LeConte Lodge

Mount Le Conte stands 6,593 feet, making it the third highest peak in the park. From its base to its summit, it measures 5,301 feet—making it the mountain with the highest relief east of the Rockies. The mountaintop is accessible from several different trails, and consists of four subpeaks that hikers can ascend.

Hikers who summit Mount Le Conte are rewarded with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. And with a combination of planning and luck, they can stay at LeConte Lodge—the highest inn in the eastern U.S. Jack Huff, a mountaineer, first established as a tent camp in 1925, then built a log cabin on the site the following year. 

Visitors can stay in a lodge or log cabin, which sport bunk beds, kerosene lamps, and propane heat. Rustic but well-appointed, these accommodations make up for their minimalist creature comforts with their truly incredible setting. The lodge also has a dining hall where visitors can purchase food and other supplies that are packed in by llamas three times a week. 

The shortest hike to Mount Le Conte is the Alum Cave Trail, which begins at U.S. 441, the road through the park that connects Gatlinburg, Tennessee, with Cherokee, North Carolina. Alum Cave Trail is one of the park's most popular trails, for good reason. The trail rises 2.3 miles from the trailhead to Alum Cave, which is not a cave but an extended overhang beneath 80-foot cliffs. 

From there, the trail steepens and can be treacherous well into the spring. During a visit in late March, ice and snow still covered rocks near the top, and wintry precipitation rained down even on a day when temperatures reached 60 degrees Fahrenheit. By the time one reaches the top, rhododendrons and hardwoods have given way to red spruce that stretch over mossy forest floors.