Mammoth Cave Utah

Page Contents

Are you looking for a fun adventure for your family near Brian Head, Utah? Mammoth Cave (Utah) ….not to be confused with the National Park in Kentucky…is the perfect place to explore caves for free!

You do not want to miss out on this adventure….no extra equipment is needed!

This was one of the first caves that we explored as a family and it got us hooked. We love that there are different areas to explore.

About Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave is located in Dixie National Forest just outside of Duck Creek Village in southern Utah. Our family loves exploring caves of all sizes and shapes, so when we were staying at Brian Head, we knew we had to make time to go visit Mammoth Cave. The cave is a system of tunnels that were formed by water and cooling lava less than 2000 years ago, which is pretty young for a rock!

Getting There

Mammoth Cave is 24 miles southeast of Brian Head and about 38 miles southwest of Bryce Canyon National Park. You likely won’t have service near the cave, so make sure you have the directions saved before you go.

After you turn off of Mammoth Creek Road, the roads are dirt roads (or mud roads if you go in April) and there were lots of potholes to dodge. We were able to drive it in our Subaru CrossTrek, and we even saw sedans making the journey just fine.

There are signs along the dirt roads directing you to the parking lot. The dirt roads are not cleared in the winter, so make sure you check road conditions before heading out.

Cost of Visiting Mammoth Cave Utah

Visiting Mammoth Cave in Utah is free! There are no entrance fees or parking fees.

Parking at Mammoth Cave

The parking for Mammoth Cave is a large dirt parking lot. There is not at bathroom at the parking lot, so make sure to plan ahead.

Arriving at Mammoth Cave

After making your way down the dirt roads, you arrive at a nice dirt parking lot. There are some signs about the caves you can read. The cave is right by the parking lot, so there is not a lot of walking involved to get to the cave openings.

Exploring Mammoth Cave Utah

Climbing into the Caves

Mammoth Cave has 5 entrances and has more than 21,000 feet (0.4 miles) of tunnels. Some of the tunnels are short and have natural light all the way through, however, some of the longer tunnels get dark, so make sure you bring a headlamp or flashlight or make sure that your phone is fully charged.

It is fairly easy to climb down into the cave from the different entrances. There are some boulders to climb over, but no special equipment is needed to explore the caves.

Inside the Caves

The caves get muddier the farther back you go, so make sure to wear shoes that you don’t mind getting muddy and make sure you have a plan on what to do with the shoes once they are muddy (especially if you are like us and have every intention of not getting in the mud, but somehow the kids manage to step in every single spot of mud, plus 5 more spots you didn’t even see).

Wildlife in the Cave

Bats

There are 7 species of bats that frequent Mammoth Cave. During the winter months (October-April), gates are placed across the entrances to the largest tunnel where the bats are hibernating so that they aren’t disturbed. We went in April, and the gates were up so we could get in the main tunnel. We looked, but we didn’t actually see any bats.

There are signs asking visitors to be quiet so the bats aren’t disturbed. We tried our best to keep the noise down while close to that tunnel, but our kids kept shouting “Woah!! Look at this.” We hurried through that section and went to a different entrance where we wouldn’t disturb any bats.

Antelope

We also saw some pronghorn antelope on our way back from the cave. They were very brave and didn’t run away until our car was close.

What to Pack

This adventure is really close to the parking lot, so we left water and snacks in the car. The main thing is headlamps. We only had our phone flashlights with us and we wish we had packed our headlamps.

Is Mammoth Cave Utah Worth Going To?

Absolutely!! We had so much fun exploring the lava tubes. The original plan was to explore Bowers Caves and Cascade Falls as well, which are close by, but when we went in April, the roads had not been plowed. We definitely want to go back so we can explore the whole cave and see more of the surrounding area.

Recreate Responsibly

Please remember to recreate responsibly so that other people can enjoy it after you. Pack out what you pack in and be respectful to the animals you come in contact with. Leave the rock how you found it and don’t carve anything into it.

Other Cool Caves in Utah

If you love caves as much as we do, you will not want to miss out on these other amazing caves in Utah.

Places to Explore Close By

Bowers Caves: 4.7 miles away
Black Rock Valley: 7 miles
Duck Creek Village: 8.4 miles
Cascade Falls: 13.7 miles
Navajo Lake: 15.5 miles
Panguitch Lake: 15.5 miles
Cedar Breaks National Monument: 23.6 miles
Brian Head: 24.1 miles
Cedar City: 38.1 miles
Bryce Canyon National Park: 39.2 miles