 Good Morning,
It’s time to bid farewell to a hot and humid July. At least the transition into August will be a delightfully sunny one. Mostly clear and bright skies are expected today over the mountains. Temps at the lodge shouldn’t be scorching, only reaching the mid 60s by this afternoon. Some light winds swooping over the crest will make it feel just right for basking in the sunlight. Tuesday looks fairly cut and paste from today, and Wednesday should start out decent as well before a slight chance of afternoon storms enters into the equation. Enjoy this beautiful window of opportunity to explore the outdoors if you’re in the vicinity early this week. Have a great day.
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 Good Morning,
We have another sunny start lined up for this Sunday. Some big boomers of storms rolled through the region last night and helped cool things down a little bit. We won’t get as warm up top today, only in the mid 60s expected, but count on that humidity continuing to make the hike sticky. A mix of clouds and sun will be present over the Smokies early today, but by mid afternoon there are strong possibilities of storms returning. So everyone will want to take care of business early today, whether staying overnight with us and most definitely if just visiting on a day hike. Looking ahead to the coming week and the first few days of August, conditions look quite pleasant for spending time outdoors. Have a great day.  Good Morning,
Hot, humid, and hazy. Sounds like a typical summer day in the Smokies, and that’s what appears to be in store for visitors today. High temps at the lodge will reach the lower 70s which should feel quite pleasant to the heat and mugginess that’s been happening in the lowlands. Skies will be a mix of sun and clouds for much of the day. Late this afternoon and into the evening is when the greatest chance for any precip and turbulent weather could happen. The Coneflower continue to open up more and more around the lodge, while Turks Cap Lilies and Rugel’s Ragwort line the trails. Even the first purple gentian has appeared around Alum Cave’s Grassy Slide, although their grand display along with the Grass of Parnassus is still a couple weeks out yet. Have a great day.  Good Morning, Here we are, rolling into what is already the final weekend of July. Seems like just yesterday we were all watching fireworks in the valley below from the back porch while celebrating Independence Day. The heat wave the region is experiencing will carry into these next couple days. Expect temps to easily reach the lower 70s at the lodge today and tomorrow. The afternoon storm chances are running a bit higher this weekend, so don’t be surprised if gradual cloud building during the day leads up to a brief downpour. Before long, some kids will already be heading back to school, so between the hot weather and families looking to get in one last vacation, count on the Smokies being a bustling destination. That means pack the patience for the drive, waiting at trailheads for spots to open up, and navigating crowds while on trail. Early starts to beat the heat and the masses will serve one well. Have a great day.   Good Morning, Some patchy fog lurks around the mountains to start this Wednesday, but it shouldn’t take long for the sun to burn it away. We still have several days of hot temps ahead and little to no rain expected. Early arrivals to the trailhead will help travelers avoid being on trail during the heat of the day. With mid 90s forecast for the gateway communities, it’s likely that the lodge will reach the 70s these next few days. Even though the upper elevations of the Smokies can make for great refuge from the dog days of summer, visitors still need to be vigilant about staying adequately hydrated and nourished. This kind of heat and humidity, especially during an ascent, can quickly sap one of their energy. In the middle of the backcountry is not the place to be reeling from the elements without food, water, and the strength to cover long distances. Come prepared and look out for each other in these toasty conditions. Have a great day.   Good Morning, It’s going to be another mostly sunny day across the Smokies. Temps around the lodge should climb into the upper 60s this afternoon. As of now, the Wednesday forecast looks quite similar but with the potential of being even hotter. A popular loop hike is to combine the Rainbow Falls and Bull Head trails out of Cherokee Orchard. This time of year it is advised that hikers ascend via Rainbow Falls because of it’s location on the shaded northern slopes and numerous creek crossings, all helping to provide relief in the summer heat and humidity. Bull Head has several miles without natural coverage, so one is fully exposed to the blazing unabated sun. Such an area can be traversed more quickly and comfortably while descending. Overnight guests who have just departed the lodge can also tackle that section of trail early in the day before those typical late afternoon popup thunderstorms appear. Not the ideal place to be the tallest thing around in an otherwise moonlike landscape if lightning is present. During the warmer months, it’s not unusual to find a timber rattlesnake sunning themselves among the toasty rocks. So keep your eyes sharp and ears attentive when passing through the most arid stretches of Bull Head. Have a great day.   Good Morning, We have ourselves a superbly sunny last week of July lined up, and it’s also going to get hot again in the coming days. Mostly clear skies and high temps reaching the mid 60s are expected up top today. This will finally give the trails a chance to dry out after all that rain from the previous week, and several creeks and wet weather drainages will ease back some. The possibility of popup rain showers will be slight throughout the coming week, but you’ll still want that protective layer with you just in case. What you definitely don’t want to forget is the sunscreen and a hat, especially if you have plans of traversing the Bull Head Trail with its miles of toasty canopy-less terrain. The vegetation around the lodge is on the cusp of bursting open with color. These next couple weeks are when the grounds look their most vivid of the entire year. If you’re in the area eager to spend some time in the mountain, come on up and check it out. Have a great day.   Good Morning, The clouds have settled in nice and thick at the summit this Saturday. It’s likely that we won’t see a whole lot of sunshine today, just intermittent glimpses, but the possibility of getting any new precip is also slim. And despite high temps expected to be abnormally cooler today, only around 60°, the humidity is still wet and heavy. So no avoid a solid sweat during the ascent today. The forecast for Sunday looks like more of the same. We’ve been getting more intel on trail conditions after this week’s monster storm. Alum Cave Trail shows evidence where creeks and drainages shot out of their banks and churned up sections of trail. It’d be easy to turn an ankle the wrong way if not paying close attention through such areas. The same can be said for Trillium Gap Trail right before Grotto Falls. Again, if you come across any downed trees or new hazards underfoot, please pass the info along to us or the NPS so that it can be addressed promptly. Have a great day.   Good Morning, Happy Halfway Thru the 2023 Season Day! Everyone is still trying to dry out after yesterday’s absolute toad strangler of a gully washer. The lodge recorded…drumroll please…4.6” (!!!) of rainfall Thursday, which will certainly go down as one of the bigger punches Mother Nature has delivered to Mt. LeConte in recent memory. It was a vast volume of water that poured down early and often, accompanied by a steady presence of lightning, thunder, and blustery winds. Even in the face of less-than-ideal conditions, kudos are definitely worth doling out to everyone representing the Lodge yesterday. Rain or shine, those cabins don’t clean themselves, nor do those eggs and linens magically appear up top. On some occasions it takes profound courage, commitment, and grit to see the job done for our guests. A big round of applause to all guys, gals, and beasts working outdoors in the name of the Lodge during yesterday’s soakfest. Today will start out with partly cloudy skies, with the possibility of pop-up storms later this afternoon. Temps will max out in the mid 60s. Winds out of the west will be breezy, getting up to 20mph at times. Looking ahead to the weekend, Saturday could start wet but then clear up for the back half of the day. Trails are going to be a slog today as the once-raging water continues to drain out. If you come across any damage to the trails or new hazards, please let us know so that we can get it addressed promptly. Have a great day.  Good Morning, There is a serious amount of water coming down across the mountain today. Severe thunderstorms and flood warnings are all in effect for the Smokies currently. Steady squalls of lightning and heavy rain are expected to persist all morning and at least through mid afternoon, as a string of storms continue to roll directly over the region like a conveyor belt. A Flood Advisory is in effect until 11:30 AM, and a Flash Flood Warning will linger until 1:30 PM. When it’s all said and done, it is likely that several inches of rain will have fallen on the mountain today, causing creeks and wet weather drainages to swell and overtop their banks for several hours. These are not conditions for taking trails lacking footbridges, or attempting day hikes without a reservation at the lodge where a form of shelter is guaranteed. Temps will max out in the lower 60s, but it won’t feel warm between the wind gusts and the cooling rains. Though not as strong, Friday shows possibilities for precip as well, so expect trails to be a slog well into the weekend and come prepared with the proper gear. Stay safe out there!  |
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
November 2023
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