Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail in Mammoth Cave National Park

Length: 8.7 miles (one way)
Time:  1.5 to 2 hours on bike, 3 to 4 hours on foot (one way)
Difficulty: easy to moderate for hikers; moderate to strenuous for bikers

The Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail is a wide, gravel path that is open to both hikers and bikers. I biked the trail one way from the Visitor Center (had a ride at the end), so while this review is geared more for bikers than hikers, much of the information applies to both modes of transportation. There are plenty of photos, so regardless of how you travel, you can at least see what the trail looks like.

Other than riding on the park roads, the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail, the Maple Springs Trail, and the Big Hollow Trail are the only off-road biking opportunities at Mammoth Cave National Park. However, the Railroad Trail is more of an all-purpose trail, whereas Maple Springs and Big Hollow are actual mountain-biking trails. That’s not to say the Railroad Trail is easy for bikers. The first couple miles are family friendly, but after that you need to be in very good shape to make it to the end.

The northern trailhead for the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail is near the Visitor Center, and the southern trailhead is somewhere near I-65. The National Park Service claims the trail is 9 miles long, and it may well be. I biked 8.7 miles starting at the Visitor Center, but I couldn’t figure out where the official end was. All I know is that if I went much farther I’d be in some serious vehicle traffic.

I started my ride at the parking lot for the Mammoth Cave Lodge, which is as good as any place to start. Most people will start from here, the Visitor Center parking lot, or even from their campsites at the Mammoth Cave Campground. The trail is a paved sidewalk no matter which of these three places you start at, and by the time you get in front of the camp store near the campground entrance, everyone will be on the same path.

Start of the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail near the Visitor Center, Mammoth Cave National Park

The trail gets its name from the fact that it roughly follows the path of an old railroad spur line. Starting in 1859, visitors to Mammoth Cave arrived in Glasgow Junction (today’s Park City) on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, then took a stagecoach to the cave. In 1886, a spur line, the Mammoth Cave Railroad, replaced the stagecoach. The spur operated until 1931, at which time a lack of business due to competition with automobiles forced it to shut down.

Not far from the start of the trail, and a good ways off to the right, is a railcar exhibit. On display is Locomotive No. 4 and a combo coach and baggage railcar. This is the only engine and coach that still exist from the Mammoth Cave Railroad. All others were eventually scrapped when it closed.

Mammoth Cave Railroad exhibit alongside the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail

Not far beyond the camp store, the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail changes from a paved to a gravel path, and that’s the way it remains to the end.

Start of the gravel section of the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail in Mammoth Cave National Park

A mile and a half from the start, the trail crosses Carmichael Road, the road cave tour buses use to get to the Carmichael and Violet City entrances to Mammoth Cave. Up to this point there are a few small hills, but overall it is fairly level and easy to hike or bike.

Typical terrain on the first mile and a half of the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail

A third of a mile later, the trail becomes a boardwalk and follows right along Mammoth Cave Parkway. This is also the start of the first notable downhill section that runs for .6 mile to the bottom of Doyle Valley, and once at the bottom it almost immediately begins climbing an extremely steep hill out of the valley. If you are with small children or aren’t in great shape yourself, the start of the boardwalk is a good place to turn around and head back to the Visitor Center.

Boardwalk segment of the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail runs right along Mammoth Cave Parkway

The hill into the valley is not very steep. There is a 150-foot section with a -10% grade, which is the start of strenuous biking if you were coming the other way (a +10% grade), but other than that, it’s just a long, gradual descent. None of this will faze hikers, as a 15% grade is where strenuous hiking begins.

About halfway down is an overlook on the other side of the road. There is not much to see now due to trees that have grown up to block the view, but there is a picnic table if you need a break. Otherwise, just continue on the Railroad Trail, which reverts back to gravel just beyond the overlook.

Overlook of Appalachia along Mammoth Cave Parkway

View of Appalachia from an overlook on Mammoth Cave Parkway

Getting out of the valley, which begins at the 2.4-mile point, is another story. The climb lasts .2 mile and has an average grade of 12%. I tried standing up and peddling to put a little oomph into the effort, but my back tire just spit gravel, and I eventually came to a stop and had to push my bike to the top. In truth, I wouldn’t have made it up even if the trail was paved. I doubt anyone other than very serious bikers could either. For hikers, it’s still a moderate climb but not nearly has difficult as it is for bikers.

Extremely steep uphill climb 2.5 miles from the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail’s northern trailhead

Extremely steep uphill climb 2.5 miles from the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail’s northern trailhead

At the top of the hill, the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail comes to a T-intersection. The trail continues to the left. I have no idea where a right leads to.

Intersection at the top of the first steep hill when heading south on the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail

The next three miles is uphill, but the hills are much more manageable. There are a few difficult climbs, but these are measured in feet, not miles. Even I was able to ride the entire way, which says a lot as to the difficulty.

Typical terrain between the 2.5- and 5.5-mile marks on the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail

The Sloan’s Crossing Pond Trail, a short boardwalk nature trail, comes 3.4 miles from the start. If you want to walk the trail, you must leave your bike at the parking lot—no bikes are allowed.

Sloan’s Crossing Pond in Mammoth Cave National Park

There is another unmarked intersection at the 4.9-mile mark on the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail. The trail itself continues straight, but if you take a left, just a short ways down is a wayside exhibit about Larkin Procter, a major landholder in the area and founding stockholder in the Mammoth Cave Railroad. He had his own cave starting in 1886, Procter’s Cave. It was a competitor of Mammoth Cave, complete with a hotel that once stood nearby.

Turn on the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail for the Larkin Procter wayside exhibit

A little over a half mile later is a parking lot and a short walking path to Locust Grove Cemetery. It was getting dark when I biked the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail, so I didn’t have time to visit the cemetery. The trail continues on the other side of Mammoth Cave Parkway.

Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail continues on the other side of Mammoth Cave Parkway from the Locust Grove Cemetery parking lot

There is a short, moderate uphill segment right after the parking lot, but a tenth of a mile later is the start of a 1.75-mile downhill segment of trail. The first half mile isn’t too steep, but just after the trail reaches the junction of Mammoth Cave Parkway and Mammoth Cave Road, it starts heading downhill at a very nice pace (of course, not so nice if you are coming the other way). The start of the hill is marked with a STEEP GRADE AHEAD sign.

Start of a steep downhill segment of the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail south of Mammoth Cave Road

The descent, which is .75 mile long, covers two hills with a short level area between them. The grade of the first hill is only -7% and the second hill -5.5%, so this is nowhere near as steep as the first hill with a STEEP GRADE sign. What makes it difficult—if you are coming the other way—is that you will be peddling uphill for 1.75 mile.

The bottom of the hill comes roughly 7 miles from the start, leaving approximately 2 miles of the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail to tackle. At this point the trail is hilly like a kiddie rollercoaster. There is a 100-foot segment with a 10% grade (short-but-steep), and a 300-foot, 150-foot, and 100-foot uphill segment with a 7% grade. In most cases, the momentum from heading downhill got me most of the way up the hills. I was so tired that I did have to walk up one of them, but most bikers who get this far won’t have any problems. The trail passes in front of Diamond Caverns, a privately owned show cave.

Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail passes Diamond Caverns near its southern end

A little over 8.25 miles from the start, the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail comes out of the forest and hits Mammoth Cave Parkway. It continues directly across the road, curves sharply to the left, parallels the parkway for another quarter mile, and then comes out near the entrance ramp to I-65 where it apparently ends. Supposedly at this point there is a bike trail that leads into downtown Park City, but I believe the route is comprised of city streets, not a trail specifically for hiking or biking.

Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail crosses Mammoth Cave Parkway near its southern end

Southern end of the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail near the I-65 ramp

If you are biking or hiking back to the Visitor Center, just turn around when you’ve had enough. However, if you have arranged for a ride at the end or are with a friend and have two vehicles, one of which you plan to park at the end, there is no parking lot near the I-65 ramp. So here is what you should do. A third of a mile prior to where the trail crosses Mammoth Cave Parkway, there is an unmarked gravel trail that forks off to the right. I had no idea what it was at the time, but it leads to a five-car parking lot at the official Mammoth Cave National Park entrance sign. If you notice the turn, be sure to take it. Otherwise, when you get to Mammoth Cave Parkway, take the road back north (to the right). The parking lot is less than a tenth of a mile away. This is as good a place to end the trip as any, and it is also where you need to park your return vehicle or where your ride needs to be waiting for you.

Trailhead for the Mammoth Cave Railroad Trail at the southern end of the park on Mammoth Cave Parkway

Parking lot on Mammoth Cave Parkway at the southern entrance to Mammoth Cave National Park

Back to the Top