Drive a little further into the park and there is a great picnic and camping area. Outside the cave there are stunning views. Our guide tried to hurry the group along and had really bad breath but we still took our time and made plenty of time for cool pics. The basic tour is great for kids to experience. Broken stalagmites and Stalactites from years ago when folks shot them off with their guns.That is about it though. This cave does have some damage done to it. My tour guide had a few jokes about how he manipulated physically unfit folks through the cave.and though it was funny, I can imagine how miserable the tour can be for someone who doesn't get out much.Īt any rate, if the Ladder Tour does not appear to be your cup of tea, then come for the regular tour. In all, I definitely recommend the Colossal Cave Mountain Ladder tour to anyone! Well, except for the really over weight, or those with chronic injuries. Lots of bugs too, but hey, we were on a mountain! There was plenty of steak sauce to go around. I don't know if it was because I was super hungry, but my steak was wonderfully juicy and satisfying. There were coolers of water and lemonade. The dinner that came with the ladder tour was very delicious! We had salad, steak, pinto beans, and baked potato. However, for the most part, the tour itself was not dangerous unless you have claustrophobia. I can still recall how my poorly used muscles were trembling with slight fatigue after the whole thing! I also got some scrapes from when I slipped a few times-as stone is not a forgiving material. We walked across a ledge to get to the actual ladder part of the tour, which was towards the end of the experience.
It was exceedingly adventurous, as we went off the beaten path of the regular cave tour, and were ducking behind columns, climbing into chambers, and squeezing through holes to navigate our way to the exit. The route Phil took us through the ladder tour was actually quite exciting (and physically strenuous for myself, since I am out of shape).
However, I saw a variety of very interesting formations that were illuminated by my helmet light. The cave itself is musky, dusty, dry, and dark-since they turned off the main lights. With the exception of a few people, most of us were from out of town. My tour guide was called Phil, and he was wonderful-very energetic, knowledgeable, and passionate about caving. On the night we arrived, there were two tour guides. My uncle and I arrived around 5:30 pm and waited for the tour to begin. There is a small gift shop to browse and buy regular tour tickets. The entrance area to the cave has a wonderful view of the surrounding mountain/valley. Whether you're visiting the national park, thinking about visiting, or just curious about a place recognized as one of the world's greatest natural wonders, don't miss this delightful guide to the wild and wonderful subterranean world of Mammoth Cave.Called ahead to make reservations for the Ladder Tour in advance (this is very important, because they are booked)! To enter the parking lot, it is a small 5$ fee. Throughout, Olson offers up humorous accounts of celebrity visits and astounding adventures and even includes a chapter dedicated to jokes told in the cave over the years. Olson also explores Mammoth Cave's rich history, covering its use as the world's first tuberculosis sanatorium as well as its operation as a saltpeter mine during the War of 1812, and shares the inspirational story of the park's first female ranger. She discusses scientific subjects such as the fossils of prehistoric animals and the secret lives of subterranean critters, and she provides essential information on dating in the cave (the age of rocks and artifacts, not courtship). In this charming book, Colleen O'Connor Olson takes readers on a tour through a labyrinth of topics. Lovecraft's "The Beast in the Cave," the realities of life at Mammoth Cave can be stranger than fiction. Although this remarkable place has been immortalized in works ranging from Herman Melville's Moby Dick to H. Sir Elton John, blind fish, the original Twinkie, President Ronald Reagan's Secret Service detail, and mummies don't usually come up in the same conversation-unless you're at Mammoth Cave National Park! Home to the earth's longest known cave system, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the oldest tourist attractions in North America.
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