Good Morning, We’re all waking up to abundant sunshine today, courtesy of the time change and clear skies! Saturday was a gorgeous time to be on the mountain, as our high reached 39°. Our overnight low dipped down to a chilly 16°. Current conditions are sunny and 22°. We’re expecting a repeat performance today of beautiful autumn weather and enthusiastic hikers. The next several days are showing sunshine with steadily rising temps. The mountain is calling, so come on up! As we do this time every season, we have to adjust our meal services in accordance with the rising and setting of the sun. With the sun rising much earlier now, breakfast is back to 8:00 AM. Dinner service will now be AFTER sunset, that way overnight guests have a chance to enjoy one of East Tennessee’s greatest shows before a filling meal. Guests this week can expect dinner to be at 6:15 PM. Next week we will revert back to the normal 6:00 as daylight hours continue to dwindle.
Day hikers will need to pay close attention to these new daylight hours so as not to get caught out late in the cold. The average hiker is going to take 3-4 hours to descend Alum Cave Trail, more for the other trails, and longer in general if there is ice underfoot. That means leaving the lodge no later than 2:00 PM, which still gives you plenty of time to purchase souvenirs and snacks when our shops open at noon daily. Have a great rest of the weekend!
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Good Morning All,
It is shaping up to be a gorgeous Saturday here in the smokies. Clear skies offering spectacular views as far as the eye can see. There is still snow on the ground but we are hoping to see that melt away at some point today, though its gonna have to warm up more than the current 35 degrees. No more rain or snow on the forecast. Still practice caution at higher elevations as ice tends to linger in those shady areas. Our overnight lows are staying in the 20s for now so be sure to bring plenty of warm layers if you are planning an overnight stay. Due to recent storm activity we have had our llama friends made an adjustment to their schedule and will be hiking up today. Next week they aim for the normal Monday, Wednesday, Friday trips. UPDATE 5:30 PM - US 441 (Newfound Gap Rd) is back open. Watch for ice and snow on the roads and trails, as temps are expected to dip well below freezing again along the upper elevations. Visitors now have access to all trails accessing Mt. LeConte this weekend.
————————————————————————————- Good Afternoon, There is nothing to prepare you for calling life at 6593 feet home. The weather alone is a crazy roller coaster ride. Yesterday we received 2.0 inches of rain but temperatures stayed in the lower 50s for most of the day. Wind speeds fluctuated all day with high gusts around 40 mph. Once dinner rolled around we saw the temperatures drop very fast with an overall low of 14 degrees! Snow was inevitable. We received 0.5 inches of snow. With as much rain as we got mixed with 14 degree weather we woke this morning to an icy/snow covered camp. Its going to be a clear sunny day but temperatures are not going to rise above the upper 30s. Expect trail conditions to be icy, traction devices are a MUST. No more rain on the forecast for the weekend but we are expecting these below freezing temperatures to remain. For those planning a trip up be sure to bring those traction devices, watch for ice at higher elevations and check road conditions through the National Park Services to plan your hike. No matter the weather, the crew always has a good time. Halloween festivities were had last night, including a pumpkin carving contest. The winner goes to crew members Kemp and Erin for their "I hiked it Halloween" pumpkin pictured below. Afterwards scary movies were played late into the night along with a few games. Certainly a halloween for the books. |
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 2024
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