Monday, June 11, 2018

Mammoth Cave National Park


Happy Monday everyone! I wish all a great day and new week!

These photos were taken May 4th & 5th.
The Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky was one of the highlights of our road trip. Mammoth Cave NP is located at the Cave City exit off of Route 65. We picked a hotel off of Rt 65 in Bowling Green Kentucky which was 26 miles from the park entrance.

Tours through the cave are so popular we reserved our tours a month or so before our trip. The Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in the world, with over 400 miles explored. We spent 2 nights and 3 days in the area, exploring the cave and went on some hikes in the park.



Images are from  our first afternoon in Mammoth Cave NP, we walked down the trail to the Green River and to see the opening for the Historic Entrance of the cave. I noticed a lot of wildflowers along the trail, wild turkeys were seen on the road into the park, birds nest , Indigo Bunting silhouette, trail sign.


This is the trail down to the Green River and to the Historic Entrance of the Mammoth Cave.


Down the steps is the Historic Cave entrance. Hubby had a reservation to take the guided tour the next morning.


The Green River, it really is green.


Not open to the public, but below is a wet entrance/exit into or out of the cave. It reminds me of a trip & cruise we took years ago, stopping in Belize we went on a river caving excursion.



We saw a few deer laying on the ground off the trail.


The wild turkeys were one of the birds we saw often, mostly along the park road.


I will share more of the Mammoth Cave tours on another post. Hubby is a spelunker, which is a person who likes to explore caves.  We have also been to Carlsbad Caves in New Mexico, you can check out my post on Carlsbad by clicking on the sidebar link.




 I hope you enjoyed my post and photos.


Thanks to the hosting team of Our World Tuesday!
I hope to see you there. Thanks to the host today. Enjoy your day.

As always I thank you for stopping by and as always I appreciate your comments.

56 comments:

Marit said...

Hello Eileen,

Beautiful photos! I love The Green River. What a color! Pretty deers and turkeys.
Happy Monday, and enjoy your week ahead.

Ella said...

Hello Eileen,
Very nice photos. I did not know that the deers are not so scared of people.
I hope you'll publish photos from inside the cave.
Have a wonderful week!

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
I like cave and caverns... love the green of the water and how lovely to see that resting deer! YAM xx

Francisco Manuel Carrajola Oliveira said...

Magnifico e muito belo este park nacional.
Um abraço e boa semana.

Andarilhar
Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa
O prazer dos livros

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

Hi Eileen! Your post takes me home! Mammoth Cave is in the corner of Kentucky that I grew up in - I've been there many times. And, my brother is going "home" in a few weeks, and has tickets for a tour with a friend. Years ago, you didn't need to have them. But the cave has quite a history, and is a "must do" when you're in the area. I'll look forward to reading about your tour, etc.

eileeninmd said...

Thanks everyone for the comments and visit. Enjoy your day!

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Caves are very interesting places to visit and they harbour a whole suite of unique and interesting critters. We visited a karst formation in Slovenia last year where they have a whole centre dedicated to the strange creatures found in these subterranean regions.

DeniseinVA said...

Your Mammoth Cave shots are superb Eileen. Loved the sleeping deer photo.

Tom said...

...another place to put on my list!

Florence said...

Beautiful photos as always. Interesting place to visit. I had no idea the caves were so large.

Cloudia said...

Such wonderful adventures and shots, dear E!

Mary Hone said...

Wow, that's gorgeous. I love that entrance with the water, and what a fun array of wildlife.

Marco Luijken said...

Hello Eileen,
Nice pictures.
A wonderful park. Nice to go to for a walk.

Kind regards,
Marco

carol l mckenna said...

Awesome place and wonderful nature photos ~ thanks, Eileen ~

Happy Week ahead to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

MadSnapper said...

the dear looks like it might be pregnant. I am jealous over seeing her. we lived not far from bowling green for a few years and I have seen the outside of Mammouth cave but I don't do CAVES at all, not the inside anyway. but that was 56 years ago. it is beautiful in your photos

Connie said...

My what a beautiful park. I doubt that I will ever make it to Kentucky, but if I ever do, this will be on my list of places to see. Thanks for the tour.
Connie :)

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

Of course I love your critters, but look forward to cave shots.

We lived just an hour-or-so from Carlsbad Caverns, and visited a half-dozen times. The place was amazing.

Bob Bushell said...

Great historic cave, beautiful Deer also, thanks Eileen.

21 Wits said...

Goodness what a sweet little deer! This is quite the fascinating place, thanks for bringing almost there!

Lowcarb team member said...

Lovely to see your photo's here.
That green river really is green!

Those caves certainly do sound big, looking forward to seeing and hearing more about them.

All the best Jan

HappyK said...

We took the tour into the caves quite a few years ago. Really cool. Amazing.

Karen said...

I visited Mammoth Caves 50 years ago! Seems like yesterday. I loved seeing your photos. It is a memorable experience.

RedPat said...

I don't think I would be a good cave person!

Small City Scenes said...

Very interesting and weird
MB

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I've seen the signs for this place when we've traveled and always wanted to go. How beautiful...and lots to see! Enjoy your afternoon!

Out on the prairie said...

there is one in Iowa where the trout stream flows out of the cliff side. It is Coldwater Cave, with only a portion explored

Klara said...

400 miles! wow! a world under over feet. lovely images.

italiafinlandia said...

What an amazing place.
Love that beautifully coloured Green River!
Thanks for sharing.

William Kendall said...

Beautiful shots! I've never been there, but I'd love to see the cave and the park someday.

ellen b. said...

Good to know you needed to reserve your time in the cave. Looks like an interesting destination. Looking forward to seeing more.

Debbie said...

i always enjoy your mosaics, they are done so well!! the wildflowers are so pretty!! this left me wondering if you took a guided tour as well?? or if hubby went alone!!

the deer must be very tame, use to being around people and the turkey also - i always worry when the cross the road so openly

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos (as always). Mammoth was one of my favorite places we've been. I loved the cave tour. Our guide was fabulous.

Michelle said...

Mammoth Cave is a wonderful place to visit. I have been here several times and have always enjoyed it.

This N That said...

What a great place for pictures..Lot's of steps down to that cave..thanks for sharing..

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

Looking forward to more posts about the caves :) In my area here in PA we have the Laurel Caverns but I haven't been there since my boys were little :) Maybe with the grands down the line but in the interim, your posts will be interesting to see! :)

Linda W. said...

Enjoyed your photos. This is one National Park I'd love to visit someday!

dee Nambiar said...

Wow! that's really green water. And the caves look quite inviting. I look forward to your post on Mammoth Caves.

Sondra said...

Hi Eileen...I have gone into quite a few caves, but never to Mammoth...
I know you enjoyed your visit!! Love the sleeping deer, and the lush green of the area. Jewel Cave in SD is one where you carry a candle in a paint can while on your tour..it was the most challenging cave tour I've been on!

Lynne said...

Love your photos . . .
All the green . . . the river too . . .
I am not a cave person . . . brave you are . . .

rupam sarma said...

Amazing place,Beautiful photos.
Have a nice week ahead.

Lady Fi said...

What a lovely area! Gorgeous shots too.

Sussi said...

such a beautiful place! Wonderful photos!

Amy said...

wow what a neat place, ok I want to visit there now.

Phil Slade said...

No wonder the place is called Mammoth Caves. 400 miles is quite amazing. The green river is very interesting, rather like the green lake in Lanzarote, Canaries.

Lea said...

Wonderful!
Love the little deer!
Have a great day!

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

It looks like a great place. I love it when deer feel comfortable around people. I love wild turkeys as well.

Our photos said...

Wow, that is a nice place ! I love the green water !

Al said...

That's a place I'd love to visit - I'm looking forward to seeing more of your photos.

Birgitta said...

Beautiful and nice photos!

Jill Harrison said...

We have a Mammoth Cave in our south west. Part of a huge collection of caves down that way. I look forward to seeing pictures from inside your Mammoth Cave. Happy travels and thank you for stoppping by my blog this week.

Cranberry Morning said...

I guess the word Mammoth should have clued me in, but I had no idea it was as huge as that. That is a very green river! Sorry I'm not here often. You always have amazing photos. I've been avoiding sitting, which is also why I blog so seldom these days. Have a wonderful Wednesday, Eileen.

Elizabeth Edwards said...

looks like fun. i love a great nature walk. enjoyable. ( :

Hootin Anni said...

Exciting trip! I loved seeing the turkeys!! In school long ago, I went spelunking with my Biology teacher...when I was MUCH skinnier and could crawl thru the cave openings. What an experience it was!!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I'd love to visit Mammoth Cave NP, but I think my husband might be a little claustrophobic if we did. He did Ok visiting Luray Caverns and in The Lost Sea underground cave/sea in Tennesee, but my husband is definitely queasy in underground places -- he could never have been a miner..hah! I look forward to seeing more of the cave!

Angie said...

I have very fond memories of Mammoth Cave, having camped there with my oldest sister when I was still in middle school, and then later taking my newly minted husband there as part of our honeymoon excursion. It has changed a lot (gotten more popular) since then!!!

Klara S said...

River caves sound interesting.

Saturday's Critters! # 575

  Welcome to Saturday's Critters!  Hello and Happy Saturday!  If you love all God's creatures like I do and also like to blog about ...