Filed in archive Kentucky Attractions on June 23, 2010

Kentucky's Buried Treasure

© Joe Shlabotnik

Outside an immense hole in a wooded Kentucky hill-side, Kentucky visitors prepare to descend into Mammoth cave through the Historic entrance.

Legends say the cave was discovered when, in about 1799, a settler tracked a wounded bear down this hole. This magic of Mammoth lies in the imagination in the limestone passages under west-central Kentucky, about 85 miles south of Louisville. Here mostly beneath Mammoth cave National Park's 52,370 acres, are more than 300 miles of mapped cave and no one knows how much more there is to Mammoth.

The caves owes with massive chambers, crystalline lakes and striking rock formations. Two levels of recreation and adventure greet outdoor enthusiasts at Mammoth Cave National Park trails lace the park's 52370 acres, enticing hikers, campers and picnickers to this densely wooded locale.

But beneath this, serene forest setting nature takes dramatic turn in the 300 miles of sinuous, wildly beautiful passages that make up the Mammoth cave system.
Details of this can be obtained from the Kentucky tourism information center.