Mammoth Cave National Park

Deer I think I saw more deer driving to/from Mammoth Cave for two days than I did the entire three days I spent at Great Smoky Mountains. More deer
The natural entrance to the cave, near the visitors center Apologies for the shitty pictures, but tripods weren't allowed Cave passage just inside the natural entrance
Cave cricket
(Rhaphidophoridae)
Cave cricket Unofficially there are over 400 miles of passageways making up Mammoth Cave, although the official number is 390ish.
The ceiling is a sandstone cap, with the passageways being formed within the limestone strata Rainwater becomes slightly acidic as it seeps down through soil (due to carbon dioxide present in the soil), and it dissolves the limestone to form the passageways Fat Man's Misery
Cave walls Huge vertical space There aren't a whole lot of rock formations in the cave (and the ones that are present pale in comparison to Carlsbad Caverns) because the sandstone layer that forms the roof of the cave doesn't allow much water to seep through.
Cave passageway Exiting through the natural entrance Map of the known cave system, with a 3-D representation at the bottom of the picture.
Man-made entrance to the cave system. Back before it was a national park, private land owners would blast entrances into their part of the cave system so that they could run tours and make money. Passageway on the Grand Avenue tour, a 4 mile tour that takes 4.5 hours Most of the cave does not have any rock formations, but there are sections where the sandstone cap is cracked and water flows in, which can result in rock formations.
Frozen Niagara rock formation, which formed under one of those cracks in the sandstone cap where water seeped through Frozen Niagara close-up Named after Niagara Falls
Frozen Niagara Another rock formation near Frozen Niagara Terrible picture of the Drapery room
Cave cricket Cave cricket Cave cricket
Gypsum formations Grand Avenue tour Another section of the cave where there was a crack in the sandstone, allowing water to flow in and form rock formations
Drapery room Drapery room Rock drapery
Gypsum formations Gypsum formations There are a few hills to climb on the Grand Avenue tour
Cave cricket climbing the cave wall Cave cricket Grand AVenue tour
Nearing the end of the Grand AVenue tour Rock formations Side cave
Grand Avenue tour Grand Avenue tour

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