Table and grill at the Mammoth Cave Picnic Area

The main picnic area at Mammoth Cave National Park is located on a side road that begins at the Visitor Center parking lot. This is a large picnic area with three pavilions, two of which can be rented for group events (one is actually an enclosed building). The picnic tables are made of cement—no splinters—and most tables have their own grill. A modern restroom building is located in the center. There are no trash cans at the tables, but there are a few centrally located dumpsters.

The Mammoth Cave Picnic Area is open to vehicles from March 1st through November 30th. At other times of the year the road is gated, but you can still park at the Visitor Center and walk to the tables if you really want to have a picnic. Of course, this requires carrying your food and picnicking supplies as well. From the parking lot, the closest tables are a tenth of a mile away (150 yards).

There are two sections to the Mammoth Cave Picnic Area. Not long after entering is a left turn and a PARKING sign pointing to the turn. This road ends in a small loop that allows larger vehicles to turn around, and there are two parking lots along the road that together can hold around three dozen cars (or less if spaces are taken up by RVs or vehicles towing trailers).

The PARKING sign is a little misleading, for it seems to indicate that this is where you must park. However, you can continue up the road to the second section of the picnic area where there are three more parking lots (28 total spaces for passenger vehicles plus 2 for RVs) spread out along the road that ends in a loop around the picnic area.

Mammoth Cave Picnic Area map

The first section of the Mammoth Cave Picnic Area is where one of the reservable pavilions is located. The facility can accommodate up to 60 people. It is open on the sides and has ten picnic tables, but there are no grills specifically for the pavilion. There are two fireplaces within it but no cooking grates. The fireplaces were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps around 1940, so I would be surprised if they are allowed to be used today. However, there were ashes in them when I visited, and there is nothing on the National Park Service website that addresses the issue. Just to be on the safe side, there are seven tables with grills in the field behind the pavilion, so if your group plans to grill, be sure to grab one or two of these.

Reservable picnic pavilion at the Mammoth Cave Picnic Area

Fireplace built by the Civilian Conservation Crops attached to the picnic pavilion at the Mammoth Cave Picnic Area

Reservations for the pavilion can be made up to six months in advance online at Recreation.gov (note that this particular pavilion is called G002). At the time of this writing the cost is $55, but Recreation.gov lists the current rates. Keep in mind that the season is March 1st through November 30th, and rental hours are between 8 AM and 6 PM. If the pavilion is not rented, it is available on a first come, first served basis.

As mentioned above, there are also seven more individual tables in the field behind the pavilion that are taken on a first come, first served basis. Unless you have the manpower to pick up and move solid cement tables, they are too far apart to be suitable for any type of group event. Even if you do manage to move them, the grills are anchored into the ground.

Picnic tables in the field behind the reservable pavilion at the Mammoth Cave Picnic Area

There are two more picnic tables with grills on the south side of the first parking lot, plus another ten on the north side between the two reservable pavilions (see map). Three of these tables do not have a grill.

Picnic table and grill in the first section of the Mammoth Cave Picnic Area

If you continue up the road past the first turn, there is a parking lot next to another pavilion that can be reserved between 10 AM and 6 PM on Saturdays and Sundays only. The National Park Service calls this a pavilion (G001), but it is actually an enclosed building, which is what I would call a banquet hall. The building has electricity, heating, and air conditioning. There is no cooking allowed inside other than in a provided microwave. If your group plans to grill, grab one of the picnic tables with a grill in the field just outside the building.

As with G002, the banquet hall can accommodate up to 60 people and can be reserved up to six months in advance on Recreation.gov. Cost at the time of this writing is $85. This building is locked when not rented.

Banquet building at the Mammoth Cave Picnic Area

The road loops around a field at the far end of the picnic area. Within this field is another open-sided pavilion with ten tables, but it is only available on a first come, first served basis. As with the other open-sided pavilion, there are no grills specifically for it. There is a fireplace.

First come, first served picnic pavilion at the Mammoth Cave Picnic Area

The only picnic tables in the field are located between the pavilion and the parking lot on the west side of the loop, and there are only six, five of which have grills. Three even have a fire ring for campfires. The field is huge, so needless to say, there is plenty of room between tables.

Picnic table with grill and campfire ring at the Mammoth Cave Picnic Area

I visited Mammoth Cave National Park on the weekend before Columbus Day and on a weekend in early June, and there were only a few people using the picnic area on both occasions. Therefore, I can’t imagine tables being hard to come by other than perhaps on Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day.

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