Visiting Mammoth Cave this fall and winter: what's open

Mammoth Cave doesn't close for winter. The cave stays at about 54°F all year, so a tour feels the same in January as it does in July. The park does run fewer tours and services as the season changes, though, and a couple of things are out of service right now. Here's what the National Park Service has posted as of Oct. 24, 2026.

The short version

• The park is open 24 hours a day and has no entrance gate. Cave tours and the visitor center keep set hours.
• There's no fee to enter the park. Cave tours, camping and shelter rentals do have fees.
• Cave tours run every day except Dec. 25.
• You need a ticket to go into the cave. Book at Recreation.gov or call 877-444-6777.
• The Green River Ferry is temporarily out of service because the river is too low.
• Mammoth Cave Campground and Maple Springs Group Campground close Dec. 1 through Feb. 28. Houchin Ferry Campground stays open.
• The park runs on Central Time. Keep that in mind if you're driving in from Eastern Time.

Cave tours as the season changes

The tour lineup changes several times between now and spring. These are the dates on the park's cave tours page, last updated Oct. 20, 2026:

• Through Oct. 31: the full fall lineup, including the Historic, Extended Historic, Domes and Dripstones, Frozen Niagara, Gothic Avenue, Grand Avenue, Mammoth Passage and lantern tours.
• Nov. 1–14: Domes and Dripstones, Extended Historic, Frozen Niagara, Gothic Avenue, Grand Avenue, Historic and Mammoth Passage, plus the Violet City Lantern Tour on weekends and the self-guided Discovery Tour on Saturdays.
• Nov. 15–28: Broadway, Domes and Dripstones, Frozen Niagara, Grand Avenue and Mammoth Passage, plus the Great Onyx Lantern Tour Thursday through Sunday.
• Nov. 29 through Feb. 28, 2027: Broadway, Domes and Dripstones, Frozen Niagara, Grand Avenue and Mammoth Passage.

If you want the Historic Tour, which is 2 hours, 2 miles and 540 stairs, go by mid-November. It isn't on the schedule after Nov. 14. Here are the shorter tours that run all winter:

• Frozen Niagara: about 1¼ hours, a quarter mile, 64 stairs (98 more are optional).
• Mammoth Passage: about 1¼ hours, three-quarters of a mile, 135 stairs.
• Domes and Dripstones: about 2 hours, three-quarters of a mile, 638 stairs.

The park says winter tickets are usually still available a few days ahead, but walk-up tickets are never guaranteed. Holiday weekends get busy. In fall, tours often sell out on holidays and during local school fall breaks. Get to the visitor center 30 minutes before your tour.

Accessibility note: The Accessible Tour isn't available right now because the elevator is out of service, according to an alert the park posted May 6, 2026. Call the park at 270-758-2180 for options.

A few rules surprise people. Strollers, child backpack carriers, tripods, flash photography and pets aren't allowed in the cave. The Lodge has day-use kennels for pets. After every tour, you'll walk across bio-security mats that help slow the spread of white-nose syndrome, a disease that kills bats.

Above ground

The visitor center is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily and closed on Christmas Day. In winter, daytime highs are rarely above 50°F and nights are often below freezing. Occasional snow or ice storms can delay park operations.

Fall color usually doesn't arrive until late October. The park's fall page suggests Sunset Point for the view, but Old Guides Trail, Heritage Trail, the Sunset Point trail and parts of Sinkhole Trail are currently closed for rehabilitation, so plan on other trails for now. North of the Green River, the backcountry trails are open year-round. The park recommends winter for hiking there since there are fewer ticks.

Getting there, and the ferry

The park warns that GPS directions to Mammoth Cave are often wrong. Coming on I-65 from the north, take Exit 53 (Cave City). From the south, take Exit 48 (Park City). There are no bridges over the Green River inside the park. When it's running, the Green River Ferry links the north and south sides from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central, for vehicles up to 12 tons and 16 feet long. It's currently out of service because of low water, so cross on Highway 70 through Brownsville instead. For ferry status, call (270) 758-2166 or follow @MCNPRoadsFerry on X.

Camping and lodging in winter

Mammoth Cave Campground and Maple Springs Group Campground take reservations March 1 through Nov. 30 and close for the winter after that. Houchin Ferry Campground, near Brownsville, stays open year-round and is reservation-only. The Lodge at Mammoth Cave cuts back its services and rooms in winter, so check with the Lodge when you book.

For today's alerts and weather warnings, see our Mammoth Cave page.