Beneath Your Feet

Left image
The Lodge at Mammoth Cave welcomes thousands of guests each year.
Credit: NPS Photo/ Thomas DiGiovannangelo

Right image
Beneath their feet, sits the Rotunda, one of the largest rooms inside Mammoth Cave.
Credit: NPS Photo/ Thomas DiGiovannangelo

 

The Beneath Your Feet program is designed to help you appreciate the mysteries and geological wonders of Mammoth Cave while exploring the park’s above-ground walking trails.

Wayside signs are located at 14 locations along trails and walking paths throughout the park’s visitor center and campground area. They include images and information about the natural history of the cave passages that are found beneath your feet, as well as, smartphone ready QR Code links to scan and watch videos of park rangers teaching you about the location below you.

 

Use your smart phones camera to scan the QR Code to see what's beneath your feet.

NPS Photo/ Tegan Sorensen

How to Get Started

While in the Park

Start by downloading the official NPS mobile app on your smartphone and navigate to the Mammoth Cave National Park page. Using the NPS app, you can follow along to the various Beneath Your Feet locations as you walk around the visitor center area. Your smartphone camera application can also be used to scan the QR Code on the Beneath Your Feet wayside signs to open the web link to watch videos and learn more about the cave passage below.

From Home

The virtual tour information along with video recordings are available on the links below, so you can explore Mammoth Cave from the comfort of your home.

 

NPS App

The free, official NPS app includes an interactive Beneath Your Feet, under Self-Guided Tours.

 

“How did you discover the above-ground locations…?”

Park scientists use radio telemetry to map out where important parts of the cave are in relation to the locations directly above ground.  

Also known as a “cave radio,” it is one of many fascinating ways that scientists create surveys and maps of caves. 

A surveyor inside the cave creates a magnetic signal while surveyors on the surface use a receiver to pick up the frequency. This allows the above-ground team to find the location directly above the cave passage.  

This information helps draw us closer to the below ground world and lets us know what is truly beneath our feet.