Hiking to Mt. LeConte Lodge

Years ago when my children were smaller we took a few trips to Mt. LeConte Lodge for an overnight. My oldest daughter just turned 39 and it was her wish to go back and stay with her kids. So last weekend that is what we did. 

Mt. LeConte is a mountain located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is the third highest peak in the park at 6,593 feet. The LeConte Lodge sits near the peak and contains primitive cabins, a dining lodge and office. Dinner and breakfast are served to all guests staying overnight in one of the cabins as well as hot chocolate or lemonade in the afternoon on arrival. Single cabins hold 4-5 persons with a double bunk and some with an additional twin bed. There are a few larger cabins with multiple bunk rooms that hold up to 13. There is no running water, bathrooms or even electricity in the cabins. There is an oil lamp, gas heater and a bucket and wash basin for your use. Hot water is available near the kitchen and drinking water near the office. There are flush toilets for guest's use. Day hikers have access to the pit toilets only. 

Sounds very picturesque and I'm sure some of you are thinking this sounds nice for an overnight and wondering how to get there. That's the hard part. The Lodge is only reachable by foot. There are no roads leading there. Several trails are available to take ranging from 5 to 9.1 miles and 2,700 to 4,600 feet up. Some trails have a small amount of downhill but you have to hike up to get there. 

Now, I'm a good walker. I could walk all day on flat land or even with a gentle rise and fall in the trail. But this about did me in this year. I was not nearly in as good a shape as I needed to be to tackle the ascent but I did make it without having to send for a ranger. The last mile or so was definitely beyond difficult. Having arrived I was happy to find the rocking chair on the porch of our cabin and sit. Thankfully, the kids were only too happy to fetch the lemonade or hot chocolate for me. 

When we visited here 25+ years ago we went to the dining hall for meals and met fellow hikers and had a wonderful time. This year was different due to Covid 19 restrictions. The meals were brought to our cabin which seemed like a lot of problems for the staff but they didn't seem to mind. The food was delicious after hiking all day (it took me just over 6 hours to get there). Roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, fried apples and a chocolate chip cookie bar is always on the menu. On check-in you can opt for wine with your meal. It's all you can drink for one price. In the morning it was pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage and grits. Coffee was available before breakfast was served. 

When you're tired you generally have no problem sleeping and it worked for me this trip. My bed was comfortable and the cabin was warm despite the cooler temps on top of the mountain (low 50s). It was very cozy with clean sheets and wool blankets. They warned us that mice could get into the rooms and to hang or store any food appropriately. I did wake to some plastic rustling in the middle of the night. Whether that was a mouse or just the kids up late and snacking I'll never know but I didn't lose any sleep over it. 

As we tucked ourselves in for the night it had begun to drizzle. The Smoky Mountains is a rain forest and Mt. LeConte has an average rainfall of 85 inches per year. This year they have already recorded over 76 inches. The rain pattered on the roof off and on all night and continued into the morning. We were advised to take a different trail down due to the amount of rain that had fallen overnight. The trails were similar in distance and elevation so we took their advice. 

With ponchos on we started our descent. My husband had texted saying "It's all downhill from there". That may sound like a good thing but really it's not. Continuous downhill hiking is so hard on the joints that I question if it wasn't more difficult than the uphill. Hard to say but it wasn't any easier and once again I found myself pushing to finish on weak legs and painful joints. We descended only a little faster finishing at about 5 hours. The rain stopped after about an hour on the trail but the fog had set in and there were not many views on the way down as we had seen hiking up. But I made it back to the car without being carried out on a stretcher so that's something. 

You might be wondering, "Why would anyone want to do that?" I can't answer that simply because there are so many reasons. The beauty of the trails, the physical challenge, time with my daughter and grandkids away from video games and other conflicts, love of the mountains - all seemed good reasons to me. Despite how difficult it was for me this trip I'm so overjoyed to have made this trip at least one more time. My only regret is that I didn't prepare myself for the strenuous hiking that had to be done. When I last made this trip 25 years ago it didn't seem that hard so I didn't worry too much. I had been walking at home and felt comfortable with a 6-7 mile distance. I found out quick enough that 25 years has taken some toll on my abilities. Would I try it again? Definitely! But next time I would take a little easier trail and get myself in better shape before attempting it. 

As I mentioned there are several trails to the top of Mt. LeConte. One of the most popular is Alum Cave Trail which is 5 miles, 2,700 feet up and 100 feet down. Some parts of the trail are very steep. This is the shortest trail and one of the most used. We intended to take Trillium Gap Trail which is 6.7 miles, 3,300 feet up and 100 feet down. This is the trail used by the llamas which bring new supplies three times a week to the Lodge and is considered to have the most gradual ascent. We didn't read our directions well enough and stopped at the Rainbow Falls Trail instead. This trail is 6.7 miles, 3,900 feet up and 100 feet down. It is also a very popular trail but is noted to be one of the most strenuous. On our return we took the Bull Head Trail which is 6.9 miles, 4,000 feet up and 150 feet down. Both these trails can be accessed from the same parking lot. Other trails include the Boulevard Trail which is 8.1 miles with 2,700 feet up and 1,300 feet down and the Brushy Mountain Trail which is 9.1 miles, 4,600 feet up and 100 feet down. 

Overall this is a wonderful trip to take and I highly recommend it if you're a nature lover and your health allows. More information about the lodge and reservations can be made on their website: http://www.lecontelodge.com/reservations/

Typically if you have a reservation you are entitled to the same date year to year. A lottery for unused dates occurs sometime around the first of the year if you've never been before. You can also visit http://www.highonleconte.com/trail-guide.html for daily weather information and blog post as well as a trail guide.  

Happy Birthday!