Mount LeConte - 6,593 Feet Up

Did you know in the Great Smoky Mountains there is a set of cabins that you can stay in that are only accessible by hiking, helicopter and llama trains? And that these accommodations are the highest inn providing lodging in the Eastern US? Well, if you did or didn't, Mt LeConte is a pretty special place that I wanted to make sure I visited before the big 3-0. Being a native East Tennessean, I have known about Mt LeConte and its unique lodging, LeConte Lodge, since childhood but had never took the trek until August.

From Chattanooga, you're looking at a 3 hour drive. The hubs and I broke it up with a weekend stay in Knoxville where my mom, sister and brother in law also joined us for the hike. I couldn't have asked for a better group to pass 100 miles and to summit LeConte with.

When deciding how to get to the top of Mt LeConte, you actually have five choices: Alum Cave, Boulevard Trail, Bullhead Trail, Rainbow Falls and Trillium Gap. Here's info on all five. My crew and I took the Alum Cave Trail because I wanted to see the Arch Rock, Alum Cave and Bluff. And it's the shortest, albeit steepest, ascent up to the top. You could also be like these two whipper snappers and hike all five routes continuously in 19 hours equaling 39 miles of hiking. They were doing it to raise awareness for human trafficking. Kudos to them! Alum Cave Trail is undergoing some needed trail maintenance and is only open Friday-Sunday at the moment.

Back to LeConte Lodge, it's a collection of small cabins with a central dining hall. The Lodge is open March through November. Reservations for the 2017 season will open October 1st. If you want to read how to enter the lottery, here you go. It's $145 per person a night to stay with dinner and breakfast included. We did not stay at the Lodge, but we did enjoy the rocking chairs with a view of the property and the water refill station they allow all hikers to use.

How did the hike go you ask? With an early start on the trail, we ascended in roughly four hours. The heat thankfully was not much of an issue that day due to the elevation and being mostly on shaded trails. This was the first hike I have ever used a hiking pole, and I'm glad I did. I would recommend using one or two depending on your preference. There are some cables along the trail in particularly steep and slippery places for your use as well. We did see a sign of a bear (i.e. scat) but no actual bear sightings.

Round trip, we did 12.7 miles. Once you reach LeConte Lodge, there are a few spur trails (High Top and Cliff Tops) you'll want to take after you've had a moment to rest up in one of the rocking chairs on the porch of the main cabin and eat a snack. The side trails provide some great views. There is also a cold water pump at the lodge that all hikers can use to refill on water that doesn't require filtering and something that resembles a restroom that I did not utilize.

It only took use about three hours to descend, and we ate a bunch of Mexican food and drank cold margaritas to celebrate when we returned to civilization.

Alum Cave Trail to Mt LeConte is rated as a strenuous hike. Unfortunately, not everyone gets that memo. I saw a lot of unprepared folks attempting the trail (wrong shoes, no water). It is also one of the most popular trails in the park. If you're looking for a peaceful hike where you don't see anyone all day, this isn't the trail for you.

Overall, it was a great hike with some of the people I love most on this planet. What more could I ask for?