While most people only think of cave tours when considering a trip to Mammoth Cave National Park, there are other outdoor activities available including paddling down the Green River and the Nolin River. Under normal conditions, both rivers are calm with a few riffles every now and then to liven things up. Certainly if it has been raining hard and water levels are high, there can be rapids to the point where conditions are dangerous, but during the summer there is more concern about a lack of water than too much. The Green River Ferry, which can only operate when water levels are high enough, is closed more often than not. I visited the park four times, and the ferry was closed during three of them.
Twenty-five miles of the Green River run through the park, east to west, and there are three canoe launches allowing for trips between them of eight or twelve miles. Strong paddlers can easily cover the entire river in a day, but if you want to make a multi-day trip of it, camping along the riverbanks and on islands is permissible with a permit. See the Backcountry Camping web page here on National Park Planner for more information.
Most people skip the first three miles of the Green River on the eastern side of Mammoth Cave National Park because the first canoe launch at the Dennison Ferry Day Use Area is three river miles from the eastern boundary. The last launch within the park is twenty miles away at Houchin Ferry, but there are still two miles beyond it to the western boundary. For those who want to paddle these last two miles, a public boat ramp just outside the western boundary in Brownsville is only four miles from Houchin Ferry.
Roughly seven miles of the Nolin River is within Mammoth Cave National Park, though the starting point is at the Tailwater Dam a half mile north of the park boundary. Furthermore, the Nolin River merges with the Green River between the Houchin Ferry and Brownsville boat ramps, so you have an additional two miles downriver to Brownsville or one and a half miles upriver to Houchin Ferry.
The Nolin River is much narrower than the Green River, and thus it is very susceptible to blockage by downed trees that you might have to portage around. I doubt asking a park Ranger about conditions will do much good since none of them are making trips down the river, but there is no harm in asking. It is possible that somebody who just made the trip provided the Rangers with an update. For what it’s worth, I did the trip and was able to get through all of the iffy areas.
Regardless of conditions or which river you paddle, lifejackets must be in the boat for all people on board, and those 12 years old and under must wear the lifejacket at all times.
See the following reports here on National Park Planner for information and photos of the different river trips you can make within Mammoth Cave National Park.
GREEN RIVER TRIPS
Dennison Ferry to Green River Ferry
Green River Ferry to Houchin Ferry
NOLIN RIVER TRIP
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Last updated on September 14, 2024