Hiking The Echo River Spring Trail At Mammoth Cave National Park
The Echo River Spring Trail is located in Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.
The parking lot for the trailhead (37.179540, -86.111350) can be accessed off of Green River Ferry Road
This easy 0.6 mile loop trail has practically no elevation gain, is on a paved boardwalk making it handicap accessible and it’s pet friendly.
During this hike you will see Echo River Spring.
This spring is where the underground Echo River emerges from Mammoth Cave and reaches the surface. It’s a tributary to the Green River.
The spot where the pool of water breaches the surface is nicknamed “blue hole”.
Tactile informational boards are provided at multiple viewing platforms around the spring.
They even have speaker boxes set up and after you push the button a friendly voice provides more information on the area.
You can also view the Green River Ferry from the parking lot.
The ferry runs 364 days a year and shuttles vehicles, hikers and bikers across the Green River. We waved to the ferryman during our hike and they waved back.
We were planning on using it to do some hikes on the other side of the river, but time got away from us on this visit.
A lot of the trails in the park intertwine with one another allowing you to combine them for a longer hike. We actually combined two other trails (maybe 3) with this one making it an almost 4 mile hike.
Be sure to pick up a map at the visitor center, because their website really doesn’t having any maps for their hiking trails.
The Echo River Spring Trail is a nice little stroll through the woods that’s great for the whole family.
Picnic tables and trashcans can be found near the parking lot.
