Start of the Heritage Trail in Mammoth Cave National Park

Length:  .6-mile loop
Time:  20 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy

The Heritage Trail is a paved, wheelchair accessible trail that starts at the rear of the Mammoth Cave Lodge. If you are at the back of the Visitor Center, cross the footbridge that connects to the Lodge to get to the trailhead.

Bridge between the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center and Lodge

The Heritage Trail is a good walk for those with young children or those with time to kill while waiting for a cave tour to begin. It is a lollypop-shaped trail, meaning you first hike out on the stick before coming to the loop. Along the stick portion, which is mainly a boardwalk, are two observation decks (both were closed due to advanced deterioration when I visited). The purpose of one of the decks is to provide a bird’s eye view of the Historic Entrance to Mammoth Cave, but you can still get a nice view of the entrance from the trail itself.

Boardwalk at the start of the Heritage Trail in Mammoth Cave National Park

View of the Historic Entrance of Mammoth Cave from the Heritage Trail

The loop portion of the trail starts after a tenth of a mile. There is a Heritage Trail information board at the fork. What looks like a roadside motel to the left is the Sunset Terrace, one of three lodging options within Mammoth Cave National Park. I went around the loop in the clockwise direction (left), and this report is written from that perspective.

Start of the loop portion of the Heritage Trail in Mammoth Cave National Park

At the start of the loop is a very short side trail to the Old Guide’s Cemetery, which is thought to have originated as a slave cemetery. Oddly enough, there is only one cave guide buried here, Stephen Bishop. There are also three tuberculosis patients who died while being treated inside Mammoth Cave during a failed medical experiment that took place in late 1842 and early 1843.

Stephen Bishop began exploring Mammoth Cave in 1838 when he was the slave of cave owner Franklin Gorin. John Croghan purchased the cave and Bishop from Gorin the following year. Bishop became not only the most sought-after guide by tourists to Mammoth Cave, but he also became world famous in the circle of spelunkers and cave geologists.

Croghan’s will dictated that Bishop be freed seven years after his death, which came in 1849. Once freed in 1856, Bishop continued working as a cave guide. He died the following year in 1857 at the age of 37. While his death was reported in numerous newspapers, none described how he died, and even today the cause of death is unknown. Rumors range from tuberculosis to being crushed when a well he was digging collapsed on him. (The 1859 date of death on the tombstone, a repurposed Civil War solider grave donated 20 years later, is incorrect.)

Old Guide’s Cemetery near the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center

Grave of Stephen Bishop, renowned Mammoth Cave guide in the mid-1800s

The Heritage Trail intersects with two trails on its south side, the first being the Mammoth Dome Sink Trail (aka Sinkhole Trail).

Intersection of the Heritage Trail and the Mammoth Dome Sink Trail (aka Sinkhole Trail), Mammoth Cave National Park

The next intersection, which comes at the far end of the loop, is with a short connector to the Two Springs Trail. This is also the location of Sunset Point, which I assume is a good place to watch the sun set. During the day there is nothing but a mundane view of some small mountains.

Connector to the Two Springs Trail at Sunset Point on the Heritage Trail, Mammoth Cave National Park

View from Sunset Point on the Heritage Trail, Mammoth Cave National Park

Beyond Sunset Point, the Heritage Trail continues through the forest with views down into the valley below. When you get back to the information board, take a right to return to the Lodge and Visitor Center.

Heritage Trail at Mammoth Cave National Park

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