At over 6,500 ft., Mt. LeConte is the second highest peak in the Smokies. The lodge at Mt. LeConte, pre-dates the National Park. Mt. LeConte lodge was instrumental in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park as it was the place dignitaries were taken to see the beauty of the area.
One can access the lodge only by foot. Many trails lead up to the lodge. We hiked the Alum Bluff trail up. It is 5.5 miles of strenuous hiking. But it is some of the most beautiful scenery we have every seen. I have never, until this hike, looked DOWN on mountain tops.
The lodge and cabins are very rustic. Lighting is by kerosene lamps. There is no running water in your cabins. You can go to the lodge and get hot water and tote it back to your cabin via a bucket.
The lodge has supplies dropped around 30 times a season via helicopter. Pack llamas carry supplies up as well on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. We were lucky enough to get to see the llamas.
Included in you overnight stay is dinner and breakfast in the lodge dinning hall. We were very surprised and the quality of the meals provided. The lodge staff does an outstanding job. We had a wonderful experience here and recommend this to everyone.
Some great virtual geocaches are around the trails as well.
2 comments:
FINALLY!! I have been obsessively checking here for pics. They look amazing- another adventure to add to the list of "things to do when the kids get big enough to carry their own supplies."
Awesome pictures and the weather must have been great. I especially like the shot of Laura holding the cable and looking off across the mountains-beautifully framed. Now we need to get together and compare ntes.
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