kentucky cave projects
Kentucky contains several of the world’s longest caves and there are several very active exploration efforts currently underway.
Mammoth Cave
The longest cave in the world is Mammoth Cave near Cave City, Kentucky. It currently boasts a surveyed length of 412 miles (663 kilometers). Mammoth Cave is protected as a National Park and all exploration and survey is managed through the Cave Research Foundation. I have been working as a cartographer with the CRF since 2011 and am working on two map sheets that includes Carlos Way, which is in the northeastern corner of Mammoth Ridge, and the New Discovery West section, which is along the far western edge of Mammoth Ridge. I often participate in other cartographer’s survey objectives as well.
Roppel Cave
Roppel Cave is connected to the Mammoth Cave System, but most of the cave and its entrances are on private land, so the survey and exploration is mostly managed without direct involvement of the National Park Service. Much of the exploration is coordinated through the Central Kentucky Karst Coalition. The Daleo entrance is now owned and managed by the Southeastern Cave Conservancy.
Fisher Ridge Cave System
While I am not leading any of the exploration in FRCS, I have participated in a number of survey trips, and it is an extremely active project led by cavers who were originally centered in Detroit, but are now scattered across the US. Since it’s discovery in 1981 it has grown to a surveyed length of nearly 130 miles, is the 10th longest cave in the world, and 5th longest cave in the US.