Alum Cave Trail
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| Alum Cave Trail | |
|---|---|
 The trailhead of the Alum Cave Trail |
|
| Length | 5.0 mi; 8.05 km |
| Location | Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, United States |
| Trailheads | Mount Le Conte, Tennessee (Trailhead near Walker Camp Prong off U.S. Highway 441) Terminus at junction with the Rainbow Falls Trail near the LeConte Lodge |
| Use | Hiking |
| Elevation Change | 2,700 ft; 823 m |
| Highest Point | Junction with the Rainbow Falls Trail |
| Lowest Point | Trailhead at Walker Camp Prong |
| Trail Difficulty | Moderately strenuous |
| Season | Spring to Fall |
| Sights | Arch Rock, Alum Cave Bluff, Great Smoky Mountains |
| Hazards | Ice (in winter), loose rocks |
The Alum Cave Trail (Also referred to as Alum Cave Bluff Trail) is an American hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in Sevier County, Tennessee. The trail ascends Mount Le Conte, the tallest [1] (and sixth highest) mountain east of the Mississippi River and contains many notable landmarks before merging into the Rainbow Falls Trail, near the summit. It is one of the most popular destinations for patrons of the national park.
Contents |
[edit] Vital information
- The Alum Cave Trail is the shortest and steepest of the five trails leading to the Le Conte masiff, which contains four separate peaks in all, the highest of which has an elevation of 6,593 feet. Due to its short length and beautiful scenery (it is often considered Le Conte's most scenic route) it is the most common footpath for hikers seeking to summit Le Conte.
- The trailhead is located inside of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, about 10 miles from the town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, off Newfound Gap Road (U.S. Highway 441)
[edit] Landmarks/overlooks
- Arch Rock
- Inspiration Point
- Eye of the Needle
- Alum Cave Bluff
- Little Duck Hawk Ridge
- Gracie's Pulpit
- Cliff Tops
- LeConte Lodge
- Dolly Parton Peaks
[edit] Trail synopsis
[edit] Trailhead to Arch Rock
The Alum Cave Trail begins its ascent at 3,830 feet by quickly crossing two streams: Walker Camp Prong and Alum Cave Creek, the latter of which flanks the trail for the first 1.3 miles of its length. This first leg of the trail leads the hiker through an old-growth forest, comprised largely of hemlock and yellow birch and is relatively easy, as the climb is gradual and the footpath is well-maintained due to its heavy traffic. The first notable landmark comes 1.3 miles into the hike at what is known as "Arch Rock", which is a large black slate rock that has, over millennia, come to create, as the name indicates, a large natural arch. Hikers maneuver easily through the cold, moist rock via stairs and steel cables which are placed at numerous points along the footpath.
[edit] Arch Rock to Alum Cave Bluff
As the hiker moves beyond Arch Rock, s/he will gradually hear the trail trade in the powerful company of Alum Cave Creek for the smaller Styx Branch, which accompanies the path for a short distance. Inspiration Point is the next landmark along this less trafficked, though still popular, arm of the trail. Upon this outcropping of rocks about 4,700 feet in elevation, a hiker can, on a clear day, get an unobscured view of the surrounding landscape, most notably Little Duck Hawk Ridge. Not far from Inspiration Point, the Eye of the Needle (a round, see-through hole cut into the side of Little Duck Hawk Ridge) can be seen to the left as the hiker continues along the now rocky trail. Just a short jaunt from there, at 2.2 miles, the hiker soon finds the ubiquitous orange clay of Alum Cave Bluff. The bluff sits at around 4950 feet in elevation [2], and reaches eighty feet in height. A danger in winter due to the massive icicles which often form and crash down onto the trail, and a shelter during the frequent rainstorms in these mountains, the bluffs are the final destination for most hikers along the trail which shares its namesake.
[edit] Alum Cave Bluff to the LeConte Lodge
Once the hiker reaches this final section of the trail (comprising over half of the path's total distance) most of his/her company has been left behind, leaving only hikers headed for Le Conte's pinnacle. The first half mile or so beyond the bluffs is the single steepest portion of the hike, and included in this section is Gracie's Pulpit. Named for the matron of the mountain, Gracie McNichol, who famously hiked the trail on her 92nd birthday (among very many other times), the pulpit marks the halfway point of the Alum Cave Bluff Trail. From here, when skies permit, the onlooker can get as clear a view as any other along the trail of the four peaks of Le Conte (West Point, Cliff Tops, High Top, and Myrtle Point). After Gracie's Pulpit the hiker enjoys a scenic, peaceful — if strenuous — hike through highland Appalachia toward the end of the trail, with many small water crossings and overlooks along the way. Once the hiker reaches the 6,000-foot plateau, s/he enters into what once was a beautiful Fraser Fir zone, but, due to the ravages of the balsam wooly adelgid and acid rain, now is dominated with dead Frasers. A prolific crop of healthy young Fraser firs grows in the place of the old dead ones in many areas, giving hope for the future of the species. And the area still does possess great beauty, with the fragrant smell of spruce and fir wafting through many of the trail's corridors. As the hiker reaches the terminus, and the Alum Cave Bluff Trail assimilates into the Rainbow Falls Trail, s/he will soon encounter the LeConte Lodge. The LeConte Lodge provides the only commercial lodging in the national park, as it operates about 10 rustic cabins with no electricity or appliances. The Lodge also operates an office which provides t-shirts and other merchandise for hikers and various amenities for guests of the lodge. For many, this signals the end of their journey, but the actual peaks of Le Conte all have separate trails a short distance from the lodge, with Cliff Tops (for sunsets) and Myrtle Point (for sunrises) each offering expansive panoramas of the mountains and valleys below.
