10 Reasons to Stay at the LeConte Lodge
Are you heading to the LeConte Lodge for the first time? Are you looking for your next glamping adventure? Read all about why a stay at the LeConte Lodge is about to hit the top of your bucket list.
This post contains affiliate links. As always, all photographs are copyrighted Reese Moore Photography unless otherwise stated and cannot be used without express permission.
Note: We wore actual hiking shoes (not the sneakers pictured) for our climb up to the LeConte Lodge, which I highly recommend, especially if you’re going during icy weather.
I love to travel, but my favorite experiences are the ones that leave their mark on my heart and soul.
You can find an overpriced craft cocktail and hip farm-to-table restaurant in virtually every town, but only at the LeConte Lodge can you snuggle up with your spouse in a rough-hewn bunk bed by the light of a kerosene lamp after a strenuous 7-mile hike.
That’s right, folks: I said kerosene lamp!
The Rainbow Falls Trail was encased in ice at the top of our hike.
Built in the mid-1920s by Paul Adams and Jack Huff, the LeConte Lodge actually predates the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in which it stands. A series of rustic, beautiful cabins rest high on top of Mount LeConte at 6,360 feet elevation, offering hikers sweeping views, hot meals, and rest after their strenuous hike up the mountain.
And while the flush toilets and propane heaters are a welcome and delightful modern addition, the lodge remains a throwback to that bygone era. LeConte Lodge is accessible to guests exclusively by trail. Supplies are brought to the lodge by helicopter each spring and by llamas throughout the season.
The trails range from 5-8 miles in length, supposedly, but that’s at odds with both our Apple devices and the AllTrails App, so we joke that they LeCount differently at LeConte.
So, how did I hear about the LeConte Lodge? Like many of my fellow travelers during our stay, I heard about this fabulous adventure destination by word of mouth. I described our stay at the Edisto River Treehouses to an acquaintance from Tennessee, and she immediately said, “Oh! If you enjoyed that, you’ll have to stay at the LeConte Lodge!”
We definitely faced some challenges during our trip (there may or may not have been a moment when I was clinging to fragile roots in the mountainside while crouched and balancing my full body weight on a giant icy patch where I was repeatedly shrieking, “This is not ok!”), but I would (and will) do it again in a heartbeat. I’ve secretly added the goal of taking every trail up to the LeConte Lodge to my personal bucket list.
10 Reasons to Stay at the LeConte Lodge
The hikes are amazing.
We took the Rainbow Falls Trail for our ascent, part of the Alum Cave Trail for fun during our rest day, and the Trillium Gap Trail back to our car because we were dying to see the llamas, who were on their way up.
Each trail has its own charms and challenges, and you’ll be blown away by the incredible views, diverse terrain, and waterfalls. Check them out thoroughly on the AllTrails App before you go, and don’t hesitate to call and discuss your planned route with the staff if you’re facing inclement weather during your hike. In retrospect, we never would have taken the Rainbow Falls Trail if we had known it most heavy ice accumulation.
Adventure dates are the best.
My husband and I have had a lot of fancy date nights, and not one of them holds a candle (or kerosene lamp) to our stay at LeConte Lodge. We trained together, made joint packing decisions, enjoyed a really challenging hike, experienced backpacking for the first time, and made countless memories in a truly unique place. This trip absolutely brought us closer, and it’s one of my favorite trips we’ve taken. (You also learn a lot about each other at about mile 6 in 50-degree rain on an icy, straight-uphill trail.)
You’ll feel like you’re staying in an enchanted forest at the LeConte Lodge.
The LeConte Lodge is glamping at its finest.
We’ve done a lot of glamping, and the cabins at LeConte Lodge get 5 rustic stars. The little cabins are cozy, heated, and private, and the beds are shockingly comfortable. Maybe it was because my entire body was sore from carrying a pack up almost 7 miles in the rain and ice, but I got better sleep in those queen bunk beds than I had at the Omni Grove Park Inn. Each cabin has its own porch as well, which is the perfect spot to read a book, watch the world go by, or mingle with your fellow travelers (which is what we did).
The LeConte Lodge has a fascinating history.
As we hauled our aching carcasses and enormous packs into the gift shop for check-in, we were blown away by the historic photos of Jack Huff carrying his mother up to see the LeConte Lodge in a literal wooden dining room chair strapped to his back. During your stay, take time to read about the history of the lodge and check out the photos in the gift store. (They provide a binder of information in each cabin.) You can’t help but look around you and wonder how the heck they got all those things all the way up to the top of LeConte. You may also enjoy this article on Smoky Mountain Source.
Expect tasty, hearty food at the LeConte Lodge.
The food is delicious.
I’ll admit that after our 10-day stint in Yellowstone National Park, which was fantastic, my expectations for the food at the LeConte Lodge were pretty low. Everyone at our table raved about every dish, from the soup starter and the cast-iron cornbread (baked as individual wedges) to the chicken and dumplings, and we stayed for two full days, so we ate a lot more meals at the LeConte Lodge than most people.
And there’s wine!
Hilariously, before our trip, more people asked us if there was wine at the LeConte Lodge than asked us if there was running water. (Yes to the wine, no to the water.) For a $14 upcharge, you can enjoy wine during the dinner service, and I highly recommend it. Everyone at our table was staying for two nights, and we all hopped on the wine train and lingered over our glasses, trading stories by lamplight.
Your fellow travelers are kindred spirits.
One of my favorite parts of our stay at LeConte Lodge was the people we met along the way. From the staff to the fellow travelers at our table, the LeConte Lodge draws kindred spirits. I suppose it takes a certain type of person to want to carry all their belongings up a mountain to a lodge that’s a step back in time, and they are absolutely my people. Our conversations and time together were so good for the soul.
Nothing compares to a sunrise on Mount LeConte with a mug of steaming hot coffee.
You can enjoy your coffee during a cliffside sunrise.
Because the LeConte Lodge is located pretty much at the summit of Mount LeConte, you’re within easy walking distance of sweeping sunrise and sunset vistas. And Lawd, are they breathtaking. Coffee and hot chocolate service opens about an hour before breakfast, and I highly recommend hustling to the dining hall with your mug in hand to grab coffee for your sunrise viewing. It beats the pants off every drive-through Starbucks, y’all.
The sunsets are amazing. (The night views can be even better.)
What’s better than a hearty post-hike dinner with your fellow travelers? Catching 180-degree views of a vibrant sunset from the cliffs after said dinner! The best viewing spots are a short walk from the dining hall, but you’ll want to bring a flashlight or headlamp to ensure safe footing on your way back down.
If Mount LeConte treats you to clear skies, take a moment to walk out on the deck by the gift store once the sun is completely down. You’ll be able to see city lights from Dollywood to Gatlinburg, and two of our new friends who were on their 79th hike up LeConte highly recommended staying over the 4th of July. Supposedly, you get panoramic views of fireworks shows across the region.
The llamas are ridiculously cute.
The rumors are true: the LeConte llamas are the cutest ones on the planet. Maybe I’m biased because of my deep appreciation of their hard work hauling the supplies and fresh laundry that made our stay so relaxing and comfortable, or maybe their jaunty little gait up the mountain is what sets them apart.
Either way, it’s worth timing your stay to catch the llamas during their rest at the LeConte Lodge (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early afternoons, we hear) or taking the Trillium Gap Trail in one direction. Keep in mind, though, that taking the Trillium Gap Trail to the Rainbow Falls parking lot will add additional mileage to your trip home.
11 Things I Wish I’d Known Before My First LeConte Lodge Experience
Let’s open this section with the frank admission that I’m not always the best at combing through the fine print on our travel experiences before diving head first into God-knows-what. (Remember that time I wound up in an early 1900s vapor cabinet?)
Just because I wasn’t aware of the items listed below doesn’t mean that information wasn’t readily available to me somewhere.
If you go in early March, be prepared for ice on the trail.
When we booked our stay back in October for the LeConte Lodge’s opening weekend, we were clearly made aware that it may still be very cold and that snow was a real possibility. Like a true native Floridian, it didn’t even occur to me that there may be thick slabs of ice covering the trails. The LeConte employees actually had to use pickaxes to clear the Trillium Gap Trail because the llamas refused to go any further up the day before our trek.
That being said, the ice didn’t stop any of us from making our way up the Rainbow Falls, Alum Cave, or Boulevard Trails to the LeConte Lodge, and man, did we all have stories to swap when we arrived! One woman told of having to hold onto the chain hand guide secured to a rock face on the Alum Cave Trail while edging across solid ice on her knees.
The parking lot for Trillium Gap was closed during our stay, so while none of us used it for our ascent, several of us did take it on the way down (and there was considerably less ice than on the Rainbow Falls Trail, which is supposedly often the iciest of the trails).
They sell YakTrax at the gift shop if you did not know there would be ice on the trails.
If, like me, you horrified your fellow hikers by having a shriek-filled panic attack while halfway across an icy patch because you were not literally or emotionally prepared for there to be ice on the trail, you’ll also be thrilled to know that they do sell YakTrax at the gift shop.
Note: Of all the people we met on our first night, probably about half used YakTrax during their hike up. We all did make it up safely thanks to high-quality hiking shoes and a cautious approach to the trail, but nearly everyone bought YakTrax for the hike down.
There is (usually) hot water for your sponge bath.
The pipes were in the process of unfreezing during our stay, but there is a hot water spigot to fill your bucket for your sponge bath.
LeConte Lodge offers filtered water from a pump for your hike down.
I knew we’d have access to water before our hike down, but I was impressed by the forceful pump of filtered water. I wasn’t sure if we’d be receiving limited bottles of water, and it was nice to have an ample supply of fresh drinking water.
You absolutely should stay for two nights if your schedule allows. (And they provide a sandwich for lunch if you do!)
We hands down recommend staying for two nights if you’re able. Not only does this give you an opportunity to soak up your surroundings and meet your fellow travelers, but the weather on Mount LeConte is notoriously variable and changes rapidly. I think we witnessed winter, spring, and summer during our stay. I would have been so sad if the majority of our trip was our icy trek up in 50-degree rain. Instead, we got to enjoy a beautiful, windy day on top of the mountain and a gloriously sunny hike down. I was also really grateful for the day of relative rest (we still somehow hiked 7 miles around the top of the mountain checking out the various trails) before hitting that long downhill.
You need to bring cash to tip the staff.
The staff works incredibly hard to provide this authentic, unique experience in the backcountry, and you need to pack some cash to tip them for the invaluable housekeeping, serving, and maintenance work.
The dinners are enormous, and your first meal after you reach the top will be the best food you’ve ever tasted.
The gift shop also offers some basic essentials.
You should plan to bring everything you need, but the LeConte Lodge gift shop also offers basic essentials like socks, pain relievers, and Pepto-Bismol.
The llamas go up on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
You can book a private or shared cabin at the LeConte Lodge.
The High On LeConte Blog is an amazing resource.
I do wish I’d made better use of the High On LeConte Blog as a resource before our trip. It’s an insider’s look at what’s going on at the top of the mountain in real-time.
There are, in fact, flush toilets.
Somehow we missed that there are modern flush toilets at the LeConte Lodge, and we were delighted by the roaring porcelain thrones.
10 Best Things I Packed for the LeConte Lodge
Osprey Backpack: Because you need your pack to be wildly comfortable as well as functional.
Wool Hiking Socks: Because not all socks are created equal.
Extra pair of comfy sneakers: Because you’ll be ready to kick those hiking boots off.
Camelbak: My pack actually came with a hydration system, but I cannot imagine carrying the extra weight of our metal water bottles.
Layers: The rumors are true that the weather changes quickly and without warning.
Bandaids: Because no one needs a blister on mile 3 of 6.
Snacks: Because no one wants a hangry hiker. Our favorite snacks were beef jerky and chocolate.
Warm Joggers: Once you cool down from your hike, you’ll want something warmer.
Travel-sized Products: Every ounce counts when you’re doing a 6.7-mile uphill in the rain.
iPhone: As a professional photographer, it was incredibly hard to leave my pro camera behind, but I am SO GLAD I didn’t bring it.
Have you been to the LeConte Lodge? Have you been to the LeConte Lodge 101 times? Leave your thoughts, tips, and favorite memories below for my next trip!
