Hiking Mt. Leconte In The Smoky Mountains

Over the years and many trips to The Great Smoky Mountains my wife and I kept talking about hiking to the top of Mt. Leconte. The second highest hikeable point in the Smokies at 6,593ft. As usual, it was never the right time. We weren’t ready mentally or physically. Mainly lots of excuses and procrastination. Fast forward to 2020 Covid-19 shut everything down. The isolation in the house for me wasn’t that bad, but I was itching to get on the trails.

Mothers Day weekend, the Smoky Mountains opened back up from the pandemic. So we took the 6 hour drive to Gatlinburg, where it seemed like a ghost town compared to what we were used to in previous years. We strapped up water and bars and hit part of the Appalachian Trail to Charlies Bunion. A fantastic 9.5 mile hike, but rather difficult for not hiking for a few months.

The trail was covered in ice and snow, even though it was May. While recovering in the hotel we talked about summiting Mt. Leconte, but the shortest trail ( Alum Cave Trail) to the top was still closed, and there was no way we had the energy to hike a 14-16 mile round trip on the other trails. After the Charlies Bunion trip I was confident we could make the trek to Mt. Leconte next trip down to the Smokies.

Fast forward a month later to Fathers day weekend. We knew this was the time. Bringing my daughter with me I knew would slow us down a bit, but to me it was worth it for her to experience the mental aspect of a tough hike to see what she can accomplish.

We were in Gatlinburg at our hotel packing our energy bars and water to get ready to summit Mt. Leconte. It was becoming more real that we were about to do something we have talked about doing for years. As we get to the trail head (Alum Cave Trail) it was already packed. We had to park on the sketchy side of the road about 50 yards from the parking lot. We gathered our bags, trekking poles, tied our shoes, and proceeded to the trail.

Once we got to the trail head I knew there was no turning back. The weather was perfect, its suppose to rain the following day so today was our day.

Starting the trail you follow a soothing stream for about a mile before you really start to climb some elevation. You’ll notice that you’re starting to climb once you cross the stream and follow stairs through a large rock cave. This is where the fun begins. Sharp rocks and thick roots give a tough beating on your feet. I cannot stress enough to have a good pair of hiking shoes and good socks while hiking this trail.

After the cave rock you will slowly climb up and up until finally you are at The Bluffs. A giant rock wall where many people are enjoying a snack or their lunch while watching birds and squirrels come and climb on your bags to get crumbs and take off running. If you stand still long enough they will get right beside your feet.

We stopped here for a small snack and water break. Knowing this is only the half way point and we still have 2.5 steep miles to go was a little unsettling, but we fueled up and proceeded back on the trail. We headed up slowly yet steadily, taking frequent breaks to catch our breaths and to avoid cramping.

During this leg of the hike there are so many outlooks that it makes you just want to stare off and forget the hard hike you are enduring. After more rock and roots under our feet we came to a promising flattened area. After heading down what seemed like a perfect trail along perfect aligned trees, we came to a junction. Only .1 miles to Mt. Leconte Lodge. We are almost there. We proceeded and walked even faster. With sore legs, we finally came to the lodge at the top of the mountain were there were restrooms and a spigot to refill your water. We felt like we just accomplished our mission, or so we thought.

After a brief 30 minutes of relaxing and eating more dry bars, drinking water and refilling our bottles, we realized we have another .7 miles to go to get the peak. Myrtle Point. This seemed to be the longest .7 miles I ever hiked. I just wanted to be there. I was tired and sore and was hungry, and not for another energy bar. We kept pushing and finally. WE MADE IT. We officially summited Mt. Leconte, and did what we wanted to do for years.

The views were just breathtaking. The skies were clear and you could see for miles. We sat around some more and our happiness was short lived, because now we had to come back down. The most dreaded part is always the hike down.

After a few minutes we decided it was time to head back. At the lodge we had seen a sign for the Cliff Tops. A .2 miles hike. On our way back down we decided we might as well do this trail too. We were already up here and we knew if we didn’t go we would be mad if it was better than Myrtle Point. This was the rockiest .2 miles I think I have ever hiked but, oh my, the view was just as good as Myrtle Point. After another brief sit down to rest our muscles, we decided this time it was the time to head back down.

On a high, the whole way down seemed like a breeze. After a few hours we finally arrived back at the car. The hike down is where we all had gotten blisters. Constant pressure on the toes digging into the front of your shoes is not comfortable at all. We threw all the gear in the car and got in. Sitting down in a seat with a backrest was the most comfortable feeling ever. Quickly, I noticed how sore I was getting, but it didn’t matter. We summited Mt. Leconte. Our muscles heal in a couple days but the memory will last forever.

What I would do different.

1. I would have brought better food options. Eating just bars quickly got boring and made me want to eat even less.

2. Extra Water Bottles. I would carry an extra bottle. One with water and the other with an electrolyte powder.

3. Compression. Not a huge deal, but I think adding compression to my legs would have helped a little more with cramping.

4. Shorter Breaks. Taking longer breaks made my muscles more stiff and hard to get moving again.

Other than that, I wouldn’t change much. I got to summit with my family and I wouldn’t change that for anything. I hope you enjoyed my story. If you ever get a chance to summit Mt. Leconte. Do not turn it down.