Remnants of a saltpeter mining operation inside Mammoth Cave

For reviews of all Mammoth Cave National Park tours, how to get tickets, what to wear, and rules for the tours, see the Cave Tours web page here on National Park Planner. Keep in mind that not all tours are offered year-round, and the schedule of what tours are available changes often. Be sure to check the National Park Service’s official Cave Tours web page for the current schedule.

I did not take the Discovery Tour of Mammoth Cave, but I did other tours that cover the same area. This is a self-guided tour that in my opinion is designed for people who waited around until the last minute and can’t get on any other cave tours because they are all sold out. There is no participant limit, so if you find yourself on the verge of not getting to see Mammoth Cave during a visit to Mammoth Cave National Park, the Discovery Tour is your saving grace.

The tour enters the cave at the Historic Entrance and covers about a half mile of passageways. This area has a lot of historical artifacts such as remnants from a saltpeter mining operation. It gets you into the exact same areas as the Mammoth Passage Tour (a guided-version), so don’t take both. Furthermore, if you previously took or plan to take the Historic, Extended Historic, or Grand Historic tours, do not take the Discovery Tour (or the Mammoth Passage Tour for that matter).

The terrain explored on the Discovery Tour is fairly level, but getting inside the cave does require walking down (and up when you leave) an extremely steep .2-mile paved walkway from the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center (common to all tours that begin at the Historic Entrance) and then taking a staircase of 67 steps into the cave (and of course you must climb the same stairs when you exit). The tour is open to all ages. Those 16 and under must be accompanied by a person 18 or older.

Visitors to Mammoth Cave exit via the Historic Entrance

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