Gatlinburg, TN

[iheartpeterpan]

Can't resist asking, iheartpeterpan, are you from the Smoky Mtn. general area? We love it as much as you seem to, have camped in Elkmont too many years to say, and have done all the things you mentioned plus some of the longer hikes. We would love to go up to Mt. Le Conte, but having to make reservations so far in advance, it would be our luck it would be socked in with fog, cold as could be, or storming buckets That happened to us on the Chimney's trail - all the way to the top (now that's strenuous ) then the worst thunderstorm of all hit and was with us all the way down - drowned scared rats we were . OP, sorry to sort of hijack your thread Next to Disney, the GSM's are our passion Ressies there in June, ressies at Disney in April

Hey sorry I didn't answer this last month, I just saw it. I am from Middle TN and have gone to the mountains multiple trips per year (almost 100% camping) since I was a small girl. I also got both my undergrad and my masters at UTK so I spent 7 years living in Knoxville and spent hundreds of days in the national park during that time. I've done LeConte several times, some with year-ahead plans calling in on Oct 1, and some with cancellations. I'll just call up there at the beginning of the week and see if they've had anyone bag their trip, and you can hop in that way. I am close enough to leave home and be at the Alum Bluff trailhead in about 3.5 hours, so I can drive up and do the hike in a day, then drive home the next. If you are a camper and love that area, LeConte is not to be missed! I've taken all of my kids up there, and some of their friends - my youngest hiked it the first time at 4! Love the mountains (more than Disney!)

 

[iheartpeterpan]

Oh and by the way... don't let the threat of rain/storms stop you from trying LeConte! Once I took my 2 teenaged boys and my daughter up (by myself yeah I'm nuts) and it was just dumping rain, thundering when we took off. But I paid for it so I was determined to go. We actually hiked THROUGH the storm and out of it, it was so cool, you could hear the rain and the thunder underneath you. Here are a couple of shots I took from the summit that evening during sunset, you can still see the storm rolling underneath!