Mt. LeConte Hike in the Great Smoky Mountains: Complete Trail Guide
The challenging 11 mile hike to Mount LeConte offers stunning panoramic views of the Great Smoky Mountains and plenty to see along the way.
Known for the hazy patches of fog that give the park its name, an abundant black bear population, and lush green pine forests, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is a hiker’s heaven. With a plethora of incredible hikes and lovely campsites inside the park, the Smoky Mountains make for a perfect getaway for outdoor lovers. This guide will provide tips for camping and help you find the best hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Since its establishment in 1934, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park has become known for its rolling blue mountain ranges, great hiking trails, diversity of plant and animal life, and stunning waterfalls. In fact, there are over 17,000 different animal species found in the park, 150 hiking trails covering nearly 800 miles, over 100 waterfalls and 2000 miles of rivers and streams in the park. With so much natural beauty, its no wonder the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited national park in the United States!
The Great Smoky Mountain National Park straddles the border of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, making it easily accessible from many cities in the southern United States. The small resort town of Gatlinburg sits at the north-central entrance to the park in Tennessee, just across the North Carolina border, making it a good home base for exploring the Smokies.
The Great Smoky Mountains get their name from the layer of “smoke” that often appears hovering just above the mountains. The “smoke” is actually caused by the abundant plant population, in particular pine trees, in the park. In addition to oxygen, plants emit volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) which have a high vapor pressure, meaning they can turn to vapor at normal temperatures. These VOC’s are also responsible for the blue tint of the mountain, sometimes known as “blue smoke.”
There is no shortage of incredible hikes in the Smoky Mountains. Here are a few great options, ranging in difficulty from easy to challenging:
Looking to take a break from hiking? There are plenty of others fun things to do in the Smoky Mountains and surrounding area:
Situated just outside the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Gatlinburg is a small but busy city with a main street packed with restaurants, bars and wineries. Gatlinburg is a resort town, and it does feel more commercialized than we were expecting. If this isn’t your scene, opt to cook over the campfire (like we did!) instead of venturing into town for dinner.
To unwind after a long day of hiking, visit one (or a few) of Gatlinburg’s wineries. Fair warning: wine in Gatlinburg tends to be sweet, featuring Muscadines and fruity flavors like strawberry, blueberry, peach, and apple. The wine is delicious, but tastes more like cider and has you asking for a sharp headache in the morning. We recommend Sugarland Cellars. They had our favorite wines, the least sweet of the wines we tried in Gatlinburg, and offer free tastings!
The Smoky Mountain National Park is located just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It is doable as a weekend trip from many places in the southeast.
If you are flying, the easiest option is to fly into either Charlotte or Nashville.
For a perfect long weekend, combine a visit to the Smoky Mountains with a few days in Asheville, a quirky town in North Carolina that is conveniently located close to great hiking, including Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi. Asheville is under 2 hours from Gatlinburg and just over an hour from the southern edge of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
The park offers both frontcountry and backcountry camping options. Backcountry camping requires a permit and advanced reservations. For frontcountry camping, reservations are not required but are recommended to guarantee a spot, as the campsites tend to fill up.
There are 10 frontcountry campgrounds (meaning car camping, with amenities like restrooms and running water) in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park:
The reservation fee varies by location, ranging from $17 to $25 per night per campsite. The campgrounds are equipped with basic amenities, including restrooms, bear resistant dumpsters, and running water for rinsing dishes. At most campgrounds, each individual campsite has a private picnic bench and fire grate. Check-in time is at 1:00PM, and check-out time is at noon.
During our visit to the Smoky Mountains, we stayed at Cosby Campground. While it was beautiful, quiet, and clean, getting to the national park’s main entrance required driving through the center of Gatlinburg, which could add 20-30 minutes of sitting in traffic to a drive that was already 40 minutes without traffic. Therefore, we would recommend picking a campground that doesn’t require you to drive through the main street of Gatlinburg, such as Abrams Creek, Cades Cove, Deep Creek, Elkmont, or Smokemont, particularly during peak season and holiday weeks (note: we were in the Smoky Mountains for Labor Day weekend).
For the quickest drive to the trailheads for Charlies Bunion, Mount LeConte and Alum Cave, Smokemont and Elkmont are the best options, located between 20 and 30 minutes away. If you plan to hike Mount Cammerer, the trailhead is conveniently located inside Cosby Campground.
If you prefer backpacking over frontcountry camping, you have plenty of options as well. Reservations may be made at recreation.gov up to 30 days in advance of the start of your trip, for a fee of $4 per person per night (with a maximum cost of $20 per person). You may find more information on backcountry camping in the Smoky Mountains here.
If you aren’t interested in camping, you can stay in a hotel or Airbnb in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, located only a few minutes from the main entrance to the national park. If possible look for a place on the southwest side of the city, as there is only one main street through Gatlinburg to the national park from the northeast side, which can get very backed up and lead to long traffic delays.
Another option is to stay on the North Carolina side of the park in Bryson City, a small town known for its Smoky Mountain Train Museum and a perfect gateway to your adventures in the Smokies. You can even go “clamping” in a converted red caboose, like the one below!
The best weather for hiking the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is during the summer, late spring and early fall from April through October. During the winter, early spring and late fall, snowfall can cause trail and road closures. For incredible fall foliage, we recommend visiting in the fall, ideally late October or early November.
Planning a trip to the Smoky Mountains? You don’t want to miss these awesome hikes:
The challenging 11 mile hike to Mount LeConte offers stunning panoramic views of the Great Smoky Mountains and plenty to see along the way.
Charlies Bunion is an 8.5 mile moderate hike in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park that leads to a large rock formation with sweeping views of the Smoky Mountains
If you love the outdoors and are looking for a weekend getaway, the Smoky Mountains are a great option. With beautiful mountain scenery, abundant wildlife and hundreds of miles of trails, the Smoky Mountains are a hiker’s dream.
Have you been to the Great Smoky Mountains? What was your favorite hike? Let us know in the comments below.