This trail more suited to the wide tired mountain bike riders. It is a beautiful trail ride and is challenging for the older riders (we are in our mid 60’s). We ride hybrid/comfort bikes and you have to watch out for loose gravel. The trail has more hills than most rails to trail trails. Overall it is a beautiful, challenging ride.

While at Mammoth Cave be sure to take the "Historical", "Snowball", and "New Entrance" tours of Mammoth Cave. They are well worth your time and energy. Suggestion; don’t try biking the trail and then doing more than one of the cave tours in the same day. In fact, don’t try doing all three cave tours in the same day; they are too long and physically challenging. It is a beautiful place to ride your bike and splunk around in the caves.

The old Mammoth Cave RR was a short rail line designed to bring tourists from the main road (near present day I-65) to Mammoth Cave. The railroad is long gone but the National Park Service has turned the old RR bed into the Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike & Hike Trail. This trail follows most of the old RR line but not all of it. Part of the old RR bed is now under the main park entrance road to the trail deviates from that path. This makes part of the trail a lot more hilly than normal for a rail trail. Instructions on the sign post point out parts of the trail where you must dismount your bike and walk up (and down) the steepest parts. I did walk up a couple of parts but they were fairly short (a few hundred yards at most). You may be able to ride down these parts but only if you use your brakes to keep under control. The path gravel is loose enough that you can go too fast or you will find yourself in trouble.

The path is packed gravel. While fat tires are a must, this is not a mountain bike trail. I rode it on my hybrid/comfort bike.

I started at the trailhead near the park entrance sign. (I found out later that this was not the end of the trail but was very close. As you enter the park from I-65 you will see the parking on the left.). From the trailhead to Diamond Cave (a privately owned cave about a mile up the trail) the trail goes back into the woods and is somewhat hilly but not that bad. After Diamond Cave, you get to the steepest parts of the ride. It really isn't that bad if you take your time. There are signs on the trail warning of the steep sections.

The middle section of the trail basically follows the park's main entrance road but was mostly far enough back into the woods were the traffic was not dangerous or distracting. This section of the trail was the part that appeared to most closely follow the train route. It was flat and mostly straight. The bike trail crossed the road a couple of times so be careful there. At Sloan's crossing, there is a short nature trail around a pond.

Going north of Sloan Crossing Pond, the trail crosses a long curved trestle bridge. This appears to be a new bridge but a sign at one end says that there used to be an old RR trestle at that location. From here the trail continues north ending at the Camp Store near the park Visitor's Center. The only remaining Mammoth Cave Railroad engine and a passenger car are on display.

All in all, I liked this trail. It was a challenge at times since it was not as flat and straight as most rail trails but in was a nice trail through some very beautiful country.

This is a well maarked trail, How ever the gravel is more suited for wide tires. The park does not charge to park and ride. The cave tours are awesome. Good food at both the lodge and in Cave city. Wel worth the drive