Underneath the surface, Mammoth Cave is home to a 390-mile subterranean cave network. In fact, this is the largest known underground cave network on the planet. Because of this feature, visitors come for the caves, but seem to forget that there is a wonderful national park above them. Fishing, kayaking, camping, horse back riding, and even cycling can all be accomplished during your stay.
The park’s above ground area is mostly utilized by the locals, and even at that, it sees little action. Since 1999, mountain bikers have had semi-official access to trails in the park that follow old road beds. This being Kentucky, and horse country, they ran into a few bumps along the way. However, the equine aficionados and the mountain bikers found a way to work together, and create a trail system that will accommodate both recreational hobbies.
Thanks to a recent reassessment process to determine what the park users wanted, everyone is coming out a winner. The horse folk will regain access to their favorite trail (Sal Hollow), and the mountain bikers are going to see a new 8 to 10 mile section of single track created (tentatively named Big Hollow).
This story is much more in-depth than this brief summary however. I strongly encourage you to head over to the source link below and read the full article.
Source: Adventure Journal
Image Credit: Michael Frank
