Sand Cave Trail in Mammoth Cave National Park
Length: .2 mile, round trip
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
The Sand Cave Trail is a very short out-and-back trail located on Cave City Road near the boundary of Mammoth Cave National Park. It leads to Sand Cave, the center of international news for sixteen days in February 1925. Popular spelunker Floyd Collins set out to explore the cave on January 30th and ended up getting pinned down by a rock he kicked loose while exiting. The passageway he was in was too narrow for him to reach back towards his legs and move the rock.
During the rescue attempt, part of the cave collapsed, cutting off all physical contact with Floyd. A shaft was drilled 60 feet down to connect to the cave, but by the time the rescuers finally reached Floyd on February 16th, he was already dead. So many people and news agencies had gathered at Sand Cave during the ordeal that the Kentucky National Guard had to be called in to control the crowds.
The Sand Cave Trail is a boardwalk that is supposedly wheelchair accessible, but the slope is pretty steep for the average wheelchair-bound visitor. If you aren’t in good shape or have an electric wheelchair, you might need somebody to push you back up the trail on the return trip.
Sand Cave Trail boardwalk, Mammoth Cave National Park
It’s not much more than a five-minute walk to the end of the trail where there is an observation deck with a view of the Sand Cave entrance. There are wayside exhibits along the way that detail Floyd’s predicament.
Observation deck at the end of the Sand Cave Trail in Mammoth Cave National Park
So many visitors have gotten off the boardwalk and walked down to the cave that a distinct trail has formed, one that is just as long as the boardwalk itself. I did not make the detour, but I assume a cave that is famous for somebody getting killed in has either a gate at the entrance to keep people out or has been filled in. I couldn’t see inside the mouth of the cave from the observation deck.
Entrance to Sand Cave and side trail leading down to it, Mammoth Cave National Park
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Last updated on September 27, 2024
