Today, there are 59 National Parks; each is unique and spectacular in their own way. Last year, the National Park Service recorded over 307 million visitors to the 59 parks. The most popular parks, as measured by most visitors, are the Great Smokey Mountains NP, Grand Canyon NP, and Rocky Mountain NP. Among the most famous national parks are a range of caves across the United States. With this article, I would like to give you my opinion on what the best cave national parks are to visit in the United States. If you can only visit one or two of these gorgeous caves, you can visit the best of the best.
3. Wind Cave National Park
Interestingly, Wing Cave National Park was the sixth national park to be established. Located in South Dakota, it was the first cave national park. It is the world’s densest and most complex cave system! After your trek through the caves, you can see beautiful wildlife on the group, ranging from bison to cougars.
2. Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Established in 1930, Carlsbad Caverns National Park lies beneath the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico. The park contains 117 caves, of which the longest is over 120 miles long. The iconic cave from the Carlsbad Caverns is the Big Room, which offers a beautiful limestone structures and an array of stalagmites and stalactites. In the Big Room, one can hike for 3.5 miles around the entire chamber and witness true splendor.
1. Mammoth Cave National Park
Located in south-central Kentucky, Mammoth Cave is the largest cave system in the entire world! The national park encompasses over 405 miles of passageways of the cave, which is over twice as large as the second largest cave in the world. The park was established in 1941, and offers tours throughout the caves. If you are daring enough, spelunking is also available.