SOCIAL MEDIA

Mammoth Cave National Park
Showing posts with label Mammoth Cave National Park. Show all posts
·

Trail Enthusiasts Celebrate Big Hollow Trail at Mammoth Cave National Park

Thursday, June 19, 2014

No comments
About 80 people gathered at Maple Springs Trailhead on Saturday, June 7th, National Trails Day, to celebrate the Big Hollow Trail, a new 8-mile trail constructed in Mammoth Cave National Park for hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers.

“With Big Hollow Trail, we add a new way for visitors to experience the park,” said Superintendent Sarah Craighead. “Trails are good for the park, and good for the visitor. Trails exercise your heart, mind, body, and soul. Trail use promotes healthy living – it re-creates, refreshes and revives. Last year, about 32,000 people used Mammoth Cave’s trails via bikes, on foot, or on horseback.”

Mammoth Cave NP has more than 90 miles of trails in the park. Hikers can use all 90 miles, plus go off-trail. There are 60 miles for horses and riders, and 25 miles of trails are designated for bikes.

The development of Big Hollow Trail was an action item listed in the park’s Comprehensive Trail Management Plan, and parallels the 2010 National Park Service agreement with the International Mountain Bike Association to increase biking opportunities in parks and increase volunteerism.

“Big Hollow’s purpose, design and maintenance are models for all national parks and public lands,” said Craighead.

* The purpose of Big Hollow Trail is two-fold – it initiates a new way to use the park that is compatible with protecting its resources; and it is a trail where hikers, runners, and bikers can share a common space.

* The trail design is sustainable, meaning it is easy on the landscape and will be easy to maintain.

* The maintenance – the users of the trail will maintain it. Members of the Southwest Kentucky Mountain Biker Association have signed a partner agreement with the park, making them the stewards of Big Hollow Trail.

Also speaking at the ceremony were Nick Daniels, Sierra Club; Chip Winger, Southwest Kentucky Mountain Bike Association; Andy Williamson, International Mountain Bike Association; and Russ Runge, acting superintendent at Mammoth Cave NP (Runge is sitting in for Craighead while she is on assignment at the NPS Southeast Regional Office).

Runge noted that urban forestry students from Great Onyx Job Corps also played an important role in creating Big Hollow Trail. “Last year, Great Onyx students cleared more than 100 dead or hazardous trees from the route of the trail, to make way for the contractor to begin his work,” said Runge.



Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
Read More
at
·

Free Mammoth Passage tours February 15-17

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

No comments
In honor of Presidents Weekend, Mammoth Cave National Park will offer free Mammoth Passage tours on February 15-17, 2014.

“We all need a break from this winter weather, and a place to relax and refresh,” said Superintendent Sarah Craighead. “Mammoth Cave is the perfect place to do just that. Take a hike, ride a bike, bring your horse, or tour the Mammoth Passage for free. Enjoy your national park.”

On Presidents Weekend, the park will offer free guided Mammoth Passage tours. Each tour is limited to 40 people; visitors must pick up their free tickets at the visitor center prior to departure times. Mammoth Passage tours will depart from the visitor center at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 1:00, 2:30, and 3:00.

Mammoth Passage is a ¾-mile, 1¼ hour cave tour, and requires a walk down and up the steep hill below the visitor center, as well as 160 steps.

Note: tour requirements regarding white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats: While there are no known harmful effects to humans, WNS is responsible for the deaths of millions of hibernating bats across the eastern United States since its discovery in 2006. WNS was found in outlying caves and passageways of Mammoth Cave in winter 2012-13, but has not yet been found in the toured sections. Park staff are taking precautions to minimize the spread of WNS fungus in and from Mammoth Cave. When going on a Mammoth Cave tour, do not wear clothing or shoes that have been worn in other caves or mines. All participants on cave tours must walk across bio-security mats to clean footwear immediately following the conclusion of their tour.

For more information, please click here.



Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
Read More
at
·

Mammoth Cave National Park – what does it mean to you?

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

1 comment
Mammoth Cave National Park – what does it mean to you? That's what Superintendent Sarah Craighead is asking as Mammoth Cave National Park prepares a foundation document for its future planning and management. Public comment is welcome and needed. The public comment period is open July 15-29, 2013.

"A foundation document involves revisiting a park's core mission and significance, what is important about the Park," said Craighead. "It answers the question – 'why do we care about this place?' It is a good starting point, and Director Jarvis has called upon every National Park Service area to complete a foundation document by 2016, the 100-year anniversary of the agency."

Although Mammoth Cave's foundation document will not be a decision-making document and will not include actions or management strategies, it will describe a shared understanding of what is most important about the Park, its resources and values, and interpretive themes that tell the story of Mammoth Cave, above and below ground. The Park's 1983 General Management Plan needs updating, and the foundation document is the first step.

The public is invited to play a role in charting the Park's future by sharing their thoughts on what is most significant about Mammoth Cave and to help identify its most pressing threats and opportunities.

Written comments may be submitted July 15-29, 2013, through the NPS planning website. Visitors to the website will be able to submit responses to questions about the Park's significance, threats, and opportunities.


Jeff
Hiking in the Smokies
Read More
at
· · ·

Park City-to-Mammoth Cave trail connection complete

Saturday, November 3, 2012

No comments
On Saturday, November 17, the public is invited to celebrate the connection of two bike-hike paths - the nine-mile Mammoth Cave RR Bike & Hike Trail to the one-mile Park City Bicycle and Walking Path. Participants should gather at 10:30 a.m. at the historic Mentz Hotel in Park City.

"There will be brief remarks at 10:45, and we will cut the ribbon and release the runners and riders at 11:00," said Myrisa Christy, Mammoth Cave Resource Conservation and Development, who is organizing the event. "The Mentz Hotel will be open for viewing, staffed by the BRIMS volunteers. We really hope the community comes out to enjoy the day and support the excellent partnership between Park City, Mammoth Cave, and the Kentucky Department of Transportation."

The Kentucky Department of Transportation provided the connection by including a lane for bicycles and hikers in its reconstruction of the I-65 underpass at Exit #48. BRIMS stands for the Barren River Imaginative Museum of Science.

"The trail has been about ten years in the making, and we truly appreciate and applaud the Kentucky Department of Transportation for providing the connecting link," said Park City Mayor David Lyons. "Hikers and bicyclists can now travel the route of the old Mammoth Cave Railroad all the way from Bell's Tavern and the Mentz Hotel in Park City to the resting place of Engine #4 and its combine car near the Mammoth Cave visitor center."

"It's like putting history back together," said Bruce Powell, Mammoth Cave NP Acting Superintendent. "Park City and Mammoth Cave share a common history related to the Mammoth Cave Railroad, which operated between the two entities from 1886 to 1931. Now a recreational trail will tell its story."

The Park City Bicycle and Walking Path winds through town, past Bell's Tavern and the Mentz Hotel. In the Park, the trail follows the remaining portions of the old berm of the Mammoth Cave Railroad. There are six entry points so that hikers and bicyclists may choose to cover the entire 10-mile length, or opt for shorter segments.

Wayside exhibits along the length of the trail describe daily life of the families and communities that called Mammoth Cave home prior to creation of the national park in 1941. The "dummy engine" pulled a single car loaded with freight and travelers on their way to see the famous cave; the engine and car are displayed in a field near Mammoth Cave Hotel, where the depot once stood.

Within in the Park, the trail is NOT uniformly flat or level. The Park is located in hilly country, and riders/hikers must ascend and descend grades that can in places be steep and difficult. On the sections of trail between the Furlong Cemetery spur trail and Shackleford Cemetery, and between Diamond Caverns and Locust Grove Cemetery, riders MUST dismount and walk their bikes along the designated area of trail.

Caution: The exact route of the Mammoth Cave Railroad could not be completely duplicated due to the development of state and Park roads since the railroad's closure. The route of the trail crosses these roads at several places and some walkers may choose to cross the CSX Railroad in Park City. Trail users are asked to use extreme caution at road crossings and the railroad crossing.


Jeff
Hiking in the Smokies
Read More
at
· ·

Mammoth Cave NP bans all fires north of Green River

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

No comments
Superintendent Patrick Reed announced today that the park has placed a temporary ban on all campfires in the backcountry, along the floodplains, and at Maple Spring Group Campground north of Green River.

"The National Weather Service issued a Special Weather Statement today regarding increased fire danger, and like most of our area, the park has not experienced significant rainfall for three weeks," said Reed. "To protect the park, we are instituting a ban on campfires along the floodplains and all of the park north of Green River."

The temporary ban includes all campfires in backcountry camping sites and the Maple Springs Group Campground. Canoeist who camp along the Nolin or Green River floodplains are also banned from lighting campfires.

"Campfires will still be permitted in the Mammoth Cave Campground and in the Houchin Ferry Campground," said Chief Ranger Brad McDougal. "This ban will remain in effect until there is a change in the current weather situation, such as a rise in relative humidity or sufficient rainfall to reduce the fire danger."


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
Read More
at
· ·

Two Men Arrested For Cultivating Marijuana in Mammoth Cave National Park

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

1 comment
Back in June, officials at Mammoth Cave National Park set up a reward program for information leading to successful prosecutions of crimes within the park. In the press release, Ranger David Alexander, one of the park law enforcement officers. was quoted as saying that; "Drug activity is a major concern. Every year we find marijuana plots in the park. We need the community's help in tracking down the growers."

Well, he wasn't kidding:

Today's NPS Digest is reporting that on the morning of October 8th, rangers saw a vehicle leave the park that they believed to be associated with a marijuana cultivation operation. They followed it and noted that it had an inoperative brake light and that a strong odor of unprocessed marijuana was emanating from within. Rangers David Alexander, Jonathon Bledsoe, and Kelly Brownson stopped it at one of the park’s overlooks and found more than three pounds of fresh marijuana buds in a black trash bag, plus fertilizer, shears, coated wire, other cultivation devices, two cell phones and a GPS unit.

The two men inside – Robert Williams, 25, and Ryan Pitcock, 20, both of Bowling Green, Kentucky – waived their Miranda rights. During questioning, Pitcock admitted he had several cultivation sites inside the park and also admitted that he had been visiting those sites since the early spring. Williams admitted that he had been dropping Pitcock off in the park and picking him up for the past three weeks. He also admitted to transporting harvested marijuana back to their apartment in Bowling Green.

Based on these statements, the Kentucky State Police Special Investigations Division was able to obtain a search warrant for the apartment and visited it that same day. During the search, approximately two pounds of processed marijuana, 34 grams of processed mushrooms, two indoor mushroom growing operations, and two indoor marijuana growing operations with ten plants were confiscated. A large amount of drug paraphernalia and distribution evidence was also seized.

A field search conducted by rangers the next day yielded ten un-harvested marijuana plants and evidence of a total of 31 cultivated plants in five plots. Pitcock had nearly 50 waypoints on his GPS located within the park which have yet to be checked. The arrests brought to a culmination an investigation by rangers which began this past May. Both men are currently in jail and face numerous federal and state charges.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
Read More
at
·

Mammoth Cave to commit $130,000 to backcountry trail repairs

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

No comments
Mammoth Cave National Park will commit $130,000 to backcountry trail repairs, planned for August through November, Superintendent Patrick Reed announced last week. Trail users will experience some closures and delays. New trail construction of Big Hollow Trail will begin later this year.

“Extreme weather conditions over the last three years, plus increased use, have caused erosion and mires along several backcountry trails,” said Reed. “We are putting a five-year funding plan in place using Fee money to address the problem spots. Trails in the Lincoln and Wet Prong areas will be rehabbed this year.”

The park received $40,000 in NPS project funding for trail work this year. Beginning this year, Superintendent Reed intends to devote $90,000 from the park’s Recreation Fee Program to backcountry trails each year for the next five years.

The connector trail between Lincoln trailhead and Collie Ridge Road was identified in the Comprehensive Trail Management Plan as a target for trail work. The park’s trail monitoring program pointed to the upper end of the Wet Prong of Buffalo Trail as being one of those in the greatest need of repair.

During August, the Lincoln Trailhead and the Lincoln Connector Trail (.37 miles) will be closed for rehabilitation. The crew will define the trail, make it more sustainable by hardening it with dense-grade gravel, and construct runoff controls, like water bars and low bridges.

When Lincoln is complete, crews will move to the northern end of Wet Prong of Buffalo Trail, working in from the First Creek trailhead; both trails will be open September 2-5 to accommodate Labor Day weekend visitors. A few parking spaces at First Creek trailhead will be closed for storage of materials and equipment. Each week, the trail will be open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; crews will work a Monday-through-Thursday schedule. Riders and hikers will be allowed to pass through the work area; a cell phone number will be posted at both ends of the work zone for people on the trail to call the workers and inform them that a group is approaching.

Later this year, the park will begin construction on Big Hollow Trail and the extension of Raymer Hollow Trail.

• Big Hollow: Planning and environmental/archeological compliance are complete for the new Big Hollow Trail, a multi-loop bike-hike trail that will lie east of Green River Ferry Road-North. Bike use on Sal Hollow will be permitted until September 1, 2011, when Sal Hollow Trail will be designated for horse use and hiking only.

• Raymer Hollow Trail extension: A new extension of Raymer Hollow Trail will serve as a connector between Big Hollow Trail, Maple Springs Trailhead, Maple Springs Group Campground, and the Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning. Horseback riding, bicycling and hiking will all be authorized on this trail.

Beginning in 2009, the park implemented a multi-year trail monitoring program. Information from this program helps park staff prioritize trail maintenance, identify volunteer projects, and quantify impacts on park resources and visitor experiences. During the summer of 2009, 2010, and 2011, Student Conservation Association interns monitored 39.4 miles of northside trails:

• assessing the physical parameters of trails (width, depth, length);
• observing general tread conditions;
• noting the number of unauthorized trails (shortcuts, parallel trails) present; and
• assessing the health of macro-invertebrates communities in nearby streams.

For the trails monitored in 2010, data showed 20 percent were highly eroded and 712 unauthorized short-cuts or short detours had been created. The stream health assessments showed the overall quality of the backcountry streams to be excellent.

Volunteers make a significant contribution to trail upkeep. The fall Backcountry Workdays will focus on the segment First Creek Trail that lies between the trailhead and Clell Road. Anyone interested in volunteering at the park may contact the Volunteer-In-Park Coordinator, Eddie Wells at 270-758-2143. The workdays are on September 24, October 15, and November 19.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
Read More
at
· · · ·

Mammoth Cave offers reward to stop crime

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

No comments
Do you have information that could help stop a crime in Mammoth Cave National Park? Park rangers have set up a reward program, up to $1,000, for information that will lead to a successful prosecution.

"The park is a quiet sanctuary, but our law enforcement rangers face the same crimes that city and county officers do," said Superintendent Patrick Reed. "We are asking our neighbors' to help us keep Mammoth Cave a safe place by reporting any kind of illegal or suspicious activity."

"Drug activity is a major concern," said Ranger David Alexander, one of the park law enforcement officers. "Every year we find marijuana plots in the park. We need the community's help in tracking down the growers. Drugs produced inside the park or in rural Kentucky are the same ones showing-up in schools and on the streets in our communities. Even the slightest tip could be an asset to help us prosecute a criminal."

To contact Ranger Alexander, call 270-758-2122 or 270-646-7241. Information provided will be kept in strictest confidence and those calling may choose to remain anonymous.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
Read More
at
· · · ·

Roots in the Cave - 2010

Thursday, November 4, 2010

No comments
The annual Roots in the Cave at Mammoth Cave National Park will focus on local cave explorer Edmund Turner (1867-1917) this year. Turner is credited with the discovery of Great Onyx Cave, but died penniless and was buried in a pauper's grave at the Mammoth Cave Baptist Cemetery on Flint Ridge.

This years' event will be held on November 12-13, and is sponsored by the Mammoth Cave Hotel and Mammoth Cave National Park.

"Roots in the Cave is an annual fall event that explores the family histories and lore of those people who once lived on what is now parkland," said Superintendent Patrick Reed. "Mammoth Cave became a national park in 1941, but before that time this land held 600 farms and 30 communities. Roots in the Cave pulls descendents together to share stories and research."

"One of the items on the agenda this year is to place a headstone on Edmund Turner's long neglected grave," said Greg Davis, manager of the Mammoth Cave Hotel. "Other events and discussions will bring to light pieces of Turner's life story, such as he explored Salts Cave accompanied by young Floyd Collins. Turner was an expert caver who has received little recognition."

Activities for registered participants include: a panel discussion on Edmund Turner by Roger Brucker and Norman Warnell; a guided walk to Stephen Bishop's homeplace; unveiling of the Turner headstone; and a tour of Great Onyx Cave (limited to 40 people). A genealogy display in the Rotunda Room on November 12-13 will be open to the public.

To register for Roots in the Cave activities contact the Mammoth Cave Hotel at 270-758-2225. Registration is $20 per person; all proceeds will be applied to the cost of Turner's headstone.

For information on hiking in the park (above ground), please click here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
Read More
at
·

Flood Recovery continues at Mammoth Cave National Park

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

No comments
More than three weeks after storms and heavy rains, Mammoth Cave National Park staff continue to assess damages and make repairs, where possible, following the flood that hit the park on the first two days of May.

The canoe launch and picnic area are now open at Dennison Ferry day use area, Joppa Ridge Road has reopened, and all cave tours are operating on their normal schedule and along traditional routes. Houchin Ferry remains closed. Houchin Ferry Road South is open, but only for access to the river. The pavilion picnic tables floated away and the campground is in disrepair. Houchin Ferry campground still needs a significant amount of work.

Though park trails on both sides of Green River were impacted by the flood, Cedar Sink is the only trail in the park that is closed. Ugly Creek/Little Jordan Road suffered washout damage and is closed between Wilkerson Cemetery and Little Jordan Cemetery.

For more information on hiking at Mammoth Cave, please click here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.
Read More
at
· · · ·

Free Mammoth Cave Passage tours on Feb. 14

Friday, February 5, 2010

No comments
Mammoth Cave National Park Superintendent Patrick Reed announced on Wednesday that the park will be offering several fee-free days again this year, beginning with Sunday, February 14. “Please come out and join us for a Mammoth Passage tour on February 14, free of charge,” said Reed.

“We had such a great response from the public last year, we are continuing the free tours days again this year. Just stop by the visitor center to pick up your free ticket.” Visitors must pick up their free tickets at the visitor center ticket office prior to tour times. On February 14, the free guided Mammoth Passage tours will depart from the visitor center at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:30.

The ¾-mile, 1¼ hours Mammoth Passage tour enters the cave at the Historic Entrance and follows a route along Houchins Narrows, the Rotunda, the nitre mining artifacts, Audubon Avenue, and Rafinesque Hall. These are some of the mammoth passages for which the cave was named.

“No matter what the weather is doing on the surface, we like to say it’s always a good day to go in the cave,” added Reed. “In winter, the cave is a balmy 54 degrees; in summer it’s a cool and pleasant 54 degrees.”

Camping fees and fees for other tours of Mammoth Cave will not be waived on this day.

The park has scheduled the next fee-free day on Saturday, April 24, during National Park Week.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.
Read More
at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)