 Good Morning, It’s the final day in May and basically the unofficial start of summer. Several schools in the southern states have already released their students for the next few months, and over the coming weeks the northern states will follow suit. That means visitor traffic to the Smokies will steadily increase with families taking their vacations to the mountains. Count on more congestion in and around the park during the week and not just on Saturdays going forward. Today is starting off under unabated sunshine and blue skies. Save for some clouds and a slight chance of a passing rain shower this afternoon, we’re looking at a delightful Tuesday on the mountain. Air movement will be relatively calm, and temps delightful ranging from the 50s to 60s. Going to be a great day for gallivanting through the woods, soaking up views, and admiring the flowers. Have a great day. 
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 Good Morning, Today we join the nation in paying tribute to the fallen, those brave men and women who gave their lives in service of our country so that we may prosper in freedom. We also extend our hearts and gratitude to their families in this day of remembrance. Our reservations office will be closed today in observation of Memorial Day and will reopen this Tuesday at normal hours. The mountain is looking at another day of delightful weather. The slight rain chances that were once predicted for this afternoon have been removed, so travelers should count on plentiful sunshine with only occasional clouds today. Temps will also be enjoyable as the lodge could reach the upper 60s this afternoon. The air will be breezy though with gusts of 30mph possible. Expect plenty of vehicular and foot traffic in and around the park again today as we close out the holiday weekend under such sunny conditions. Have a great day.   Good Morning, The clouds never seemed to want to let go of the mountains yesterday, but we’re optimistic that today will bring a much preferred dose of steady sunshine. Although conditions will be breezy, gusting up to 25mph at times, temps should finally get a tad warmer too and see us reach the 60s this afternoon. The forecast for Memorial Day looks very cut and paste although there is a slight chance for stormy action in the afternoon. Anticipate a lot of traffic on trail today with folks getting out to enjoy the superb holiday weekend weather. Have a great day.   Good Morning, Yesterday was a consistent dose of clouds, cold, and mist, but it seems we’re finally about to kick this lengthy string of wet weather to the curb. Clouds will linger to start this weekend, but by tonight skies should clear and offer up a delightful Sunday for outdoor exploration. Memorial Day should also be decent with only a slight chance of storms later in the day. Temps will begin on the cool side today but the sun should help us reach the upper 50s and return to the 60s tomorrow. Water was still running plenty high in all the creeks yesterday, but they should continue to drop with each passing hour. Some parts of the trails could still be squishy though after all that precip. The Catawba Rhododendron are in peak bloom at Inspiration Point, with the Mountain Laurel budding and Myrtle soon to be on its way out. These next several weeks will slowly see the wave of bright colors make their annual climb up the slopes, along with all that thickening green. Expect plenty of traffic congestion in the park and gateway communities this holiday weekend. Safe travels and have a great day.   Good Morning,
What a nice treat to wake up to sunny skies and vivid colors on the horizon for a change. Although this reprieve from the rain is expected to be short lived, as the clouds are already building this morning with increased chances for storms this afternoon and evening. Yesterday produced another deluge of liquid precip, dropping nearly 3.5” and bringing our total accumulation over the last 5 days to about 10” (!!!). That’s a lot of water. Temps continue to hover in the 40s and 50s, and the winds are light now that the advisory has since expired. Creeks and rivers will continue to rise high today until all that volume runs its way out of the park, so use caution on any unbridged crossings today. Saturday should start a little cloudy and wet, but it won’t take long for conditions to improve for a sunshine filled holiday weekend. Have a great day. Good Morning, Grab the oars, don the slickers, and steady the sails, because it’s going to be rough seas today! Wait a second, all this week’s precipitation has us forgetting we’re on a mountain top and not riding turbulent waves in a maelstrom. During the night, the winds ramped up and continuous rain bands have been lashing the lodge, already dropping 1.5” on us. We’ll be under a Flood Watch now through noon Friday, as the ground is thoroughly saturated from all of this week’s rains. There is also a Wind Advisory in effect now until 2:00 AM tomorrow, calling for gusts of 55mph at times. We’ve been feeling every bit of the above since midnight. Temps will be in the upper 40s and lower 50s today. Guests with reservations are wise to hit the trail as early as possible today and make haste before the winds get stronger and the rains afford creeks the chance to rise. Day hikers…the weekend forecast looks much better for exploring the outdoors. All roads accessing the mountain’s trailheads are open currently. Be safe, stay dry, and have a great day.   Good Morning,
Here we are, already more than a quarter of the way through the 2022 season and kicking off the final full week of May. Yesterday turned out to be a superbly sunny day on the mountain. The fog that blanketed the lowlands never rose up and allowed us to enjoy grand views of a cloud sea all day. It wasn’t until sunset that the first rain showers and rumbles of thunder finally bubbled up from the south and found us. The winds have since picked up and the summit has been in and out of the clouds with occasional passing sprinkles. Today’s forecast is saying mostly cloudy skies under breezy conditions, with gusts of 35mph at times. The higher rain chances will occur late this afternoon. Temps will shift between the 50s and lower 60s. Looks like the strongest chances for storms will happen tomorrow and Friday before fizzling out this weekend. Waterproof shells and windbreakers are all good items to pack over these coming days. Have a great day.  Good Morning,
Well yesterday’s steady rain certainly turned out to be a toad strangler. Over the last 36 hours, the mountain has received nearly 5” of liquid precip. Every ditch and drainage around camp was raging with running water flowing down from High Top and Cliff Tops. Expect trails to be plenty wet today and unbridged creek crossings to be riding higher than average. Temps are expected to hang around the 50s once again, and winds should be light. Not to rub it in to the fogged in folks below, but the lodge is actually between cloud layers and enjoying a decent sunrise with plenty of blue patches overhead. But by this afternoon, skies are forecast to cloud back up and the rain chances will return. So continue to come prepared for stormy conditions, whether trekking up or down. Have a great day.  Good Morning, It’s gonna be a soaking wet mountain top now straight the through the entire week it appears. The storms and rainfall began yesterday afternoon and haven’t really quit since. As of early this morning we had already recorded over 2” of rain, and several more inches are expected over the coming days. That means trails will be a slog from top to bottom, and unbridged creek crossings will continue to run higher and higher as time moves along. Probably best to avoid a trail like Rainbow Falls where the upper crossings of LeConte Creek pose a hazard. Temps are hovering around 50° for the moment and aren’t expected to stray much. Winds will be present and variable. In exciting news, the stars have aligned for us to resume serving meals “family style” to our overnight guests in the Dining Hall again. Both guests and crew have been looking forward to returning to one of the great lodge traditions and experiences, and those folks staying with us last night helped bring it back in style. There are no other changes to our other visitor services, specifically for day hikers, at this time. This latest information and more can all be viewed on our official website. Stay dry out there and have a safe hike this week if a trip to the mountain is in your plans.   Good Morning,
After a toasty Friday that saw us surpass the 70° mark for the first time in 2022, conditions up top will turn slightly cooler and a bit stormy this weekend. The summit is just beneath the clouds under a mostly overcast sky this morning, with the threat of rain and thunderstorms this afternoon. Temps will still feel great between the 50s-60s. Winds could gust up around 25mph at times. Sunday and Monday are looking much wetter, with the majority of those days calling for steady rain showers. So best to hit the trail early today if you want to beat the souring weather, and come ready for a wet weekend in terms of gear. Have a great day. |
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 2023
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