Mammoth Cave Parkway

Last updated
Logo of the United States National Park Service.svg
Mammoth Cave Parkway
Route information
Maintained by NPS
Length8.4 mi [1]  (13.5 km)
Major junctions
North endVisitor's Center / Flint Ridge Road
Major intersections
South endUS 31W.svg US 31W at Park City
Location
Country United States
Counties Barren, Edmonson
Highway system
National Park Service Road
Mammoth Cave Parkway Mammoth Cave Parkway.jpg
Mammoth Cave Parkway

The Mammoth Cave Parkway is a major roadway located in the Mammoth Cave National Park in west-central Kentucky. It encompasses parts of Kentucky Routes 70 and 255 within the park in northwestern Barren and eastern Edmonson Counties. It closely follows the Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike & Hike Trail. [2]

Contents

Route description

Mammoth Cave Parkway is marked by Kentucky Route 255 from U.S. Route 31W, through the I-65 exit 48 interchange. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet maintains the road from US 31W to just beyond the I-65 interchange, while the NPS maintains the rest of the road beyond the I-65 junction. The road continues northward to the junction with Kentucky Route 70 (KY 70) near the Barren-Edmonson County line within the Mammoth Cave National Park.

At Chaumont, it turns left onto KY 70 westbound, while KY 255 begins a brief concurrency with KY 70 eastbound for a couple of miles back into Barren County. A little beyond the Sloan's Crossing Pond Trail, KY 70 westbound leaves the parkway by making a left turn towards Brownsville, while the Mammoth Cave Parkway continues north to end at the Visitor's Center beyond the crossroad intersection with East Entrance and Carmichael Roads and intersections with Green River Ferry and Flint Ridge Roads. The parkway ends in the Visitor's Center parking lot and an intersection with an access road to the park's woodland cottages. [3]

The segment between Brownsville Road and Green River Ferry Road is part of the Duncan Hines Scenic Byway, one of the routes of the Kentucky Scenic Byways system.

Attractions along the route

  • Diamond Caverns [4]
  • Sloan's Crossing Pond Trail
  • Doyle Valley Scenic Overlook
  • Mammoth Cave Campground and Caver's Camp Store
  • Hercules and Coach No. 2
  • Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor's Center

History

The Mammoth Cave Parkway was originally built alongside the original path of the Mammoth Cave Railroad (1886–1931), which ran from the original town of Mammoth Cave to Park City (originally known as Glasgow Junction).

When the Mammoth Cave Parkway first opened (as a local road), portions of the road — along with Cave City Road (also known as East Entrance Road), a small piece of Green River Ferry Road, and all of Joppa Ridge Road west of the visitor center — were part of the original alignment of KY 70 from 1929 until the 1970s. [5] KY 70 was re-routed to its current alignment in the 1970s. The road became maintained by the National Park Service once Mammoth Cave became a national park.

In 2004, both of Mammoth Cave Parkway's junctions with KY 70 were reconstructed just before the completion of the Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike and Hike Trail.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
Barren Park City 0.0000.000US 31W.svgSouth plate.svg
Elongated circle 255.svg US 31W (Louisville Road/Second Street) / KY 255 south – Cave City, Bowling Green 		Southern terminus; KY 255 continuation south of Park City after running concurrently with US 31W; southern end of KY 255 concurrency
0.4020.647I-65.svg I-65  – Louisville, Nashville I-65 exit 48
Edmonson Mammoth Cave 2.43.9East plate.svg
Elongated circle 70.svgNorth plate.svg
Elongated circle 255.svgTo plate blue.svg
I-65.svg KY 70 east / KY 255 north to I-65  – Cave City 		Northern end of KY 255 concurrency; southern end of KY 70 concurrency
4.97.9West plate.svg
Elongated circle 70.svg KY 70 west (Brownsville Road) – Brownsville 		Northern end of KY 70 concurrency
Cave City Road
Carmichael Road (Official vehicles only)
7.912.7Green River Ferry Road – Maple Springs Maintenance Road – Ranger StationConnects to KY 1352
8.113.0Mammoth Cave CampgroundCampground and Caver's Camp Store
8.213.2Mammoth Cave Hotel RoadMammoth Cave Hotel Entrance
8.313.4 Flint Ridge Road east – Dennison FerryConnects to KY 218; Flint Ridge Road closed during winter months
8.413.5Mammoth Cave Tours/Visitor's Center
Woodland Cottages		Northern terminus in the Visitor's Center parking lot [3]
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmonson County, Kentucky</span> County in Kentucky, United States

Edmonson County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,126. Its county seat and only municipality is Brownsville. The county was formed in 1825 and named for Captain John "Jack" Edmonson (1764–1813), who was killed at the Battle of Frenchtown during the War of 1812. This is a dry county where the sale of alcohol is prohibited. Edmonson County is included in the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barren County, Kentucky</span> County in Kentucky, United States

Barren County is a county located in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,485. Its county seat is Glasgow. The county was founded on December 20, 1798, from parts of Warren and Green Counties. It was named for the Barrens, meadowlands that cover the northern third, though actually the soil is fertile. Barren County is part of the Glasgow, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Bowling Green-Glasgow, KY Combined Statistical Area. In 2007 Barren County was named the "Best Place to Live in Rural America" by Progressive Farmer Magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Park City, Kentucky</span> City in Kentucky, United States

Park City is a home rule-class city in Barren County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 614 at the 2020 census. It is the entrance to nearby Mammoth Cave National Park and to Diamond Caverns, a privately owned cave attraction. Exit 48 off I-65 is the only direct access exit to the Mammoth Cave National Park.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Route 255</span> State highway in Kentucky, United States

Kentucky Route 255 (KY 255) is a 16.977-mile-long (27.322 km) south-north state highway located in south central Kentucky. It provides access to Interstate 65 and Mammoth Cave National park to residents of southern Barren County.

Pig is an unincorporated community in southern Edmonson County, Kentucky, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Route 63</span> State highway in Kentucky, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Route 728</span> State highway in Kentucky, United States

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Kentucky Route 218 is a 31.113-mile-long (50.072 km) west-east state highway that traverses three counties in south-central Kentucky. It is locally known as LeGrande Highway from Horse Cave to near Shady Grove.

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Highland Springs is an unincorporated community in northwest Barren County, Kentucky, United States.

References

  1. ↑ Microsoft; Nokia. "Mammoth Cave Parkway" (Map). Bing Maps . Microsoft. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  2. ↑ National Park Service (n.d.). Mammoth Cave National Park (PDF) (Map). c. 1:84,480. National Park Service. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  3. 1 2 National Park Service (n.d.). Visitor Center Area: Mammoth Cave National Park (PDF) (Map). c. 1:21,120. National Park Service. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  4. ↑ Diamond Caverns (2015). "Discover Diamond Caverns". Diamond Caverns. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  5. ↑ Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (1958) (PDF). Edmonson County Highway Map (Map). Retrieved October 7, 2014.
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