Zachary's pastel of the view from Mount Leconte! #art #artlesson #artclass #artstudioofthesmokies #homeschool #homeschoolart #afterschoolart #pastel #nupastel @redrockpsnv
Alum Cave Trail up Mount LeConte, in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
As I look forward to autumn, I'm thinking back on an awesome hike I did last fall up Mount LeConte. The trail went through a variety of terrains and geological features and the overlooks were absolutely stunning.
The trailhead is located between two parking lots along US-441, 20 miles across the North Carolina – Tennessee border. The parking lots can fill up really fast, and we planned to do the hike up and down in one day, so we arrived pretty early and hit the trail just after 8 AM. We were treated to a special sight on the way – a herd of elk grazing along the side of the road, wrapped in the early morning mist.
The trailhead started at a wooden bridge between the two parking areas, and the trail sign pointed out key points of interest along the trail including Arch Rock, Alum Cave Bluffs, and finally the top of Mount Leconte itself.
The first mile of the hike followed a gentle stream through a hardwood forest, which was beautiful and very peaceful first thing in the morning. After a while the trail meandered into the woods and and followed a slow but steady incline. At 1.4 miles we reached Arch Rock, a neat rock formation jutting out of the side of the mountain. The path steepened from this point on. At 2.0 miles was Inspiration Point, an aptly named rock outcropping. We climbed around for a few minutes and soaked in the first real mountain views of the hike.
At 2.3 miles we reached Alum Cave Bluffs, an 80-foot tall cliff face that hangs over the trail. Several people seemed to use this as their destination, and stopped to eat lunch before turning around and heading back to the trailhead. This is the halfway point in the hike up to the summit and the trail became much steeper and slightly more technical moving forward. The last half of the trail was littered with stunning overlooks. Many sections involved crossing over rocks, and there were usually wire railings to help.
The Alum Cave Trail technically ends at Mount LeConte Lodge, but we continued towards Myrtle point for a spectacular view. The trail entered the forest for a few minutes, passing backcountry campsites and shelters, then opened up onto the ridge which is follows for about half a mile. Jutting out from Mount LeConte, Myrtle Point has an almost 360 degree view of the surrounding Great Smoky Mountains. You really feel on top of the world – Mount LeConte is the third highest peak in the national park, behind Clingmans Dome and Mount Guyot. We sat on a rock to eat our lunch and soak in the views, well worth the 5.5 miles up.
On our way back from Myrtle Point towards LeConte Lodge, we hung a left and went up to High Top. There was a large group having a picnic on the rock so we didn’t stay long, but it is a good alternative if the additional 0.5 miles to Myrtle Point feels too far.
The descent was quite enjoyable, as we got to soak in a different viewpoint of the mountains than on the way up. 5 miles dragged on a bit, but the changing scenery and milestones along the way helped to pass the time. There were a LOT of people hiking up the mountain when we were heading down, so we had to slow down and stop often to let others pass by. Because this hike is rather long and is located rather far from Charlotte, we camped at Cosby Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Next time we visit we’re going to camp on the top of Mount Leconte. We saw a lot of groups setting up camp during our visit and we hear that watching sunrise from Myrtle Point can be amazing.
We loved this hike! The length was perfect, and traveling up and down in one day was a sufficient challenge but quite attainable. The geography along the way was very interesting, and we were consistently wowed by the views. In addition, the fall foliage was stunning. It did get pretty crowded as the day wore on, but we understand why so many people want to try out this hike. Can’t wait to return!
