This National Park Is Home to the Longest Cave in the World-and Only 426 Miles Have Been Explored So Far

"The park's cave system is the longest in the world, stretching over 426 miles, and offers visitors a chance to learn about the cave's human and geologic history,"

"Beyond the geologic and natural features of the park, Mammoth Cave preserves evidence of human history that dates back over 4,000 years,"

"Early area residents from the Late Archaic and Early Woodland period used and explored the cave, leaving behind items such as cane reed torches, mussel shells, gourd bowls, woven sandals, and early cave drawings and figures."

Mammoth Cave National Park in south-central Kentucky contains the longest cave system in the world, formed beginning around 10,000,000 B.C.E. and still growing. The cave system stretches over 426 miles and contains canyon and tube passages, narrow vertical shafts, stalagmites, stalactites, cave popcorn, and flowstone. Guided tours allow visitors to explore the labyrinth and learn about geologic development and human use. Archaeological evidence dates human activity back over 4,000 years and includes cane reed torches, mussel shells, gourd bowls, woven sandals, and early cave drawings. Modern settlers rediscovered the cave in the 1800s; the national park was established in 1941 and welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors for both surface and subterranean recreation.

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