 Good Morning, Skies are a mix of sun and clouds as we wake up to the last Wednesday in May. This should be the norm for today, although there is a slight chance for a light afternoon shower. Temps will be similar to yesterday, which felt great in the sunshine but still cool in the clouds, with a high near 60°. Overnight lows continue to hang out in the 40s. The greenery is getting thick in the lowlands now and just about filled in atop the Smokies’ highest peaks. And the colorful blooms of flowers and shrubs are creeping up the slopes as well. The famous Catawba Rhododendron that line Alum Cave Trail are really putting on a show at Inspiration Point now, and will keep appearing higher up over the coming weeks. Even the wildlife are sharing in the spring season’s sense of renewal, with junco nests up and down the mountain full of new hatchlings. Have a great day. 
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 Good Morning,
Some patchy fog at all elevations greets the early risers this Tuesday, but otherwise the skies are mostly open and the sun should help keep it that way. After some cooler temps across the south, recent precip, and a change in the winds, the air across the Smokies is significantly clearer than it had been this past week. Temps are going to start warming up gradually throughout the week, with the lodge looking to tap 60° this afternoon. The extended forecast will be more typical of one we’re quite familiar with during the summer time, with that slight chance of a pop-up rain shower or storm late in the day. So don’t be fooled by the early morning sunshine and forget to pack that rain jacket or umbrella. Have a great day.  Good Morning, It’s shaping up to be a beautiful Monday in the mountains. Some lingering clouds and fog should eventually break up and move out as the day progresses, giving way to bright sunshine and clearer skies. We’ll start out cool once again this morning, but the thermometer will begin its climb back toward more seasonably appropriate temps, hitting the mid 50s this afternoon. Tuesday should be decent early on with a slight chance for some stormy activity late in the day. Reminder that our reservations office is closed today in observance of Memorial Day and will resume accepting calls and e-mails tomorrow during normal business hours. The park is sure to be busy today with families still in town for the holiday weekend or kickstarting their summer vacations. If you aren’t attending a parade or ceremony today, but are opting to spend time in the wilderness, be sure and take a moment to remember the fallen. Paying tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, perhaps from a vantage point of Myrtle Point or at the base of Rainbow Falls, offers an opportunity to reflect. To those who gave all in service of our nation, and to those surviving families and fellow service members who lost a friend or loved one, we thank you. Have a great day.   Good Morning,
Cool and cloudy is the name of the game today with temps in the 40s. Even scraped the upper 30s recently which has surprised some folks eager to welcome summer on full time. Rain spilling over from the southeast arrived overnight and will continue to be a nagging presence much of today, although it might just be a mist the majority of the time. Rain possibilities are on deck for tomorrow as well but should decrease as we progress through Memorial Day. Trails will certainly have some slick and muddy spots. As we wrap up the month of May in the coming days, temps will return to their norm for this time of year in the mountains. Best to layer up in the meantime. Have a great day.  Good Morning,
It’s mostly overcast skies to kick off this final weekend of May. We’re looking at mostly cloudy conditions atop the mountain this morning with patchy glimpses of sunshine. Later this afternoon the storm chances ramp up and we anticipate seeing some rain overnight and into Sunday. Precip could even be heavy at times, so hopefully that doesn’t occur while anyone is out on trail. Between winds gusting up to 20mph at times, and temps hanging around the 40s, it’s going to feel quite cool for some compared to the onset of summer being felt below. Being a holiday weekend, it’s smart to assume that vehicular traffic in and around the park and its gateway communities will be busier than normal. Plan accordingly to have the most enjoyment and least frustration for your entire time here in the Smokies. Have a great day.  Good Morning, A mostly sunny day awaits us this Friday, although this streak of exceptionally hazy air continues to persist. If you stood at Cliff Tops and gazed toward Clingmans Dome and the Smokies’ crest, you wouldn’t know there were miles of mountains behind it and beyond. Much like yesterday, there is a wee chance of an afternoon rain shower, otherwise clouds will build and pass on by. Saturday and Sunday afternoons are showing the strongest possibilities for sloppy weather this holiday weekend. Anyone hoping to explore the mountain either day is encouraged to do so early, that way you can beat the crowds and any wet conditions while on trail. It’s also going to be substantially cooler at all elevations compared to what we’ve been enjoying. Temps up top for us might struggle to escape the 40s this weekend, and who knows, an overnight low might just slide into the 30s. Overnight guests would be wise to bring layers for staying dry and warm these next few days. Reminder that our reservations office will be closed on Monday in observance of Memorial Day. Anyone needing to make last minute inquiries or changes to an existing reservation should do so today during normal business hours. Otherwise we’ll resume answering the phones and emails come Tuesday. Have a great day.   Good Afternoon, It’s been a beautiful day on the mountain. We started out with open skies and bright sunshine, but as we get deeper into the day some clouds have decided to move in and thicken up. There is a super slim chance of atmospheric activity, but no one should be surprised if a random storm happens to appear overhead. As we look toward the holiday weekend, precip chances increase every day, with Sunday shaping up to be the climax of any turbulent weather. Temps are also expected to be cooler than usual for this time of year. Gateway communities down below might be lucky to even scrape 70° some days. Either way, we anticipate the Smokies to be full of campers and hikers clogging up roadways and footpaths. Come prepared for the heavier congestion and plan your routes/times accordingly. The NPS Trail Crews have completed their targeted works on Alum Cave Trail. It is now fully open to all visitor types from bottom to top. Anyone used to trekking this popular trail will appreciate the new grooved steps and erosion control tactics put in place. They will certainly make the journey easier in places that required a little extra “oomph” recently. Have a great rest of the day.   Good Morning, We’re expecting another dose of sunny skies today, although this haze of late seems to be sitting tight. Until we get ourselves a steady rain and some winds to clear the air, odds are high that the views across the Smokies will continue to be limited with sunshine veiled. Temps up top are going to be mild again today with highs only in the upper 50s. Beginning tomorrow we start to see slight chances for brief afternoon showers, but we’ll consider ourselves lucky if we catch a drip at this point. It also appears that conditions will be on the cool side for the holiday weekend. That will certainly make it suitable for hiking in the woods in the coming days, less so for those folks eager to get their boats out on the water for the first time. Flowers continue to bloom higher up the mountain, and what few plants put out leaves around the lodge, namely mountain ash and fire cherry, have started to do so. Have a great day.   Good Morning, We have another day of partly cloudy and substantially hazy skies ahead of us. It seemed like as the hours dragged on yesterday, it became more and more difficult to recognize the valley below and vice versa. This week’s forecast doesn’t call for much rain, at least not for the next several days, so it’s possible these dry and soupy conditions persist while obscuring any grand views. It may be getting noticeably humid down below as summer draws near, but it continues to feel delightful up top. We’ll be lucky to scrape close to 60° today with little to no wind action. Now through Thursday, the fine NPS Trail Crew will work to complete the trail rehab partway up Alum Cave. Overnight guests with reservations are permitted to travel the trail in it’s entirety to and from the lodge. Day hikers will need to utilize one of the mountain’s other paths to reach the summit until Friday. At that point we’ll be into the holiday weekend and fully expect that visitor traffic to the Smokies will ramp up significantly. Have a great day.   Good Morning, We’re well into the second half of May, with more than fourteen hours of daylight, and warmer temps are here to stay…summer time seems to be approaching quickly. Of course, the beginning of “tourist summer” is mere days away now, and we can expect the Smokies to become a much busier place as schools let out for the next few months. Should be a beautiful day in the mountains today, with mostly sunny skies expected from start to finish. Temps around the lodge will inch close to 60° this afternoon, with only light winds on occasion. Such conditions should make for some great gallivanting in the woods and soaking up the sights from our venerable vistas. Tomorrow looks promising as well with only a slight chance of showers late in the day. Reminder that trail maintenance along Alum Cave resumes tomorrow, with only overnight guests being permitted to pass above the bluffs. 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
June 2024
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