National Park Service celebrates 106 years & Mammoth Cave now 50 years world’s longest cave

CAVE CITY, Ky. – The National Park Service turns 106 years old Thursday.

The NPS conserves over 420 parks in the U.S.

Many of those spots in nature are a huge draw for Kentuckians who love the outdoors.

Our Commonwealth is home to a national park, two national historic parks, a national battlefield, and a national river and recreation area, plus a national historic trail according to Kentucky Tourism.

Some of these places include the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, and Mammoth Cave National Park.

Park spokesperson Molly Schroer said, “All across the country we’ve got these great places to visit for their beauty, or their geologic wonder, or their animals or their cultural ties. It’s really amazing we have this as a shared body of the National Park Service and as Americans to go and enjoy.”

Mammoth Cave is also celebrating a huge milestone: their 50th year anniversary as the longest cave in the world.

In 1972, Mammoth Cave connected with the Flint Ridge Cave System, smashing the world record by a landslide.

Currently there’s over 420 miles of mapped cave.

Schroer said, “[Mammoth Cave] is very big. It’s all right here in Kentucky. It doesn’t go anywhere outside of the area, so it just goes and goes and goes.”

Come September, the cave will have special events and opportunities to celebrate the 50th anniversary. 

Schroer says you can check on their website to see how you can come and learn.