[Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Oct 11, 2023]
For our only full day in the park, we wanted to do the best hike in the park, 5.5 miles one way to Mt LeConte. At 6,593 ft (2,010 m) it is the third highest peak in the national park. There are three other subpeaks above 6,000 ft (1,829 m) on the mountain, and we were going to reach them all: High Top, named so because it is the highest peak (6,593 ft), Cliff Tops (6,555 ft), and Myrtle Point (6,200). Of the 3 ways to get to Mt LeConte, this is the most popular, and parking fills up quickly, partly because some people spend the night at the lodge at the top. Knowing this, we wanted to get started early, even though the temps were going to be chilly in the low 30s. Luckily for us, there was no wind.
We left our budget hotel in Cherokee at 6:30 am. It only had continental breakfast, which came in handy because we picked up some muffins and fruit to have as snacks on the hike. For real breakfast, we went to Peter’s Waffles. After we loaded up on the healthy stuff, we did split a waffle with strawberries and whip cream – we had 11 miles after all!
As we entered the park through the Oconaluftee entrance, the one closest to Cherokee, we got an unexpected treat. The field just south of the visitor center was partly foggy and full of elk! It was just before sunrise, and a field of photographers had already parked on the side of the road, ready for the great photo opportunity that was about to happen. We stopped also and spent a little time taking photos and marveling at this amazing scene. It was totally unexpected, which made it all the more special! And now we knew why this park got its name – the fog really looked like smoke!
This meant, however, that we got to the trailhead a little later than anticipated, and had to park at a pullout up the road from the trailhead.
The first 1.4 miles were pretty easy. Streams and changing colors were all around and we couldn’t stop snapping photos, even though we were just beginning this hike.
Arch rock was pretty cool. Steps had been carved right through it. It was only our firsts set of stairs of probably 20 or so – I am not kidding!
Inspiration Point, about 2 miles in, was the first place where the forest opened up and we finally had some views. Oh, and more stairs.
The Alum Cave bluffs were nearby. The name is misleading, because it’s not actually a cave but a rock shelter. The cave-like overhanging is about 100 feet above the ground. It is so big that it’s quite difficult to photograph. This is about the half-way point to Mt LeConte, and many people stop here.
The next 2.7 miles to the top were definitely steep. Guess what, more stairs were involved.
Once we reached the lodge at Mt LeConte, we decided to keep going to the 3 subpeaks before coming back here for lunch. We passed High Top, which was unmarked. The views from there were actually not the best of the 3 peaks.
We continued on to Myrtle Point, which was supposed to have the best views. We were already pretty tired, so adding on this half a mile was not easy! But we passed a beautiful forest with moss all over the place, as well as the Mt LeConte Trail shelter, which were both beautiful.
Myrtle Point was worth the detour! There were only a handful of people there, too, because most people just stop at the lodge.
On the way back down towards it, we detoured to the Cliff Tops. Fog and winds had moved in, but we still had decent views.
Finally, we made it to the lodge. It was built in the 1920s by Jack Huff, a Gatlinburg mountaineer. Staying at the lodge, which is accessible via this trail only, is a bucket list experience for many people. It definitely makes the challenging trail easier to complete for families with kids and older people, who might find it hard to complete the hike in a single day. We loved seeing the cabins, but were disappointed that lodge dining was closed to non-lodge guests. I guess they didn’t have enough supplies for visitors. Both Lena and I were hoping for a hot beverage indoors, but we had to make do with an outdoor lunch at the picnic tables by the lodge.
We completed the hike in about 7 hours, and with the additions it was actually more than 13 miles round trip instead of 11. We were wiped out! We scrapped our plans to have dinner in Gatlinburg and stopped by the Oconaluftee visitor center, which was now open. We also needed sign photos!
Native Brews in Cherokee delivered a yummy dinner once again instead. What a fantastic day and what a beautiful hike!