

The trail follows hundreds of steps (approx. 1,313) and ascends and descends many steep hills within the cave. Additionally, being in a cave can cause increased anxiety in some folks (myself included), which adds to the already-difficult walk that the tour follows. For example, upon entering, a large heavy metal door closes as you descend hundreds of stairs down a very steep and very narrow passageway to reach the first flat section of the cave tour.

Despite the tour being 4-miles one-way and ~4-hours long in total, it's a pleasant experience if you can get over being underground, and stuck there, for a long time. Note that this write-up is based on an experience 4-years old (we took the tour on April 30, 2018), but one part of the tour involved during out all of the lanterns to listen for noises we otherwise wouldn't notice in the complete dark. Things may have changed, but this tour may not be for some.

GPS Track
There is no GPS recording provided since it's impossible to get a satellite signal underground. After the tour I inquired with the national park if they had any GPS tracks for the Grand Avenue tour available, but did not hear back. Please see the photos provided for a better idea of what to expect on the tour.

Fees, Reservations & More Info
Please refer to the national park for more information on planning for this tour as it requires a fee and reservations. As of 2022, children must be at least 6 years old to go on this tour.

Elevation
This tour ascends and desends 1,313 steps which on average is about 866 feet of elevation change to enter and exit the cave system. The calculations are approximate, but by the end of the tour, the hiker will likely gain and descend over 1,200 feet of elevation.

Lunch & Snacks
It's recommended to pack a lunch and snacks, plus plenty of water, for this 4-hour-long walking tour.

Explore 6 trails near Mammoth Cave, KY

Hazards

Rockfalls / Ledges / or Scrambles

Seasons

All
Loading...
Loading...
866 '

Total Change
1,216 '

Ascent
1,216 '

Descent
Grand Avenue Tour default picture

Photo Albums

2 Trip Reports

No Star-Ratings
Trail added
April 27, 2022
Updated on
April 27, 2022
4.0 miles
April 30, 2018
Hiking

Find Hiking Trails Near Me:

Map of MyHikes' trails in North America

Weather Forecast

In Mammoth Cave, KY
Find your quest with MyHikes

Explore Hiking Trails

New Hikes

Pima Canyon Loop
2.8 Miles
Easy Loop
1
Mt. Kearsarge Loop
2.7 Miles
Moderate Loop
1
Sinnemahoning Canyon Vistas Hike
4.7 Miles
Hard Out-and-Back
1
Covered Bridge Canyon Viewpoint
0 Miles
Easy Out-and-Back

Before you leave...

MyHikes is an indie web platform aimed to make exploring public trails easier for everyone. The site has no investors and is owned and operated by one person, Dave Miller / Admin. As the main contributor and doer-of-all-things for MyHikes, I share my experiences from hikes and backpacking trips on MyHikes for fun on a volunteer basis and I believe that public trail information should be available to everyone.

It takes a lot of time 🕦, money 💰, and effort (including espresso shots ☕) to run MyHikes, including hiking , mapping , writing , and publishing new trails with high-quality content... along with building new features, moderating, and site maintainance . I simply ask that if you find our content helpful or useful when planning your next adventure that you consider making a small donation to help keep the site running.

You can become a Supporter* (*MyHikes user account required) to unlock perks for as little as $0.83/month with a 1-time non-recurring payment 👍 Or you can simply Donate any amount without a MyHikes user account. Otherwise, telling your friends about MyHikes is the next-best thing to a donation - both quick and free 😄

Thanks for visiting MyHikes and have a great hike! ✌

Admin user profile picture

Dave Miller
MyHikes Founder & Admin