Floyd Collins Crystal Cavern - Tour
Yesterday, I had an awesome opportunity to explore a very distinct, rare, and historically significant part of Mammoth Cave:
Crystal Cave.
Not Crystal Onyx Cave*, or Diamond Caverns, which are both tourist attractions in their own right, but are not within Mammoth Cave National Park. The Crystal Cavern which was discovered by the Collins family, developed by Floyd Collins, and his brother and friends, and one of the coolest sections of Mammoth Cave I have had the privilege of visiting yet.
*(Crystal Onyx Cave is not to be confused with Great Onyx Cave within Mammoth Cave or Onyx Cave outside of Mammoth Cave — the Cave Wars were weird)
And I say privilege, because the tour that my mother and I took is only open for 12 days this year, and only reopened last year, after shuttering in the 1970s. (Which was also the only time it was open to the public since the cave became part of Mammoth Cave National Park.) So, as one of only 20 visitors, in the first of only 12 tours this year, I thought' I’d share a bit about the experience for both those who might not have the opportunity, and as encouragement for those who may seek this tour out in the future.
First, the formal.
The Introduction to Caving - Crystal Cave Tour - is treated more as an event than as a specific tour. Dates may change in future years, but unless things change drastically, it will probably remain a limited-time tour. If you are one of my rare immediate upon publication readers, you might still have an opportunity to join this year. In 2026, the tour is happening every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from April 19th to May 16. My mother and I were part of the first tour on April 20th. And I doubt I will have this out before the Wednesday Tour is booked out, but even if you miss the Friday tour on April 24th, there will still be 9 more opportunities.
Junior Rangers over 10 are permitted on the tour, so long as an adult is with them. (and I’d recommend bringing them)
You do need good hiking boots which cover your ankles and have good tread.
It’s not a particularly long hike. .25 miles at Sand Cave overlook, and about 2 miles (1 in, 1 back out) inside the cave. But the trail is steep, there are a few loose stone steps, and there are not always great handholds. (so the shoes are necessary)
There is no crawling, no tight squeezes, and no climbing. (which I know will disappoint some)
Tours can be booked in advance, and are at 1:30pm, this year.
Now, here’s my pitch:
This tour is awesome! It takes people out to one of the most distinct sections of Mammoth Cave, and the guides narrate one of the most equally distinct periods of Mammoth Cave History.
Thanks to Jonny for the photo!
Floyd Collins was already a regionally renowned caver when the small cavern beneath his family’s home was discovered. (not directly beneath, just down the hill behind the house.) At first, they simply used the underground space as a cellar, but when the Collins’s noticed a breeze coming out of the back of the cave, Floyd realized there must be a larger cave stretching under his families property. After digging out a human sized opening, Floyd explored the new passage, and quickly realized that he and his family had stumbled on a Cave System awesome enough to merit it’s own tours.
And he was absolutely correct.
The passage he could walk through quickly descended into a cavernous canyon with tall ceilings, which is now called the Grand Canyon, and sculpted walls layered all the way up. Climbing the next hill, lead to a cavern full of delicate helictites.* Taking a right lead to a lower passage with walls covered in the gypsum crystals which would give Crystal Cave it’s name. Miles of passages coiled through the hilly ground, and offered opportunities for sightseeing and adventure.
*(helictites are the the 3rd member of the Stalagmite/Stalactite family.) Stalactites hand tight, down from the ceiling. Stalagmites Rise up mightily from the floor. Helictites can come from any direction. They twist, curl and turn to make neat shapes. And, are incredibly delicate, so this part of Crystal Cave was not part of my tour)
Crystal Cave was, (and is,) one of the coolest sections of Mammoth Cave. Which is not something Floyd knew when he and his family started to develop the cave. But while they didn’t know it connected to the most famous cave in the area, they did feel the effects from Mammoth Cave. And Onyx Cave, and Greater Onyx Cave, Diamond Caverns, Salts Cave, and every other cave in the area. Because, the Collins’s homestead was way off the beaten path!
As stated, the Cave Wars were crazy, and in the 1910s (when Crystal Cave was discovered and developed,) the fight was fierce. Every cave in the region was competing for tourist dollars, and to get people to Crystal Cave, Floyd would have to convince them to pass a gauntlet of caves all advertising themselves, aggressively, as the best cave in the area. And while Floyd’s Crystal Cave had a strong claim to that title, that wasn’t enough to get many visitors.
So, while the Collins’s developed and lead tours in Crystal Cave, (and also, sometimes, nearby Donkey Cave,)* Floyd began to look for a cave entrance nearer to the main road into and out of the Mammoth Cave region.) And eventually, he found it: Sand Cave. Unfortunately, that ended in tragedy.
*(another cave on the property with a treacherous access path)
I’m not going to rehash how Floyd Collin’s story tragically ended, because a lot of it is in my book The Specters of Mammoth Cave. And I want you to read it there. Also, and more importantly, it’s a well known story, with many better narrators. (including the rangers in Mammoth Cave.) And, most importantly, I don’t think that was the point of the tour.
We visited Sand Cave first, then we drove to the Floyd Collins homestead, where two buildings still stand, one is a dilapidated Visitor Center, the other is the Floyd Collins Home, (I’ve gotten mixed reports on whether it was his home, I don’t think it was where the Collins actually lived.) Then we hiked down a set of stairs set in by Floyd and his brothers. Through one heavy iron door, we entered a room-sized cavern. This is as far as the J.R.I.C. and the Specter Detectors made it in the book.*
*(partially because this is where my knowledge stopped)
Once we were gathered inside, we crossed through a second steel door and entered the rest of Crystal Cave. After a short level passage we began to hike downslope into the Grand Canyon. From above, we were staring into a deep slot canyon. From below, we could look up to see the layers of limestone hewn by the ancient flow of water, and through those the ceiling about 80-100 ft above us. From there took the side passage to see the crystal walls which gave the cave their name, (which, admittedly did not photograph well.) Saw lots of old graffiti, including a signature by Floyd Collins, and a signature which should be familiar to any Junior Ranger following the J.R.I.C.’s Big Mystery: W.A.R.* After a short walk, and passing many cairns. We ended near a shallow pool of water, where visitors once would have stopped to rest. We only hiked about a mile into the cave, but that was all it took for it to be obvious why Crystal Cave was definitely worth developing and touring.
*(entirely coincidence, but fun for me to notice.)
After Floyd Collin’s death, once finances got challenging in the Great Depression, the Collins’s were forced to sell their home and the Cave. And, for a time, it was open to the public again, under new management. It operated as a private inholding within Mammoth Cave National Park, drawing tourists of it’s own. And, in part because of Floyd’s Story, the Crystal Cave enjoyed the fame it had always deserved. Except, that fame came at a price.
Cave formations were damaged, graffiti was encouraged, and trash was left inside the cave. So, when tourism declined, and Mammoth Cave National Park eventually acquired the land, Crystal Cave was closed to the public, opening for only a short time in the 1970s, before closing again. Explorers from the Cave Research Foundation, continued to explore the cave, discovering miles of passages, and eventually, the connection which linked Crystal Cave to the rest of the Flint Ridge Cave System and Mammoth Cave. But the public was out.
(Not entirely, there was an unfortunate incident in 1995 where 3 vandals tunneled into the cave and broke many of the crystal formations which made the cave unique, but that’s not the kind of attention I want to celebrate.)
So, for the most part, the Cave that Floyd wanted everyone to see, has been out of the public eye. Until last year, on the 100th anniversary of Floyd getting trapped in Sand Cave. There was a lottery to allow tourists to visit Crystal Cave. I did not win. Fortunately, this year the tour returned. Only for a month, 12 days in total, and limited to 20 visitors.* But once again, the Crystal Cave is open to the public. And for at least 1 month of the year, tourists can learn more about the rest of Floyd Collin’s legacy, and visit the cave he wanted everyone to see.
*(there is always a balance between promotion and preservation in national parks. Sometimes places can handle lots of tourists, sometimes, as in the case with Crystal Cave, they cannot.)
It is a limited and infrequent tour. So, for all those who cannot make these very specific dates, and will be unable to don the lit headlamps, I’ve included a few pictures. Also, I wouldn’t feel too bad. There was one very scary aspect of the cave. The wooden handrails, now far too old and frail to rely upon, are also covered in a strange, and according to the rangers, unidentified fungus. (zoom in on the picture to see it more clearly.) So, there are some advantages to enjoying Crystal Cave 2nd-hand.
Still, I’d recommend it, if you get the chance. If not this year, than next, as it seems like, going forward this will be a yearly, if still limited, thing.
Ps. Blogs are back. I’ve been working on other things, (like the upcoming Treasure in the Swamp) but I will slowly be easing back into writing here as well. Writing about this cave tour definitely feels like a good place to start.