By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
A rehabilitation project, spanning several months, will close a few of visitor amenities at Mammoth Cave National Park.
The Heritage Trail, Old Guides Trail and the visitor center pedestrian bridge will be closed for roughly nine months on Jan. 6 to complete the Heritage Trail Rehabilitation Project, the national park announced in a press release.
Heritage Trail is a half-mile-long walk that begins at the soon-to-be-closed visitor pedestrian bridge and is currently made from a “series of raised, wooden boardwalks and cement pathways,” which are subjected to “environmental elements such as rain and freezing conditions” that require frequent maintenance. The release states the rehabilitation project will replace much of the wooden boardwalk with a “more sustainable hard cement surface” that, while beautifying the area, will not require as frequent maintenance.
Behind the main hotel the park will “create a large level area that should make it easier for visitors to find the starting point of the Heritage Trail” and create a 15 to 20 person amphitheater that allows for ranger-led programs — something the trail currently lacks.
The visitor services at the Lodge at Mammoth Cave will remain open throughout construction. The main hotel parking lot will not be impacted by this project and a short foot path that runs from the visitor center to the lodge has been installed to maintain access between the two buildings.
The Heritage Trail Rehabilitation project is expected be completed in September 2025 with a projected cost of $3.5 million funded by National Park Concessions Incorporated donation, Park Centennial Challenge Match, Concessions Franchise Fees and Park Repair Rehabilitation.
