02 Sep My First Week: Welcoming Visitors to Mammoth Cave
Hello! My name is Mia Henriquez and I am a National Park Service and Environment for the Americas intern in the Latino Heritage Internship Program. This summer, I will be working as an Interpretation Intern at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. My position includes me working in the Visitor Center to answer the public’s questions about exploring the cave system with tours and recreational activities, such as hiking trails, that are available in the park.
Historic Entrance to Mammoth Cave
The Rotunda
For my first week, I was able to participate in a variety of the cave tours that are provided. The first tour I went on was the Grand Avenue Tour, which was 4 hours, 4 miles. This tour discovers the geological portion of the cave and cuts through canyons, passageways and tunnels of gypsum. The Grand Avenue tour requires a bus ride to the Carmichael Entrance and runs through portions of the cave including Cleaveland Avenue, Snowball Room, Mount McKinley, Grand Central Station, and the Frozen Niagara, where the tour also exits from. Other tours I went on included Domes and Dripstones, Gothic Avenue, Violet City Lantern, Great Onyx Lantern Tour, and the Historic Tour. Participating in these tours was an exciting experience because each tour is unique, based on the passageways, guides, and information shared throughout the tour. Going on these tours has helped tremendously with the knowledge and information sharing that I have provided to visitors. It has been a pleasure to send visitors on tours and have them come back to the visitor center to share their enjoyment and experience discovering Mammoth Cave!
A map of Mammoth Cave Tour Area
Sections from Grand Avenue Tour
Later this week, I was able to walk through some of the surface trails at Mammoth Cave National Park. I got to see the Green River from the boardwalk, take the Two Springs Trail, as well as the River Styx Spring Trail. During this hike the sun was setting and by the time I hiked back up to the historic entrance it was nighttime. Since Mammoth Cave is recognized as an International Dark Sky Park, I was able to look up and enjoy the stars by the time I reached the Visitor Center. The Visitor Center’s parking lot is a great place to stargaze, but the picture will not due the night sky justice.
Mammoth Cave National Park is over 52,000 acres. I cannot wait to share the extensive coverage of Mammoth Cave National Park and activities that will come with it!
#LHIP2025, #EnvironmentfortheAmericas, #NationalParkService, #MammothCaveNationalPark
Moria Painter
Posted at 14:07h, 06 SeptemberWe are so excited to get to know you and welcome you to the Mammoth Cave family.
Vicky Olson
Posted at 13:31h, 18 SeptemberThank you for this exciting introduction to your internship experience. I can’t wait to see what else you discover and learn.