Hiking Mt. LeConte via the Alum Cave Trail
Ever since I was old enough to know about National Parks, I’ve heard that Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a must-visit. It’s perennially the most visited park in the system and my friend Scott Hotaling certainly takes some great pictures there. It wasn’t until April Fools Day of 2017 that I made it to the Park myself and learned exactly how true that was.
On a beautiful Saturday, two friends and I hiked Mt. LeConte via the Alum Cave Trail. This is hardly a rare accomplishment — in fact, summiting LeConte via this trail is considered the “classic” Smokies hike. Despite the crowds and ensuing annoyances (yes, please scratch your name into the rocks on the side of the trail. Other people who aren’t you definitely care you were there) this was one of my all time favorite hikes.
To me, National Parks have always been about access. The NPS is an entire government organization funded and operated to allow us to enjoy our lands. It’s one of the few government organizations that tangibly makes our lives better, even for those who may never set foot in a park. They allow millions of people who might never otherwise get out into the woods to easily enjoy nature and the vast national resources of our country. It’s a wonderful thing and the Alum Cave Trail and Great Smokies National Park are a perfect example of this.
The first 1.3 miles of the trail follow Alum Cave Creek, a beautiful stream splashing down the rocks from the mountains above. At 1.3 miles, the trail crosses the creek and spirals up through Arch Rock, an impressive tunnel through a giant rock. The stone steps and cable railings are a harbinger of what’s to come.
Past Arch Rock, the trail begins to climb more steeply through the forest along the Styx Branch. The terrain here gets rockier and more exposed. After any recent rain, or during a wet spring, expect the rocks to be slippery and treacherous.
As the trail climbs up, the trees get smaller and the viewpoints more frequent. Two miles from the trailhead is a popular bluff not-so-subtly called Inspiration Point. Past this point, the trail begins to get even steeper as it switchbacks up the side of the mountain to Alum Cave itself.
2.2 miles and just shy of 900 feet above the trailhead, Alum Cave isn’t actually a cave but rather a deep depression in the rock face. The whole base of the Cave area was under a constant sprinkle of water falling over the edge above.
This is a popular turnaround point for many hikers but in my opinion the best part of the trail lies above Alum Cave.
The next 2+ miles of the trail were some of the best hiking of my life. The trail continues climbing, wrapping around Peregrine Peak and skirting the edge of several rock bluffs.
The stone steps and cable railings reappear and this section of the trail was also slippery and damp. The trail was challenging but exciting, with continuous views stretching miles across the mountains and unreliable footing.
At 5 miles and ~6300 feet the trail curves around the base of Cliff Tops and the trees start to get really short. In early April, this section of trail and all of the surrounding trees were absolutely covered in brilliant green moss. The effect was stunning.
At 5.4 miles the Alum Cave Trail meets the Boulevard Trail at the LeConte Lodge. I was reasonably put off by the lodge as it was filled with very loud people and the food and drinks were quite expensive. The best bet is to keep pushing past the lodge and the nearby shelter and head up the Boulevard Trail to the summit of Mt. LeConte.
The actual summit itself is socked in by trees, with only a large cairn demarcating the top. However, the trail to the summit runs along an open ridge with some of the best views of the hike. I’d love to come back to this area and stay for sunset or sunrise.
After tagging the summit (6.2 miles on my GPS), we turned around and retraced our steps to the Alum Cave Trail and the parking lot. The trail was perhaps even more striking on the trip down as we were facing outwards towards more of the open viewpoints.
Passing down the rock sections unscathed, we scooted past Alum Cave and descended to Arch Rock. I’d spotted several interesting waterfall sections on the hike up and, with the sun dipping behind the ridge to the west, these falls were shielded from the glare. Waterfall hiking is some of my favorite hiking and I had a blast splashing along Alum Creek all the way back to the car.
The final tally was 12.0 miles and 2879 feet of elevation climbed — a solid day in the woods. I’m definitely hoping to return to the Smokies soon!
I’m an adventure photographer from Cape Cod, MA. You can find more of my work on my website or Instagram and buy prints at my Print Shop or Etsy shop.
