River Valley Trail in Mammoth Cave National Park

Length:  .3 mile (one way)
Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate

The River Valley Trail is one of the many short trails on the south side of the Green River near the Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Center. It can only be reached by hiking other trails first, and it really serves no purpose other than to connect the Two Springs Trail (western trailhead) and the Sinkhole Trail (eastern trailhead) so that a loop between the two can be formed. There are no trail identification signs at either of the intersections, so be sure to bring a trail map with you. The one in the Mammoth Cave park brochure has enough detail to keep you from getting lost.

River Valley Trail map (click to enlarge)

I started my hike on the River Valley Trail at the intersection with the Two Springs Trail after hiking north from the Echo River Spring Trail near the Green River Ferry. It is the first intersection you will come to, and you actually have to take a left to stay on the Two Springs Trail. You’ll be on the River Valley Trail just by continuing straight ahead. There is a sign at the intersection with directions to various points of interest (but no mention of what trail you are on), so just be sure you are following the arrows to MAMMOTH DOME, SUNSET POINT, and VISITOR CENTER.

Intersection of the River Valley and Two Springs trails, Mammoth Cave National Park

The River Valley Trail is short and simple. It is uphill nearly all the way when hiking east from the Two Springs Trail to the Sinkhole Trail, and of course downhill nearly all the way when hiking in the other direction. There are three climbs in all with short, level reprieves between them. The first climb is only 100 feet in length, but the average grade is 13%, moderate in difficulty (15% is considered the start of strenuous hiking). The second climb is a tenth of a mile with a 7% grade (somewhere between easy and moderate), and the third climb is another tenth of a mile with a 15% grade.

Hilly terrain on the River Valley Trail in Mammoth Cave National Park

Of all the trails near the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center, the River Valley Trail is the most overgrown, which means not many people hike it. It’s not awful by any means, but it does get quite narrow in places, and you will be brushing up against vegetation where ticks like to hide. Check the fronts of your legs every few minutes to make sure you didn’t pick up any hitchhikers.

Narrow and overgrown section of the River Valley Trail in Mammoth Cave National Park

The River Valley Trail dead ends into the Sinkhole Trail. The Visitor Center is to the left while a right leads back down to the Eco River Spring Trail. Note that at the time I did the hike that the trail signs still identified the Sinkhole Trail as the Mammoth Dome Sink Trail. The name is changed on the map. The existing signs are on their last leg, so they may well be updated by the time you do the hike.

Intersection of the River Valley and Sinkhole trails, Mammoth Cave National Park

The only point of interest along the River Valley Trail is a stone building that once served as a chlorinating house for the wastewater treatment facility at Mammoth Cave that was in operation until 1995. It is within eyesight of the Two Springs Trail intersection and is now abandoned and off in thick brush. It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) around 1940. The CCC was an organization conceived by the Roosevelt administration to help young, unmarried men get back to work in the wake of the Great Depression. Many of the national and state park trails, campgrounds, and other facilities were built by members of the CCC during this time, including those at Mammoth Cave. The CCC program ended in June 1942, at which time all the young men got new jobs fighting the Nazis and Japanese.

Chlorinating House built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1940, Mammoth Cave National Park

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