A pull-off style parking lot with adjacent sidewalk, picnic tables, and information panels overlook the valley view. A stone wall about 3 feet high allows for photos or viewing. The hillside drops off sharply on the other side of the wall, leading down a densely forested valley.

The Doyel Valley Overlook is a pull-off area along the most commonly used entrance road leading to the visitor center. This scenic overlook provides a rare view of the park landscape's rolling hills and valleys. The namesake of the area, the Doyel family, called this area home prior to the creation of Mammoth Cave National Park in 1941. The Doyels would have also owned nearby Sand Cave, where, in January 1925, a local caver became stuck, an event known at the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/tragedy-at-sand-cave.htm">Tragedy at Sand Cave</a>. Learn more about the historic communities and the history of appalachian homesteading and culture, the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/maca/learn/nature/wildflowers.htm">wildflowers</a> and <a href="https://www.nps.gov/maca/learn/nature/forests.htm">forest ecosystem</a> within the park, or just get a different view of the park at this overlook.

2 information panels on a low stone wall look over a forested view of a rolling valley during autumn

Doyel Valley Overlook

The Doyel Valley Overlook is the only scenic overlook accessible by vehicle within Mammoth Cave National Park. The overlook consists of two information panels, a picnic table. and access to the Mammoth Cave Hike and Bike trail. Access is along Mammoth Cave Parkway, 2.2 miles (3.5 km) south of the visitor center.

Significance

In a clearing among the trees there lies a small church off to one side. To the other side of the clearing there are picnic benches and a cemetery. Simplistic in its build it was once built of logs and heated with a fireplace. Good Spring Baptist Church was built by its parishioners. Painted white with two doors for entering and/or exiting the church, one of which has a ramp leading up to it. Inside it's still set up as if church services had occurred yesterday.

Good Spring Baptist Church is located near the Maple Springs trailhead. The church is composed of one building and an accompanying cemetery. It was founded the third Saturday in February, 1842, by church elders Jesse Moon, R.T. Gardner and William Skaggs. The conditions of the church can be seen in a letter written in 1931 by Aunt Susie Blair to Charlie Whittle: “On Sunday we went to church where Good Spring Church now stands. The old house was built of logs and heated with a fireplace.” Her letter also mentions that, when the number of service attendees was larger than the church could hold, they had service outside amongst the trees.    Before this church was formed, its members had to travel to Nolin Baptist Church or to a church in Beaver Dam. With Nolin Baptist church being about 10 miles away, and with the town of Beaver Dam being about 65 miles away, the construction of the Good Spring Baptist Church saved residents considerable travel time. The church charter members included Brown Blair, Mary Blair, Isaac Blair, Lucy Blair, David Blair, Betsy Blair, J.L. Smith, Sarah Smith, Rachel Pace, William Skaggs, J.D. Sanders, Sally Sanders, Thomas Meredith, Esaline Smith and Pega Davis. Many of these charter members were descendants of the pioneer Baptists that settled in Green County near the Brush Creek Church, located in Tennessee.    Good Spring Baptist Church had the largest membership of any church in the Green River Association from 1896 to 1900. When the National Park Service acquired the church property, the church dissolved. The church building itself is still standing today. It currently holds reunion services for descendants of the pioneers during a yearly homecoming and dinner on the grounds. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1991.

Good Spring Baptist Church

Good Spring Baptist Church had the largest membership of any church in the Green River Association from 1896 to 1900.

Location

Designation

Good Spring Baptist Church & Cemetery

The dirt hiking trail leading to this point varies in steepness to arrive at a stunning vantage point. A bench faces the view as well at the information panel which sits next to a wooden fence about 4 feet high. On the other side of that fence a drop-off leads down towards the river itself. Forest extends beside the trail, covered by a blanket of browning leaves.

This scenic overlook along the often recommended Green River Bluffs Trail provides one of the best views of the path of the Green River as it winds through the park. The rivers play an important role in both the cave and surface <a href="https://www.nps.gov/maca/learn/nature/waterways.htm">waterway ecosystems</a>, and the Green River is one of the most biodiverse rivers in North America. Learn about the hydrology of this resource at the information panel or take a break along the hiking trail. The site is also home to a long term <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/air/webcams.htm?site=maca">air quality monitoring webcam</a>.

Bright green forested hills lead down to a murky wide river with a blue sky in the background

Green River Bluffs Overlook

Accessed along the 1.3 mile (2.1 km) Green River Bluffs Trail, the overlook provides views looking northeast along the Green River Valley. The site is also home to a long term air quality monitoring webcam.

The drive to the ferry is along a tree lined road, as you near the ferry landing there is a large parking area to the right. If you go straight you will come to the ferry. The ferry shuttles cars, hikers and bikers from one side of the river to the other. Before reaching the ferry there is a paved parking area. When entering the parking lot there is a trail to the right for the Accessible Echo River Spring trail. Driving further into the parking area there is a canoe and kayak launch, it is gravel and goes down a hill to the river. To the left of this area is a wood balcony with seats that overlook the river and surrounding woods.

The Green River Ferry was first developed in 1934 and is the last remaining active river ferry in the park. The ferry shuttles vehicles, hikers and bikers across the Green River 364 days a year. This area is also a popular location for visitors to launch their boats, canoes and kayaks for a day out on the water.   If your plan is to go boating, the cement ramp used to reach the ferry boat will be used as your launch. If you are canoeing or kayaking you should use the gravel launch provided in the corner of the parking area, upriver from the ferry. There are some boaters that launch further up river at Dennison Ferry or beyond the park’s boundaries who also utilize this area for taking their boats out of the Green River.   The Green River Ferry parking area also offers access to the Accessible Echo River Spring hiking trail, a one-mile wheelchair accessible path through the forest. This hike is a great destination for avid bird watchers or for those who just want to spend a day enjoying the river and woodland views. There are picnic tables at the trailhead and benches and viewpoints along the trail.

A small vehicle ferry crosses a muddy river.

Green River Ferry

Green River Ferry is an active ferry that is used to shuttle cars, hikers and bikers from one side of the river to the other. Located less than a 10min drive from the visitor center, there's also picnic tables and hiking trails. Fishing is permitted on the riverbank away from the ferry. This site is also usable by all trailed boats. When launching a trailed boat be sure not to disrupt the operation of the ferry, boats should be launched on the downstream side of the ferry.

The Old Guide’s Cemetery is located within a wooded area, with fallen leaves strewn over the grass. There is a concrete pathway that leads to a black painted metal fence, roughly four feet tall, surrounding the cemetery. In front of the black painted metal fence there are two wayside exhibits, approximately 15 feet apart, containing information about the cemetery and the people buried within. The wayside exhibits are located on a broad semicircular cement section. The wayside exhibit on the left-hand side of the concrete platform addresses the strong African-American heritage associated with Mammoth Cave. The wayside exhibit on the right-hand side discusses Stephen Bishop and his impact on Mammoth Cave and his gravestone. The black painted metal fence is roughly 60 by 100 feet, and protects the cemetery. There are two deciduous trees within the Old Guide’s Cemetery, roughly in the center, one larger and one smaller. There are many stone headstones of varying sizes scattered throughout the cemetery. Two box tombs, made of stacked stone, are located within, one towards the front left of the cemetery and the other in the back-right corner, as well as a stone sarcophagus, located in the left portion of the cemetery.

The Old Guide’s Cemetery is the burial place of one of Mammoth Cave’s earliest cave guides, Stephen Bishop. Bishop was an African-American man who spent almost 20 years guiding cave tours of Mammoth Cave, first as an enslaved guide and then as a free man. He is considered by many to be the most famous cave guide and explorer in Mammoth Cave’s history. The stories of his discoveries inside the cave are shared with hundreds of park visitors annually.   The cemetery is the resting place of several members of the surrounding communities, dating from the early 1840’s to the late 1850’s. Also buried here are three patients who died during the experimental Tuberculosis cure treatment held within Mammoth Cave during the winter of 1842. Several of the stone huts where the patients lived can still be found within the cave and are viewable on several tours offered to the public.   The Old Guide’s Cemetery is one of approximately 80 cemeteries located within Mammoth Cave National Park and is included in the National Register of Historic Places. It is located near the visitor center, off of the half-mile long Heritage Trail that connects to several other trails in the park.

Headstones and grave markers sit in the ground covered with fallen leaves in a forest.

Old Guide's Cemetery

The Old Guide’s Cemetery is a small, but significant, cemetery located within Mammoth Cave National Park. Buried here is Stephen Bishop, a famous 19th Century African-American cave guide. The Old Guide’s Cemetery also contains the burials of three tuberculosis patients who died during the Mammoth Cave Tuberculosis cave treatment experiment of 1842. It is located off of the beautiful Heritage Trail, a half mile long accessible trail through the woods.

This stop is located on the far side of the visitor center just off a walkway leading to the lower section of the building. There is a large parking lot along the front of the building. Rounding the corner of the building heading to the lower area the signpost is located just off the sidewalk in the grass. Place your phone on the barcode on the upper left corner of the signpost and visit Pensacola Avenue. Pensacola Avenue lies 253 feet beneath your feet. Pensacola avenue starts as a tubular passage then opens into a tall canyon passage; it is about 2000 feet long. There is a large nodular dripstone formation perched on a ledge that looks like a Pineapple Bush and another large boulder that is called the sea turtle, this boulder has numerous signatures from the 1800’s and also has an inscription from Stephen Bishop to his wife Charlotte. “Charlotte Brown, the flower of Mammoth Cave.”

Pensacola Avenue a once -toured passage off the main trail, lies 253 feet beneath you off the Historic Tour route. Pensacola avenue starts as a tubular passage then opens into a tall canyon passage; it is about 2000 feet long.  A 1940’s tourist guidebook says: <blockquote> “The dry and sandy floor elicited the naming of this avenue after that pleasant city in Florida.” </blockquote> The earliest record of the name Pensacola Avenue is from 1860, but the passage was called Pensicoa and Pensico in the 1840’s. Pensacola avenue starts as a tubular passage then opens into a tall canyon passage; it is about 2000 feet long. There is a large nodular dripstone formation perched on a ledge that looks like a Pineapple Bush and another large boulder that is called the sea turtle, this boulder has numerous signatures from the 1800’s and also has an inscription from Stephen Bishop to his wife Charlotte. <blockquote> “Charlotte Brown, the flower of Mammoth Cave.”   </blockquote> NPS Mobile App Users: <a href="https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=9464299D-88E5-4CB1-843D-542F2D632070">Click here to watch a video of a ranger in Pensacola Avenue. </a>

The opening of a cave passage lit up with a orange glow on the rock.

Pensacola Avenue

Pensacola Avenue, a once -toured passage off the main trail, lies 253 feet beneath you on the Historic Tour route. A 1940’s tourist guidebook says: “The dry and sandy floor elicited the naming of this avenue after that pleasant city in Florida.”

Pensacola Avenue - Beneath Your Feet

A large open cave room, with dirt trails. The trails are lined with rocks. Several wayside signs are along the trail.

Coming into Rafinesque on the left is a metal tower. This tower is collecting environmental data, such as temperature, wind speed, humidity levels, etc. Scientist are trying to determine how the weather outside and tourism interact with the natural cave ecosystem. How do you think tourism might effect the climate of the cave?  This chamber is named for Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, “Kentucky's eccentric naturalist”. Here, you have the opportunity to see the effects of water on the limestone walls at lookout mountain, see images of some of the cave inhabitants, and learn about a mushroom growing venture gone wrong. The chamber branches off to right and to left. The continuations do not go very far before they taper and become impassable. Take a moment to look around. This is the turn around point for this journey.

A large open cave room with dirt trails lined with rocks.

Rafinesque Hall

Entering Rafinesque Hall you leave the paved trail behind and travel on packed dirt trails lined with rocks.

This overlook is along a paved loop trail with sections of boardwalk through dense forest. A stone wall about 3 feet high at the overlook point also supports information panels on the history and geology of the Green River. The scenic view looks out over the river valley to the other side of the park and more rolling hills. A steep dirt switch-back trail descends down from the viewpoint.

As you may have guessed, this overlook is ideal for taking in the setting sun over the forested hills of the park. This scenic view also showcases the deep river valley of the Green River that cuts the park into two parts. Sunset Point is about half-way along the Heritage Trail, a wheelchair accessible .5 mile <a href="https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/visitor-center-area-and-south-side-trails.htm">hiking trail near the visitor center</a>. More information panels can be found along the Heritage Trail, as well as the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/places/old-guide-s-cemetery.htm">Old Guide's Cemetery</a>.

Bright green forest frames the distant view of rolling hills which descend to a river valley.

Sunset Point summer view

Accessed by a short walk along the 1/2 mile (0.8 km) accessible Heritage Trail, the view from Sunset Point gives hikers vistas of the Green River Valley and surrounding hillsides.

Sunset Point

The Turnhole Bend hiking trail is a hilly dirt loop-path which leads to this boardwalk platform overlook. 2-3 stairs lead up to the platform which is enclosed with a about 3 foot high wooden railing overlooking the steep hillside. A few built-in wooden benches sit along the railing and an attached information panel stands at the outermost edge of the platform.

This overlook is located about half-way along the 0.5 mi (0.8 km) loop trail. The overlook provides a scenic view of the northside, a section accessed by the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/places/green-river-ferry.htm">Green River Ferry</a> within the park. Depending on season and leaf cover, there may also be a view of Turnhole Bend Spring. When river travel was common, this spring area connecting to the Green River provided a wide enough space for river boats to turn around safely. While this turn around area is no longer used, the name remains as an artifact of that time period.

Seen from a wooden platform, a scenic view of green hills framed by treetops and a bright blue sky

Turnhole Bend overlook

Located on the southern side of the park on Brownsville Road, the 1/2 mile (0.8 km) Turnhole Bend Nature Trail takes hikers past deep sinkholes before leading to the overlook. The overlook consists of two benches and a informational sign, with views of the Green River and the north side of the park.

Turnhole Bend Overlook

Rolling hills, deep river valleys, and the world's longest known cave system. Mammoth Cave National Park is home to thousands of years of human history and a rich diversity of plant and animal life, earning it the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.