TRAVEL
Air
The Mammoth Cave area is served by the Nashville (TN) International Airport (BNA) and Louisville (KY) International Airport (SDF). Each of these airports is approximately 100 miles from Mammoth Cave. Both airports are served by a variety of airlines (including American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Express, and US Airways). Both airports are also served by major rental car companies, if you would like to have your own car available.We will arrange an airport shuttle (on the Sunday that the workshop begins and the Saturday following the workshop) from one or both of these airports for workshop participants (depending on the need).
Bus
Cave City is served by Greyhound Lines.
Automobile
Mammoth Cave is located along I-65 about 30 miles north of Bowling Green, KY. It is about 90 miles from both Louisville, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee.
EXPECTED EXERTION LEVELS
The workshop will consist of classroom activities mixed with field experiences. Each afternoon we will be in the field. Most of these field trips will entail being outside. In July, central Kentucky may be hot (into the low 90s) and muggy. Rain or thunderstorms are possible.
Most of the field activities will require light walking, usually less than one-quarter mile. In some cases we will be on constructed and maintained trails (boardwalk, concrete, or dirt); however, some light hiking off of normal trails will be required. One activity will include a tour of Mammoth Cave. This tour will utilize the route of the normal Historic Tour. The National Park Service describes that tour as follows:
Duration: 2 hours
Walking Distance: 2 miles
Restroom available? No.
Emphasis on: Large trunk passages; oldest tour routes; cultural history
Landmarks Seen: Natural Entrance, Rotunda, Broadway Avenue, Methodist Church, Salt Petre artifacts, Giant's Coffin, Sidesaddle Pit, Bottomless Pit, Fat Man's Misery, River Hall, Mammoth Dome, Audubon Avenue
Elevation Change: 300 feet
Number of Stairs: 440, including up 138 at Mammoth Dome
Steep Hill Climbs? Yes, trail to and from cave entrance
We expect this tour to be the most difficult of the activities in terms of exertion.
We would recommend good walking shoes, comfortable clothing for the field (jeans, light shirt, etc.), sunscreen, insect repellent, and rain gear. and a jacket for the cave
WEATHER
The area's climate varies from hot, humid summers to cool, damp winters. Annual precipitation is approximately 50 inches. Temperatures during the summer months typically range from 90 ± 5¡F for daytime highs with nights cooling down to 70 ± 5¡F. Unlike the surface, cave temperatures remain rather constant, approximately 56¡F year-round.
Normal Monthly Weather for Bowling Green, KY
| Month Ave | . Daily High (°F) |
Ave. Daily Low (°F) |
Ave. Daily Mean (°F) |
Normal Precipitation (in.) |
| January | 43.0 |
25.4 |
34.2 |
4.15 |
| February | 48.6 |
28.6 |
38.6 |
4.15 |
| March | 58.6 |
36.9 |
47.8 |
4.97 |
| April | 68.6 |
45.0 |
56.8 |
3.99 |
| May | 77.0 |
54.5 |
65.8 |
5.36 |
| June | 85.3 |
63.4 |
74.4 |
4.29 |
| July | 89.2 |
67.7 |
78.5 |
4.54 |
| August | 87.8 |
65.7 |
76.8 |
3.36 |
| September | 81.1 |
58.1 |
69.6 |
4.13 |
| October | 70.1 |
45.7 |
57.9 |
3.17 |
| November | 57.6 |
37.2 |
47.4 |
4.46 |
| December | 47.4 |
29.2 |
38.3 |
5.06 |
