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As a national park, World Heritage Site, and International
Biosphere Reserve, Mammoth Cave is recognized worldwide as a
unique and exemplary karst resource. Beneath the surface is the
longest cave known to man. It extends at least 365 miles, with
more discovered every year. Above the surface lie steep hills
and valleys, winding rivers and woodlands re-grown from the
farms and small communities that existed here before the park's
establishment in 1941.
The park offers cave tours, camping, hiking, canoeing,
picnicking, and horseback riding in a 52,830-acre hardwood
forest, with 31 miles of the Green and Nolin Rivers and 70 miles
of trails.
Mammoth Cave Trivia
1. 138 species make use of the cave on a regular basis - 42 of
these are troglobites, adapted exclusively to life in the cave.
Blind fish, crayfish and the Kentucky cave shrimp are eyeless
and colorless.
2. Prehistoric people scraped minerals from the cave walls
between 2,000 and 4,000 years ago, and left behind slippers,
gourds, and torch sticks that are perfectly preserved in the
cave's constant environment.
3. In 1838, three young slaves were leased to the owner of
Mammoth Cave to guide the visiting public into the cavern. Nick
Bransford, Mat Bransford, and Stephen Bishop became well-known
personalities and discovered many of the passageways still shown
on tours today.
Mammoth Cave Attractions
1. Cave tours are offered year round, ranging from an easy
¼-mile stroll to 5 miles of crawling, climbing, and sliming.
Blackouts in the cave's total darkness, when guides purposely
turn off all the lights, are a favorite memory of returning
visitors. Enjoy a quiet hike in the 300-acre Big Woods, an
old-growth remnant on the north side of Green River.
2. Take a twilight stroll around the Sloan's Crossing Pond Walk
to the riotous croak-buzz-and-squawk of frogs, bugs, and water
birds.
About the author:
Rick Chapo is with http://www.nomadjournals.com - makers of
travel journals. Writing journals are the perfect travel
accessories. Visit http://www.nomadjournaltrips.com to read more
travel articles and travelogues.
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