Warning
GeneralRoad construction near our facility may limit parking or cause traffic delays. Please consider these conditions when planning your travel.
Featured amenities
About Mammoth Cave Backcountry Camping
Number of accommodations: 94
Campground Amenities
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Pet Friendly
Nearby Activities & Attractions
Hiking
Mountain Biking
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Open year round
This campground is open year round, providing flexibility for your stay.
Sites & Availability
94 Sites Available
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Site Details
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94 Sites Available
No available sites
All sites are booked for your selected dates. Try showing all sites to see booked options, create an alert to be notified when something opens up, or adjust your dates.
Reviews (129)
What Guests Are Saying
Mammoth Cave Backcountry Camping offers clean and scenic campsites, with many having reliable water sources and beautiful views. Popular spots like Collie Ridge and the Bluffs provide a peaceful experience, although some trails can be muddy or overgrown, requiring careful navigation. While there are occasional challenges such as pests and downed trees, many visitors found the overall experience rewarding and enjoyable, making it a great destination for outdoor enthusiasts.
What Guests Are Saying
Mammoth Cave Backcountry Camping offers clean and scenic campsites, with many having reliable water sources and beautiful views. Popular spots like Collie Ridge and the Bluffs provide a peaceful experience, although some trails can be muddy or overgrown, requiring careful navigation. While there are occasional challenges such as pests and downed trees, many visitors found the overall experience rewarding and enjoyable, making it a great destination for outdoor enthusiasts.
Review Summary
Michael M
VerifiedApril 26, 2025 • Stayed at: Ferguson, Loop: Ferguson
Very nice trails. Yes horse trails are muddy and rough at times
Kevin P
VerifiedApril 21, 2025 • Stayed at: Three Springs, Loop: Three Springs
We camped in mid April. We didn't run into ticks, but the snakes were out getting some spring sun! There is a camp site in the middle of the trail on the way to Three Springs about a half mile in. This was confusing at first, but this is not the site. The actual site was nice, with plenty of space. It would have been a bit of a walk to source water from the Green River, but totally doable. Since the site is not far from the parking lot, we chose to leave a case of water at the car and hike back to restock. There was a full moon while we camped, which was awesome. We heard deer blowing at us in the middle of the night. Our tents must have been in their way. Lots of spring wild flowers and since it had recently flooded there were some water falls and flowing streams. Overall, a very nice trip with my son!
Elizabeth D
VerifiedMarch 20, 2025 • Stayed at: Bluffs, Loop: Bluffs
Bluff's campsite is one of the most beautiful backcountry campsites in Mammoth Cave. On the hike in, there are two waterfalls that are perfect for grabbing water or cooling off. The campsite itself is pretty scenic with some cool rock formations, and plenty of nearby areas to wander around and take in the views. There's enough firewood lying around to start a fire in the fire pit, which has an attached grill to make cooking more convenient. Hiking out with backpacks can be a bit of a pain and you might find the tent placement options a bit limited due to rocks/sticks on the ground, but it's totally worth it for the scenery and experience.
Anthony C
VerifiedNovember 25, 2024 • Stayed at: Raymer Hollow, Loop: Raymer Hollow
Mammoth Cave National Park is always a wounder full and clean experience, especially with the volume of visitors that the park has to manage.
Troy P
VerifiedOctober 18, 2024 • Stayed at: Bluffs, Loop: Bluffs
Bluffs campsite is a cool spot. Wish we had more daylight to explore around the site. Both topo map and OnX phone app said total route would be 10 miles. Ended up being 12.4. Not a big deal, but we would have started earlier had we known. Now we will add up to 25% mileage to our routes when planning. Bluffs site has a dripping water fall close to camp where you can get drinking water and wash dishes/wash up if you wanted to. Several cool rock formations around. Only one tent pad big enough for 3-4 person tent. There’s at least one other spot for a smaller tent.
Matthew A
VerifiedOctober 16, 2024 • Stayed at: Three Springs, Loop: Three Springs
Very nice backcountry campsite with fire ring and a very handy lantern post for hanging gear. You can obtain water from the Green River or from one of the three springs. The springs are located on the McCoy Hollow trail past the turn off to the campsite. I recommend sourcing water from the springs as the river bank is steep.
Sean K
VerifiedAugust 12, 2024 • Stayed at: First Creek 2, Loop: First Creek 2
Beautiful site, don't depend on the "lake" next to the site for water. When you get to it, it's more like a field of grass and muck. You can see open water, but it's pretty inaccessible due to plant growth. So bring plenty of water unless you're really committed to getting dirty. The shorter trail (from temple hill trail head [1.5miles]) had 3 LARGE treefalls. The first is very early into the trail and makes you go off trail. It's so large it resulted in losing the trail for like 15 minutes because it was hard to see where it was when trying to go around the fall. Later down the trail, 2 more falls but are much easier to navigate, can just go over/under them.
Megan B
VerifiedJuly 14, 2024 • Stayed at: Sal Hollow, Loop: Sal Hollow
Terrible bugs (spiders, mosquitos, ticks, gnats, etc.) made the already overgrown trail pretty unpleasant. Campsite (Sal Hallow) was absolutely overrun with ticks, so much so that we didn't even spend the night and immediately hiked out.
Matthew K
VerifiedJune 13, 2024 • Stayed at: White Oak, Loop: White Oak
Great trip, nice trail. pretty flat until you start to make your way to the camp. Not as private as others due to a boat ramp on the other side of the river. 10/10 would go again.
Matthew K
VerifiedJune 13, 2024 • Stayed at: Turnhole Bend, Loop: Turnhole Bend
Awesome spot. Very private, great scene in winter with all the leaves gone. 10/10 will comeback again.
Location Mammoth Cave Backcountry Camping
Address:
Mammoth Cave National Park
Mammoth Cave, KY, 42259
United States
- Please click the link for "Driving Directions" under the addition links tab on the right hand side of the page for detailed directions.
Policies & Rules
| Category | About |
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| General |
***During the closed season December 1 through February 28 please go to the Visitor Center for all camping permits. All permits must be registered as walk-ups at the Visitor Center during this time.*** |
| General |
Permits Required. Mammoth Cave Backcountry permits are required for overnight camping at designated campsites and floodplain. Permits can be obtained online up to 6 months in advance or in person at the Mammoth Cave Campground kiosk or Visitor Center. |
| General |
Your Camping Permit must be downloaded and printed by accessing your Recreation.gov account up to 14 days prior to arrival. You can not modify your reservation after it is printed. If you cannot print your permit or save to your phone, you may visit Mammoth Cave Campground Kiosk during March 1st through November 30th. During the closed season December 1 through February 28 please go to the Visitor Center for all camping permits. |
| General |
Green River Ferry is subject to last minute closings. Please check the NPS website or call (270) 758-2166 for current Ferry Conditions. When the Ferry is down it can take 45 minutes to get from the Visitor Center to the Maple Springs Campground and Backcountry trail heads. |
| General |
WILDLIFEDo not disturb or kill any wildlife, including snakes. All plants and animals in Mammoth Cave National Park are protected. Collection of any portion of a plant is prohibited unless specifically authorized by regulation. Pets are permitted, but must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet and under physical restraint at all times. Do not leave pets unattended.Ticks are common in the park and their bites can spread diseases. Learn steps to prevent tick-borne illness. |
| General |
CAMPING
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| General |
LEAVE NO TRACE
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| General |
TRAILS
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| General |
REGULATIONS
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Warnings & Advisories
Warning
GeneralRoad construction near our facility may limit parking or cause traffic delays. Please consider these conditions when planning your travel.
