Mammoth Cave planning and event

Important Notes:

·                     Reservations are allowed no more than 30 days in advance of the event. This has changed in the past so 45 days out reservations should be attempted.

·                     The troop goes on the "Introduction to Caving tour". This tour is usually $22 for each person with scouts under 12 $17. There are only 20 spots available on a tour which last 3.5 hours. Place a reservation for the entire available slots. Two weeks before the departure we can adjust the reservation to the actual going. The Reservation should be made for Saturday afternoon if possible and then a morning tour if required.

·                     Each person needs the following equipment: Soft knee pads, gloves, and boots w/good tread which go over the ankle (no tennis/basketball shoes)

·                     You must show up for the tour 30 minutes prior to the scheduled time. Failure to do this could result in the tickets being sold to someone else.

·                     Reservations for the campground and tour can be made on-line at http://reservations.nps.gov/

This event should be planned 45 days in advance. Scout commitments should be obtained as it will provide a reserve able number for the trip. You should pad the reservation by 2 people. The trip should have a minimum 3 adults along with the scouts. They should place themselves in the front, middle and back of the line to ensure safety of the troop. This arrangement works for up to 12 scouts. IF more than 12 go on the tour then ther will need to be 4 adults for the 16 scouts. We do this to keep the scouts from fooling around inside the cave Spacing between adults should never go more than 6 scouts.

The Mammoth Cave campgrounds are within walking distance of the visitor center. The caving trip is pretty rugged. Most of the 3 miles is covered stooping, crawling or belly sliding. There are some tight spaces but nothing which should cause any problems. Scouts should be aware that during the trip they will ask everyone to turn off their lights so they can experience total darkness and total silence. You will get dirty and wet during the trip. The temperature is such that a tee-shirt and sweatshirt will keep you warm along with the movement through the cave. The tour guides will also base the length of the trip on the behavior of the people in attendance. With adults spaced evenly throughout the troop horse play can be kept at a minimum and the trip maximized. Anyone going on the tour will get to keep their hard hat at the end of the tour.

The trip from Springboro will take a little less than 4 hours with lunch and potty breaks. There are 2 different types of campgrounds at Mammoth Cave. The group camps are a pretty far drive (14mi during off-season) to the visitor center. They are cheaper and more private but the regular campgrounds are sparsely populated during March and April. Their summer season actually begins sometime in mid/late April. Check the website for campground sites. We will usually have to use 2 campsites in the normal campgrounds.

Costs:

Major costs for the event are gas for travel, the tour and probably $6 for camping. Total cost for the weekend including food will be about $40. As a side note: the Corvette museum is about 30 minutes from Mammoth Cave. The entry cost is $8 is a good side trip if you have never seen it.

Travel to and from:

It is advised to leave Springboro no later than 3pm. There is a good place to eat about halfway on the trip (appx 5pm) at exit 22 on I-71. On the south side of the interstate are Wendy's and Burger King. The north side has Arby's, KFC and Toco Bell. This is a good break point for potty breaks and food. If planned correctly it can be the only stop on the trip. The return from the caves is best planned to leave at 10am with a stop for lunch back at exit 22 on I-71. During stops, it is wise to top off the gas tanks. We have made several stops before because of gas consumption while looking for cheap gas.