MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. — The cool corridors of Mammoth Cave are once again a hot summer ticket.
Family and cave fans are once again flocking to Mammoth Cave National Park. This isn't only good news for visitors but for park rangers and tour guide staff who love sharing the underground marvel.
“It’s been amazing to see people come back and enjoy the cave especially now that we are back doing our guided tours," Alisha Lutz told Spectrum News 1. Lutz has been a cave guide since 2017. For much of the pandemic attendance was restricted and only the "self-guided tours" were available, but this summer Lutz is back to leading groups through the winding cave system.
“We are interpreters so we love to share the stories and histories of Mammoth Cave," Lutz adds.
The park has rebounded from much lower numbers during the pandemic.
“Inside the visitors center it was very quiet, a lot of one-way traffic, the exact opposite of what you’re seeing today," park ranger Johnny Meredith explains.
Meredith has been at Mammoth Cave for 25 years and never experienced such a drop in attendance other than when the park was briefly shutdown in early 2019 amid the federal government shutdown. In recent weeks, Mammoth staff has tallied about 2,500 visitors a day to the park for caving and much more.
“They are coming here to of course, hike and to bike and the river is exceptionally popular," Meredith said. During the busiest days pre-pandemic the park could count as many as 5,000 daily visitors.
The longest known cave system in the world is certainly the main attraction.
"Oh I love being in the cave. My favorite tour to do is the wild cave tour. And that is our 6 hour, six mile crawling tour we do inside the cave," tour guide Lutz said.