 Sending word form the wet and windy summit, Rumbles of thunder, lashing rains, and whipping winds are all taking their turn at reminding the mountain’s denizens that spring is certainly here, and in these parts that often means turbulent weather. Sloppy conditions will be the official sendoff for March today and how we’ll welcome what’s sure to be a week full of April showers. Tuesday’s call for sunshine being the anticipated lone bright spot. As a wide band of severe storms cuts its way across the region, skies will continue to be choppy much of the day. At this time, there are no resulting road closures, nor have any new hazards been reported on our trails, so visitors can look forward to the usual access. Once this front finally pushes through tonight, we can expect a clearing of the air and a brief dip into cool near-freezing temps. Then on Tuesday a nice warming trend will begin that should carry through the week, with temps up top ranging from 40s to 60s. Just about everyday calls for some chance of wet weather this week, so have the protective rain gear in tow. Be mindful of one’s foot placement when it comes to mud and wet rock faces, as the trails don’t need ice to be slick under inadequate tread or careless stepping. Have a great end to the month and stay dry. 
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 March is going out with a roar. Windy, rainy, and gloomy is the mountain’s mood this Sunday. Scattered rain showers made their way in late yesterday afternoon and have been a nagging presence through the night. Just when you think it might be done, the next band moves in. It’s expected to be like this all day, with severe storms still on track for much of Monday. That means wet trails from top to bottom, so evaluate your gear selection for keeping you and your belongings dry these next 48 hours. For those folks staying overnight, today will make for a great opportunity to appreciate the mountain’s raw beauty from the trusty interiors of the Lodge. Perhaps sipping on some homemade hot chocolate, enjoying a fun board game with friends in the dining hall, or reading up on some interesting lodge history will be one’s calling today. Up here, we’re intimately familiar with making the most of a situation, come rain or shine. Seize and enjoy the day!   Howdy from the cloudy heights of Mt. LeConte, After a toasty Friday full of warmth and sunshine, the summit is starting off the weekend socked in. No views to be had from our elevation at the moment. Breezy conditions swooped in during the night and don’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. Although we aren’t expected to tag 60° again today, it should still feel somewhat mild up top in the mid 50s. The lack of sunshine and wind will likely make it feel cooler for some, especially after taking a break upon reaching the lodge. It’s going to be like this all day, with rain chances and severe storms rolling in late tonight. Sunday and Monday are looking to be rather sloppy but with continued mild temps, so if you aren’t tied to an overnight reservation and have hopes of scaling the mountain in the coming days while staying dry, today is your last good chance at doing so until next week. Otherwise, pack the ponchos! Again, have a Plan B trail in mind in case weather causes any unplanned road closures. Quick reminder that the one-way Roaring Fork Rd does not open to vehicles for another month yet, so anyone hoping to ascend via Trillium Gap Trail will have to endure the path’s entire 8.9 mile/4,000’ climb up from Cherokee Orchard. Have a great weekend.   Good Afternoon from High Above Tennessee,
The calendar must be lying, because for it to be this warm and it read March just seems out of place. Not that we aren’t enjoying all this sunshine and temps near 60°, which we’ll gladly take over the wind and cold any day. Hikers have also taken notice, flocking to the mountain in droves once again today. Conditions are dry and breezy, which still has the regional authorities concerned about wildfire threats. We are aware of several active fires throughout the Blue Ridge, whose smoke is certainly visible from Mt. LeConte’s numerous vantage points. Currently Sevier County’s fire danger is categorized as “very high.” Visitors need to be smart heading into the weekend before we witness any rainfall. Speaking of which, we have a nasty forecast upcoming. Saturday will start out much like today, but by tomorrow night severe storms will flare up and maintain their presence well through Monday. Winds and heavy rain have the potential to make trails quite messy the next few days. Pay close attention to the forecast, radar, and timing of any significant storm to best plan your treks up and down the mountain accordingly. And as always, have alternate plans in mind should the NPS deem it necessary to close certain roads due to hazardous conditions. Quick shout out to several recent Lodge employees who have embarked on an exciting 2025 Appalachian Trail thru hike. Sarah Buckberry (‘23-‘24) and Kade Dixon (‘22-‘24) kicked off their journeys yesterday, while Vanessa Gallo (‘23) and Antonio Herrera (‘23) set out a few weeks ago. Join us in wishing them all the best in their time on the transformational footpath!  Good morning from the mountain top, Wednesday saw a much busier summit, with visitor traffic more reminiscent of last season (think Black Friday every day!). And the constant cool breeze didn’t hold travelers back, as the sunny skies were enough to inspire the sudden surge. For many, the solution to fight back the chill was to simply load up on our ever-popular hoodies! Such a need should lessen these next couple days, as an early spring heat wave is going to send temps both high and low soaring. The lodge could enjoy 50s today and maybe 60s tomorrow before we step into a wet weekend. So one should anticipate a bustling national park while the sun is out and the heat is on! Aside from the usual gift shop items flying off the shelves, the season’s first visitors have taken a liking to our revamped snack offerings as well. Take our famous chocolate peanut butter oatmeal no bake cookie for example…now made entirely gluten free and yet still packing that some delicious punch that hikers crave. That means more people get to enjoy what so many others have raved about. And that’s just the start of what’s new and improved, but more on that later! Enjoy this first warm blast of spring.   A Tip of the Cap from the Top of the Hill, Well we’re now a legit 24 hours into the new season, which means our first full cycle of guests have come and gone. That also means our newest crewmembers have now gotten to experience what a typical work day on the mountain looks like. They’re quick studies, hard workers, and eager to get the daily drill down so that they can provide you with an awesome experience in the wilderness. The sun is shining in abundance today, which has drawn the hiking crowds out of hiding. Yesterday’s rain might have had something to do with that. It’s a bit breezy though, so even if the thermometer cracks the 50° mark this afternoon, there’s going to be a biting chill to the air regardless if basking in sun or shade. We have a slight chance for some rain showers this evening, but once we’re over that hump, a pleasant stretch of weather awaits us. That’s good news for spring breakers and weekend warriors alike who have a pilgrimage to Mt. LeConte circled on their calendar in the coming days. There’s a rocking chair with your name on it. So hike on up and give it a go!   Hip-Hip Hooray for Opening Day! The 2025 season is officially under way. After a rain-filled and cloudy start to the day, skies are slowly clearing and along with it come the first arriving guests. Already folks are eager to check out this year’s merchandise and meet the crew who will be serving up a one-of-a-kind rustic experience these next many months. They have put in some great work in prepping the lodge this past week and are excited to welcome countless overnight guests and day hikers back to this incomparable destination. Another nighttime round of wind and rain has come and gone. As conditions at our elevation improve in the coming hours, the forecast for much of the coming week looks stellar, save for only a slight chance of rain late Tuesday. Otherwise expect mild temps and sunny skies for the majority of this final week of March. By now you are aware that summer 2025 will mark the 100th anniversary of providing overnight guests meals and lodging atop Mt. LeConte. With that, there will be plenty of reminiscing and reflection this season on our favorite mountain’s history, as well as looking forward to the next 100 years of Tennessee’s most famous backcountry lodge. We are beyond excited to share with you visions for both the short and long term that will continue to attract generations old and new to this beloved place for ages to come. We’re ready for you, so hit the trails and happy hiking!   Good day from atop the Great Smokies, To say we’ve been busy in recent days would be an understatement. Even after a prompt and successful airlift resupply, every minute counts toward getting this most famous backcountry lodge up and running again. Our hard working crew has been diligently cozy-fying those cabins for the first night’s arrivals and stocking that superbly sought-after gift shop. The anticipation is palpable as we transition from the 100th Season of an overnight full-service experience atop Mt. LeConte (1925-2024) to celebrating the 100th Anniversary of doing the same (July 1925 - July 2025). And there’s plenty to be excited about when it comes to sustaining the Lodge for the next hundred years while attracting different generations to this timeless tradition. As our team puts the finishing touches on readying the Lodge, a reminder that we will resume providing visitor services on Monday at noon. Whether you’re a guest with an overnight reservation or a day hiker looking to grab a snack or some stylish swag, you’ll want to proceed to the Dining Hall after that time. Then beginning on Tuesday, those earliest of early-risers hoping to beat the crowds and make a quick purchase can do so in the morning. All visitor service hours are posted on our official website, as well as signage around camp. It’s been a pleasant final weekend of the winter off-season with another sunny and mild day on tap, but we have an interesting forecast for kickstarting opening week. GSMNP has reissued its park-wide burn ban, and a Red Flag Warning goes into effect from noon to 9:00 PM today due to the dry conditions and regional fire concerns. There is also a Wind Advisory from 4:00 PM tonight thru 4:00 AM tomorrow, calling for gusts upwards of 55mph. Thankfully temperatures should stay warm enough that any precip associated with the coming storm stays in liquid form and not fluffy white flakes. There is some lingering ice around the summit still so continue to tread carefully once you make it up here. Right now both US 441 (Newfound Gap Rd) and Cherokee Orchard Rd are open, but have a backup plan ready just in case hazardous conditions inspire temporary closures to your preferred route up the mountain. Enjoy the day and see you all soon!   Hello from the heavenly heights of Tennessee! Tuesday was marked by one achievement after another, as a full and frenzied day of flying saw the Lodge receive the entirety of its necessary pre-season provisions. The crew will now take time the rest of this week to clean, organize, and ready the Lodge for hosting guests. Although flying operations are complete, and visitors to the mountain will begin seeing more activity around the grounds, we are still closed and will not be providing services until noon Monday, March 24. As expected, yesterday’s warmup quickly saw what snow we received Sunday night melt away. So plenty of places around the Lodge and on trail will be wet and muddy until dry conditions persist, which doesn’t appear to be right away. We enjoyed an afternoon high in the 50s and overnight low in the 40s Tuesday, and we might even scrape 60° later today before the next round of rough weather rolls in. Skies will start out sunny today, with clouds gradually thickening as the hours pass and wind speeds increase. By late tonight, rain showers return and are expected to transition over to snow on Thursday. We could witness a new accumulation of a few powdery inches leading into the coming weekend. A Wind Advisory will be in effect from 11:00 AM today thru 8:00 AM Thursday, calling for gusts upwards of 65mph. And despite what precip the area received this past weekend and GSMNP’s lifting of the burn ban, another Red Flag Warning has been issued from noon until 11:00 PM today out of regional fire threat concerns. As we should all know by now, the above combination of increased hazard-posing conditions can spark temporary closures of roads or trails. So whatever plans you might have for spending time in the park the next couple days, have a second or third option in mind. Enjoy your day.   Good morning from the mountain, Despite spending the majority of our day above the clouds, line-of-sight was rarely a guarantee for us to be able to conduct much in the way of helicopter trips. Breezy conditions also posed some frequent challenges yesterday. So hopefully today, with clear skies expected from sunup to sundown, we’ll be able to make some significant gains in getting the Lodge stocked up for the coming season. Reminder that Lodge grounds are closed to the public so long as this process continues. With temps never getting above the freezing mark yesterday, the few inches of snow and ice we received basically stayed put. That will not be the case today, as a rather quick warming trend is on tap. This afternoon, the summit could reach the mid 50s. That means very wet and sloppy footing everywhere as the icy precip melts away. Wednesday is looking even warmer, albeit windier, before another round of storms makes its way through the Smokies. Enjoy these final days of winter!  |
LeConte LodgeWelcome to the official blog of LeConte Lodge. We hope you find the information provided here both helpful and enjoyable. Thank you for visiting the site, and we hope to see you on the mountain! Archives
April 2025
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