Less than 50 miles northwest of Nashville, Tennessee, you can hike trails, explore a cave, and see incredible prehistoric art dating back to the 14th century. Dunbar Cave State Park and Natural Area is located in Clarksville, a town near the Kentucky border known for artsy vibes, unique shops, and nature. While modern-day people visit to hike or picnic, this was a sacred place for the Mississippian people who lived in the area hundreds of years ago. They believed that the cave was not just a cave, but a portal to the underworld. Some of their art reflects this belief.
Dunbar Cave State Park has more than 3 miles of trails (PDF). All are family-friendly, ranging from 0.4 to 2.2 miles. The just-under-a-half-mile Resort Trail (which AllTrails calls Dunbar Cave Lake Trail) follows the edge of Swan Lake, where you can watch migrating waterfowl in winter, and enjoy a blast of cool air from the cave mouth in summer. What AllTrails dubs the Dunbar Cave Recovery Loop — officially a combination of the park’s Grassland Trail, Resort Trail, and Dunbar’s Path — is a forested 2.2-mile loop which ranks as moderate. It takes you along a lake where you might spot turtles, foxes, muskrats, turkeys, and deer. A shorter loop can be made by taking the Dunbar Cave Short Loop, which also starts near Swan Lake. It’s mostly shaded, with some rooty sections and the chance to glimpse pileated woodpeckers. The park website has free guides to local wildflowers, plants, and birds available for download, with more coming soon.
Tour Dunbar Cave — physically or virtually
Dunbar Cave State Park offers tours seasonally from May through September. On the one-hour Enter the Underworld tour, visitors see a section of the large cave focusing on indigenous people’s connection with the cavern. Because this is a sacred place, photography is not allowed. You’ll need a flashlight and shoes with good tread. Expect occasional crouching and slippery surfaces. Some Tripadvisor reviewers were disappointed that the tour wasn’t longer, and also warned that it’s not for the mobility-impaired. Children must be five or older. Tickets cost $18 for ages 13 and up, and $13 for kids 5 to 12. A couple of more rugged tours are also available.
In 2025, historic flooding damaged the cave and closed it for the season. At the time of writing, it’s expected to reopen in 2026, but check on the current status before driving out there. It’s a good idea to reserve your ticket in advance anyway, because sometimes the tours sell out…