Diamond Caverns Thousand Trails

Staying at a Thousand Trails campground this close to a National Park was incredible! (It may even technically be within the boundary.)

The campground had some decent sites, but they were limited on our particular check-in day. We went to the C area, which consisted of 4 pull-thrus across from an open field. We liked that our kids could easily cross (almost zero traffic on the road) and have plenty of space for shenanigans. The interesting part was that the sites in the middle are buddy sites (and the outside sites are annuals). Shoutout to the sweet retired couple that didn’t seem irritated with our children and even invited over for s'mores and a fireside chat!

The campground has an older pool, mini-golf, tons of permanent sites, and a playground that could use power-wash and a paint job. It is relatively small for a TT campground, but they do have an indoor “quiet area” with wi-fi and the bathrooms were clean and freshly painted.

One thing to note is that when you arrive, you will turn right (if you’re coming from Park City) where you will see the large Diamond Caverns sign. After check-in, you will cross the street to select your site. Some folks turned left prior to checking in, and had to come back out to the office.

Our T-Mobile was very good, AT&T was minimal, and plenty of sites would work for Starlink. They do not currently charge for packages (Amazon delivers directly) and the manager said they won’t charge until TT forces them to. The rangers/office staff were some of the friendliest we have met!

If you’re planning to do a cave tour (hopefully!!) you will likely want to make reservations in advance. If you are going during peak season, you may even want to reserve in advance of your arrival date. The afternoon slots were less popular than the evening slots and if they aren’t full, it would make for a more intimate tour experience. Kids under 6 were free, and adults were $20 each for the tour that we selected (Historic). The lantern tour looked really fun, but children weren’t permitted.

On the Historic Tour, we enjoyed an awesome walk through different areas of the cave. It had a nice variety of narrow paths connecting the massive, more open areas. There is also a firetower-esque staircase to wrap it up. You’ll want to be in decent shape, as there aren’t many opportunities to sit. Our kids did fine on their own and found it really interesting. There is also a bathroom mid-way, fyi! The tour lasted almost 2 hours and there were about 4 stops where the tour guide shared some details about the cave.

If you’re interested in hiking, you’ve got some good options! One of our favorite trailheads was located at the same location as the tours. It features a waterfall, river-view, and a really nice view.

On the Historic Tour, we enjoyed an awesome walk through different areas of the cave. It had a nice variety of narrow paths connecting the massive, more open areas. There is also a firetower-esque staircase to wrap it up. You’ll want to be in decent shape, as there aren’t many opportunities to sit. Our kids did fine on their own and found it really interesting. There is also a bathroom mid-way, fyi! The tour lasted almost 2 hours and there were about 4 stops where the tour guide shared some details about the cave.

If you’re interested in hiking, you’ve got some good options! One of our favorite trailheads was located at the same location as the tours - Echo River Spring with the Sinkhole Loop. It features a waterfall, glimpses of the river, and a really nice view (Sunset View). There are several ways to customize your hike and you can combine or shorten your trail - I would suggest grabbing a trail map at the visitors center. We ended up on going about 3 miles, and it had around 550 feet of elevation change. Dixon Cave with the Green River Bluff is another popular option.

Another solid option (Cedar Sink Trail) is located in a different area of the park, but it isn’t far from the visitor’s center or Diamond Caverns. It was a nice, quick hike that featured some impressive rock formations and sinkholes along with about a million butterflies. If you check this one out,, head straight at the fork for the easier way to tackle the stairs.

Details:

• Out & Back (Lollipop)

• About 1.5 miles roundtrip

• Around 200 ft of elevation gain

• Well-blazed, dirt, lots of stairs

• Coordinates: 37.32648 N, 86.16950 W

• Dogs are welcome

• No bathrooms, no trash
  

Riding across the Green River Ferry is a must while you’re in the park- it’s just so unique! I am surprised they are still offering this service - it was a really cool glimpse to the past. It’s completely free and worth taking a drive over. Please know they typically end service at 6, and if you get stuck on the other side, it would be a bit of a trip to return to the campground. The coordinates are 37.17943 N, 86.11221 W and it’s located (so appropriately) on Green River Ferry Rd.

We also took a hike near the ferry, but it was less impressive. You could make it a very short walk on the paved area if you just wanted a quick trail to check out that includes some history/education about the area (would make a good homeschool field trip!)

We found a really unique yoga class in a Himalayan salt cave for the kiddos in the nearby town of Bowling Green (check this). It’s man-made (inside a strip mall) but it was a really interesting experience. They claim a ton of health benefits for the salt cave, so we were definitely willing to try it! The kids loved playing in the salt/sand and the class was cute. As parents, we also only had to pay $10 each to hang in the cave during the class while it’s usually more expensive to chill in the cave. If you want to check out their schedule the site is behappybg.com

Our stop before before Diamond Caverns Thousand Trails was Natchez Trace - Review Here

And after this, we made a quick stop at Wilmington Thousand Trails and then home to Cleveland and the nearby Kenisee Lakes Thousand Trails. (link later!)