Adventures in
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Alum Cave Trail to Mount LeConte is one of the most challenging and rewarding trails in the National Park. The multitude of interesting sites and challenge of the ascent is sure to amaze even experienced hikers.
Mount LeConte is arguably the most famous mountain in Great Smoky Mountains National Park despite being the 3rd highest. The summit can be reached by five trails, none more famous than the Alum Cave Trail on U.S. 441.
This is one of the most popular trails in the national park, so it is advised to arrive early no matter what time of year. We arrived at 6:45 along with a host of other hikers eager to begin the climb. Fortunately, we were spaced out quite a bit and it felt like we had the trail all to ourselves. It wasn’t until the last mile-ish that we started encountering overnight guests on their descent.
The Alum Cave Trail meanders along Alum Cave Creek and Styx Branch, passing beneath Arch Rock, the first notable landmark.
After leaving the branch the trail climbs to Inspiration Point with spectacular views of Chimney Tops and the peaks around Newfound Gap.
Not far beyond the point are the Alum Cave Bluffs, the turnaround for many hikers. The bluffs range from 60-80 feet high, extend over 500 feet long, and completely cover the trail. In the winter the water runoff can turn into huge icicles, so watch your head.
We continued from the bluffs for the additional 2.7 miles to the summit. The steady climb never gets too steep, and the views gradually pick up as you get close to the top.
The trail leading up to Mount LeConte has so many interesting features. Hiking along the steep mountain side requiring cables to hang on, the flowers along the way and the views.
When we reached LeConte Lodge we stopped for a minute or two, taking in the breathtaking scenery, admiring the abundance of flowers and watching a deer munch in the wildflower field.
Mount. LeConte is a huge mountain and has multiple peaks and trails. We continued straight heading towards Myrtle Point, the furthest peak from the lodge.
Myrtle Point has the best views and we were lucky enough to arrive in time to snap a few pics before the clouds and “smoke” moved in and swallowed up the views.
Heading over to Cliff Top Trail, we were fortunate to watch two deer foraging and cross the trail in front of us.
In the short time it took us to take the 0.2 miles to the point, the view was almost entirely lost to the “smoke”.
We then headed to the lodge to eat our lunch goodies and visit the gift shop. By this time, many other day-hikers had arrived and the area was abuzz with excitement. Those just arriving weren’t lucky enough to see the view as we were completely socked it at this point.
After about 3 hours exploring the top of the mountain, the quaint cabins, dining hall and grounds with the abundant flowers, we began our descent.
Misty smoke engulfed us as we began the hike down the mountain.
Although this is an extremely popular hike, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment reaching the summit. It is a remarkable mountain on the bucket list for hikers all over the Southeast. To reward our accomplishment, we purchased a t-shirt and hat at the gift shop as a constant reminder of our adventure.
AllTrails lists this as a 10.9 mile hike; however, when you add in Myrtle Point and the little side jaunt to Cliff Top, we clocked 15 miles on my Fitbit GPS. It was a long but rewarding day.
We give this excursion a ……..
Dream Big, Travel Far, Live Well…
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