We’ve hiked Alum Cave twice and definitely recommend it for our guests who want to experience awesome views and a great workout.
Our first time was during Summer 2020. There were 3 adults and our 15-year-old niece. We arrived early to the trailhead so that the sun would rise about 15-20 minutes into the hike. If you’ve never hiked before sunrise, it‘s quite the experience. We set off early to catch the views, have cooler temps, and beat the summer hiking traffic. It was the summer of Covid, so we didn’t want to hike in our masks the whole way if we met a lot people along the trail. Starting early was a great idea- we were able to park in the parking lot, the views were awesome as the haze burned off the mountains, and we only met a handful of hikers on our way up. One hiker I'll never forget: she was an army vet with a prosthetic leg who had a goal to make it to LeConte Lodge no matter how long it took her. During one of our breaks, she told us about the Lodge and the Llama Train that brings supplies up to the Lodge three times a week (yes, llamas!).
Our 2nd time was August 2021 on Grant’s 40th birthday. The two of us headed down to our cabin for his birthday weekend and his goal was to hike past Alum Cave and up to Mt LeConte (abt an 11 mile hike round trip). I knew for weeks that he wanted to accomplish the hike, but I wasn’t sure I was in the physical shape to do it. I had done some research online, read people’s reviews of the hike, and decided I would try it. Worst case, I’d hike to Alum Cave and turn around while he continued. We started our hike early before sunrise, and by the time we made it to Alum Cave we were feeling great. So we continued on. The changing landscape and views helped me keep going. We met a number of hikers along the way: small groups of friends, parents with their teenage and college-aged children, and a few solo hikers. One hiker lost his brother to Covid the day before. He was supposed to hike the trail with him in the near future, so he brought his brother's photo with him and completed the hike in honor of him. We also met some hikers coming down from their overnight at the Lodge; their overnight backpacks and early trip down the trail made them easy to spot.
With a few stops to rest my legs, we eventually made it to LeConte Lodge. It was an awesome feeling! We spent some time looking around the Lodge, buying a LeConte t-shirt and hat (the only place you can get LeConte swag), and having lunch on rocking chairs before heading up to Cliff Tops for an even more incredible view. The extra 0.2 miles was worth it- there were panoramic views of the Smokies for miles. Since Grant wanted to walk around a bit more on the trails up there, I headed back to the Lodge to rest my legs. I found a bench outside of a cabin and struck up a conversation with a few overnighters who were sitting outside on their rocking chairs. For the past 7 years, they've met up at the Lodge to spend 2 nights together; they were over 60 years old and their extended family joined them this time with their grandson who was only 5 years old (!!!). They took Trillium Gap Trail up to the Lodge which is longer but less strenuous than Alum Cave; it's also the trail that the llamas take three times a week. As more hikers arrived at the Lodge, we heard it was a llama day and people started to gather to catch them arrive. We had already spent enough time up there and wanted to catch an early dinner, so we headed back down the mountain before we could see the llamas arrive.
We have plans to hike LeConte again with our kids once they are a little older. We also hope to spend one night at LeConte Lodge, but reservations are hard to get. Someday we will do it, and we will be sure to catch the llamas on their trek.
Check out these links for resources on the hikes:
Alum Cave:
Mt LeConte:
Mt LeConte via Alum Cave, August 2021:
Alum Cave, August 2020:
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