Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave National Park, KY

The weather was dropping below freezing with a chance of snow over the next few days, so, to make the most of the warmth before the cold front, I followed a route that would take me first to Kentucky, then to North Carolina, then onto South Carolina. After all my time in the balmy, south Florida heat, I wasn’t quite ready to change my wardrobe to full-on winter yet. I wanted to ease my way in. With this route, I could enjoy the beauty of the national parks in each respective state while still having feeling in my fingers, nose, and toes.

I researched which parks were dog friendly and which activities would allow Ella. That really helped in the planning because I realized I wouldn’t need to allot much time in parks that weren’t dog friendly. Those would require only a day trip, which would leave the possibility of exploring and camping at a nearby state park or visiting friends and relatives.

The Kentucky hills are full of caves, and, in fact, the state boasts the most caves in the union. These caves make for an above ground landscape that is rolling with gentle grades and sharp declines, not to mention sinkholes in abundance. Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky is named after the largest underground dry cave in the US. It was our next stop.

Ella was allowed on all the trails in Mammoth Cave NP which was fantastic. They were gorgeous! Because it was winter, they were strewn with fallen leaves from sleeping, deciduous trees that stood tall and prominent. Although there were no green leaves in sight, the rocks were gleaming with a lush carpet of green, dewy moss that sparkled in the sunshine. The trails were cut into the hillside which sloped down to a river. Exposed formations of rocks were stacked in tiers creating a natural amphitheater. Because the trail sliced through the hill, tree roots were clambering between the rocks for space.  It looked like a giant’s staircase covered with shaggy, green carpet and adorned with ornate and intricate woodwork.

The trails were well marked, and the changes in elevation got our blood pumping. Because the trees were bare, Ella could see every squirrel digging for every nut, and there were a bunch. She was pretty sure she could catch them all! The sky was clear blue, and the air was very cool and crisp. Exactly what you would hope for on a winter’s day in Kentucky.

There were about five or six trails that we explored throughout the afternoon. The trails were of varying difficulties, and one was even a handicap accessible trail, built through some beautiful parts of the park that covered flat ground near bends of the river where springs bubbled up with crawfish and other water life. The trails wove through the woods near the Green River and the River Styx. The River Styx is an underground river that flows through caves and rocks and meets up with the overground Green River through a series of tiny waterfalls and springs. The hillside where these two rivers meet is configured naturally with sandstone and limestone and stands like a wall with tiny waterfall windows. The weather was cool enough that there were icicles hanging off the rocks and twinkling in the sun.

Looking over a whole landscape of rocks and winter trees and dead leaves you would think that the terrain would get monotonous, but it was a constant source of fascination and interest. The vines that are normally green and thick with life are bare, and you can see their twiggy outlines twist through the trees, climbing upwards and branching off into other trees before cascading back down. The trees were varying widths and heights and colors, everything from dark sable to white. And I really couldn’t get enough of the moss-covered rocks. I have an inordinate fascination with forest decay – moss, lichens, fungus, mushrooms. The amount of growth and life that is present in death – that replaces death – is awe-inspiring and truly exciting. And the moss in this forest oozed life.

As we were rounding out our last trail, we passed the Mammoth Cave sinkhole, or maybe I should say one of the sinkholes, because I think there are several. From there, it was a climb to the parking lot. Ella gets excited on our walks and has a tendency to pull on her leash, marching out ahead of me. I normally hate it and correct her. When we are climbing hills though, I’m not gonna lie, I really like the extra pull-power she provides. An added bonus – she is on the constant lookout for the most efficacious way to climb the trails, so when I follow her, I often avoid the wretched, jutting rocks and tree roots that I normally wouldn’t see. It’s kinda nice.

Mammoth Cave does not allow dogs inside the caves or on any cave tours, but they do have a kennel, so for less than $10 you can leave your pup for a few hours to do one or several of the cave tours. I opted for the tour that had 500 stairs, most of them descending into the cave, but there were many other small staircases inside, and then of course you had to climb out. It was an amazing experience being in this giant, dry cave, most of which consisted of expansive rooms or chambers that didn’t have the stalactites or stalagmites that you usually see in caves. In fact, what makes this cave remarkable is that most of the cave is above the water table, so these large, cavernous rooms stay dry.

We did however go into a part of the cave called the drapery room that had all sorts of watery and wet stalactites and stalagmites in intricate formations. We walked through several rooms on a pathway made up of footbridges and small staircases, and right in the center of one of the rooms, from probably 100 feet up, there was a waterfall that fell in a giant column through the middle of the room. The water landed about 30 or 40 feet below the footbridge. Spectacular.

We saw leggy cave crickets but no other real wildlife. The bats were hidden in dark crevices and corners, out of sight. There were two Rangers that walked with us, one in front who turned lights on as we went in and one behind who turned lights off as we passed through. The reason for the diligence toward inky darkness is to cut down on any algae that might grow in the artificial light because when the algae grow, the cave crickets will rely on it for food instead of leaving to forage outside. It’s the leaving that gives them diversity in their diet which in turn leads them to providing diversity in the diets of cave bats and fish.

To follow the warmer temperatures, Ella and I did not camp in KY that night but drove on to TN in anticipation of the Smokies. The drive through Kentucky at dusk was beautiful. The hills were rolling with a giant patchwork of green, winter rye and wheat-colored grasses; red farmhouses with silos and old, wooden barns dotted the landscape. The sunset was softly lit with pastel hues of purples and blues with a tinge of pink that contrasted the barren, black outlines of oak trees that would rise and fall on the horizon. Straight ahead, as my Subaru was rolling over the hills, was a pure, white, crescent moon as if it was die-cut into the sky. I drove slowly so I could soak in the evening’s scenery before it got dark.

After the visual feasts of the day, that moonrise was my dessert wine – sweet, brief, and satisfying.