Adventures at Mammoth Cave and Jesse James’ Riding Stables

Antioch College chose to do our Outdoor Rec Outing at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky on April 11th, 2025. We were able to take nine students, along with one Ambassador and two drivers. For this outing, we had a busy day planned. We explored a section of the cave, we went horseback riding, and we camped in the national park – complete with a bonfire and s’mores! A small group also took a small hike the next morning, April 12th, before the others woke up, and we headed back to campus.

We chose this outing because many of us had never been inside any kind of cave but also because it was highly recommended by those that had been. The general feeling about the outing was that it was great. Days after the outing we had students coming up to us hoping to do it again and thanking us for holding the event. Personally we feel it went great. Were there hick-ups along the way? Yes but we dealt with them and had a blast.

The impact we had was a great one! We all varied in our outdoor experiences and so getting to see each person’s skills shine through and open doors to activities many have not previously had was great. Not even simply skill sets either, many of us aren’t in the same social groups and wouldn’t have hung out without the help of National Park Trust. One moment that stands out for us was getting to go into the cave and having our ranger shut off the lantern he had. The complete darkness and not even being able to see our hands in front of our faces was one that kept getting talked about. Between that moment and the fact that our campsites reached 34℉ that night, we got to make the kind of memories they say you are supposed to make in college.

Thank you, National Park Trust!