Mammoth Cave National Park (redirected from Floyd Collins Crystal Cave)

Mammoth Cave National Park, 52,830 acres (21,396 hectares), central Kentucky, authorized 1926, est. 1941. Located in a hilly, forested region, it offers numerous outdoor activities. It is the site of

Mammoth Cave, the longest recorded cave system in the world. Composed of a series of subterranean chambers and narrow passages formed by the dissolution of limestone, the cave has five separate levels. The known passages have a combined length of over 345 mi (555 km), disclosing limestone formations (stalactites, stalagmites, and columns), lakes, and rivers. Echo River, c.360 ft (110 m) below the surface, flows through the cave's lowest level and drains into the Green River. Hanson's Lost River, an underground stream, joins Mammoth Cave with the extensive Flint Ridge cave system; this long-sought link was discovered in 1972. The temperature (54°F;/12°C;) and relative humidity (87%) remain constant during the year throughout the cave. The cave contains the mummified body of a man believed to date from the pre-Columbian period. Bats, eyeless fish, and insects are also found. Mammoth Cave was a long-time Native American habitation before it was explored by Kentucky pioneers in 1799. During the War of 1812, saltpeter was mined in the cave for gunpowder. See National Parks and Monuments (table).

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Mammoth Cave National Park

National park, southwest-central Kentucky, U.S. The park, authorized in 1926 and established in 1941, occupies a surface area of 82 sq mi (212 sq km) that covers a system of limestone caverns. In 1972 a passage was discovered linking the Mammoth Cave and the Flint Ridge Cave System; the explored underground passages have a combined length of some 329 mi (530 km). The caves are inhabited by various animals that have undergone evolutionary adaptation to the dark, including cave crickets, blindfish, and blind crayfish. Mummified Indian bodies, possibly of pre-Columbian origin, have been found in the caves.

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Mammoth Cave National Park

Parks Directory of the United States / US National Parks / National Parks

Address: 1 Mammoth Cave Pkwy
PO Box 7
Mammoth Cave, KY 42259
Phone: 270-758-2180;
Fax: 270-758-2349;
Web: www.nps.gov/maca/
Size: 52,830 acres.
Established: Authorized on May 25, 1926; fully established on July 1, 1941. Designated a World Heritage Site on October 27, 1981, and an International Biosphere Reserve on September 26, 1990.
Location: 9 miles north of I-65 and 85 miles from both Louisville, Kentucky, and Nashville, Tennessee.
Facilities: Campgrounds (é), picnic area, rest rooms (é), cabin rental, lodging, groceries, restaurant/snacks, visitor center (é), museum/exhibit, self-guided tour/trail.
Activities: Camping, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, boating, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, boat tours, guided cave tours (advance reservations accepted).
Special Features: The park was established to preserve the cave system, including Mammoth Cave, the scenic river valleys of the Green and Nolin rivers, and a section of the hilly country north of the Green River. This is the longest recorded cave system in the world with more than 365 miles explored and mapped. The park contains several species of endangered plants and animals, including Eggert's Sunflower, the Eyeless Cave Shrimp, and several species of river mussels, among others.

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See other parks in Kentucky.