Mammoth Cave National Park Floyd Collins History Tour
Mammoth Cave National Park’s Floyd Collins History Tour is a special ranger-led tour opportunity that will commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the life and tragic death of famed cave explorer, Floyd Collins. The tour will include visits to the Collins’ family homesite, Sand Cave Trail, and Mammoth Cave Baptist Church where Floyd Collins is buried. The tour will also venture into the famous show cave discovered by Collins, Floyd Collins’s Crystal Cave, which boasts unique helictite and gypsum cave formations.
Tickets for this tour opportunity are being distributed via a lottery system to provide an equitable opportunity for interested visitors to attend this limited, yet high-demand event.
About Mammoth Cave National Park:
Mammoth Cave National Park in south central Kentucky is home to rolling hills, deep river valleys, and the world’s longest known cave system. The park holds thousands of years of human history and a rich diversity of plant and animal life, earning it the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, and International Dark Sky Park
Mammoth Cave National Park’s Floyd Collins History Tour is a special ranger-led tour opportunity that will commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the life and tragic death of famed cave explorer, Floyd Collins. The tour will include visits to the Collins’ family homesite, Sand Cave Trail, and Mammoth Cave Baptist Church where Floyd Collins is buried. The tour will also venture into the famous show cave discovered by Collins, Floyd Collins’s Crystal Cave, which boasts unique helictite and gypsum cave formations.
Tickets for this tour opportunity are being distributed via a lottery system to provide an equitable opportunity for interested visitors to attend this limited, yet high-demand event.
About Mammoth Cave National Park:
Mammoth Cave National Park in south central Kentucky is home to rolling hills, deep river valleys, and the world’s longest known cave system. The park holds thousands of years of human history and a rich diversity of plant and animal life, earning it the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, and International Dark Sky Park
Need to Know
- Tour Dates and Fees
Tours will be available on the following dates and times. Successful applicants will be awarded a single timeslot for one of the choices they selected when applying in this lottery. Lottery applications are open beginning December 5th at 10AM EST until December 18th at 3PM EST. Tickets are non-transferrable.
- February 1st: 9:00 AM & 2:00 PM CT
- February 2nd: 9:00 AM & 2:00 PM CT
- February 8th: 9:00 AM & 2:00 PM CT
- February 9th: 9:00 AM & 2:00 PM CT
- February 15th: 9:00 AM CT
- February 16th: 9:00 AM & 2:00 PM CT
- February 21st: 2:00 PM CT
- February 22nd: 9:00 AM & 2:00 PM CT
- February 23rd: 9:00 AM & 2:00 PM CT
All lottery applicantions will be charged a $1.00 application fee. Successful applicants will automatically be awarded and an additional $49.00 per ticket will be charged to the same credit or debit card used for the application fee. If the charge to the credit card is declined for any reason, the reservation will be forfeited. To help ensure your payment is processed, we recommend you notify your bank or credit card company that you may be automatically charged by Recreation.gov.
Tickets are not transferable and commercial use is prohibited. No refunds or changes to the assigned tour time/date are allowed. If you are unable to attend for any reason, please notify the Mammoth Cave National Park ticket office at 270-758-2180.
- Tour Location Details and Access Information
This tour will take place outside in wooded areas, along hiking trails, and inside a moderately developed cave environment. Total tour time is estimated at 3.5 hours. Participants will walk around 3 miles.
The cave trail is rated as difficult with steep and sometimes slick areas. Visitors with known heart or respiratory conditions, poor circulation, or difficulty walking, climbing stairs, or negotiating steep grades should carefully consider their limitations before embarking on this tour.
- Areas that will be visited:
- Sand Cave Trail is a level boardwalk and paved walkway that travels through a forested area. The group will hike around .25 miles, round trip, to the cave entrance overlook and back.
- Mammoth Cave Baptist Church Cemetery and the Floyd Collins Family Homesite are in a densely wooded area with unpaved and uneven walking surfaces.
- Crystal Cave requires entering and exiting on 40 slick, uneven, and steep stone stairs that do not have a handrail. The tour route inside the cave is around 2 miles long. The trail is uneven, steep, slick, and rocky, but no crawling or climbing is required. There are no usable handrails along the trail. The time spent in the cave is expected to be around 1.5 hours. Crystal Cave is a natural environment, with no electric lighting and a temperature of around 54ºF (12ºC).
- Boot Requirement and Park Provided Caving Equipment
Lace-up hiking boots that cover the ankle are required. Boots must have sturdy over the ankle support and aggressive tread. Boots with zippers, tennis shoes or slick-soled footwear are not permitted on the tour. You will not be allowed to participate in the tour if you are not wearing proper footwear. There are no exceptions.
All tour participants will be provided a caving helmet and headlamp.
- Age
The tour is open to ages 16 years and older. Anyone aged 16 or 17 must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older.
- Evacuation
In the event of a medical emergency, evacuation from the cave to a hospital could take several hours; visitors with known heart or respiratory conditions, poor circulation, or difficulty walking, climbing stairs, or negotiating steep grades should carefully consider their limitations before embarking on this tour.
- Transportation
The tour will begin at the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center. Participants will be transported by bus to the Sand Cave Trailhead, Mammoth Cave Baptist Church, and the Floyd Collins Family Homesite and Crystal Cave entrance. After the tour, the group will be brought back to the visitor center by bus.
- Hazardous Weather
February daytime temperatures at Mammoth Cave average around 58 ºF (14ºC). Winter can bring mild to moderate snow and ice to the area, but winter storms are possible. Participants should be prepared for the possibility of inclement weather.
The Mammoth Cave National Park’s Floyd Collins History Tour may be cancelled if hazardous weather seems likely to create a safety concern for accessing park roads, facilities, trails, or the cave. In the event of an unexpected weather cancellation, the total tour cost, minus the $1.00 Recreation.gov application fee, will be refunded.
- Restrooms
There is limited access to portable restrooms along the tour’s location stops. There are no restrooms inside Crystal Cave.
- Time Zone
Mammoth Cave National Park is in the central time zone and observes daylight savings time.
- Photography
Camera tripods, monopods, and selfie sticks are prohibited on this tour. Flash photography is not permitted inside the cave.
- Firearms/Weapons
Firearms, pepper spray, mace, knives, or weapons of any type are not permitted inside the cave or in the visitor center.
Changes and Cancellations
- Tickets are not transferable and commercial use is prohibited.
- No refunds or changes to the assigned tour time/date are allowed.
- If you are unable to attend for any reason, please notify the Mammoth Cave National Park ticket office at 270-758-2180.
Contact Information
Mailing Address
Mammoth Cave KY 42259
Phone Number
270-758-2180
