Good Afternoon,

It’s another beautiful sunshiny day well above East Tennessee. There are clouds way up high, and some lingering fog down below, but from our vantage point in between, the lodge is sitting pretty. Temps are already in the lower 60s once again. Tonight we should dip back into the 40s. The mountain has been a busy place even during the week, with travelers coming from all over to enjoy this stellar weather and changing of the leaves. It appears as though Friday will be our last good day to explore the outdoors in more pleasant conditions. Late Friday the wet weather rolls in and will dominate much of Saturday bring heavy rains and strong winds. Gusts could reach as high as 35mph tomorrow evening and will persist throughout the weekend. Come Saturday evening, temps are expected to plummet at the lodge where dropping below the freezing mark looks easily attainable. So get ready for cold very soon!

Have a great rest of the day.

Good Afternoon,

Yesterday saw us stuck in a cloud from start to finish, but today is back to abundant sunshine far and wide. Conditions are delightful around the lodge with temps in the low 60s currently. Overnight lows continue to dip down to the mid 40s. The air is calm with only the occasional breeze. Tomorrow looks like it’ll be fairly cut-and-paste from today, but come Friday the weather is expected to sour over the Smokies. Rain will move in and linger well into Saturday, after which the temps across the region will drop significantly. It’s likely that the precip will have halted before the thermometer reaches the freezing mark, so there’s no threat of any white fluff flying for the first time this autumn just yet. The mountain continues to see crowds of people, with folks come from all around to watch the changing of the leaves and to take advantage of these stellar skies.

​Have a great rest of the day.

Good Morning,

What a busy day this Monday was on the mountain. People took full advantage of the extended holiday weekend and flocked to the Smokies in droves. It’s a much calmer lodge this morning, made known not only by fewer bodies milling around between cabins, but the cloud cover has us socked in with a sleepy gray. Despite the lack of sunshine this morning, temps are still quite comfortable in the mid 50s. We should see the upper 40s for a low later this evening. The rest of today should remain mostly cloudy, but tomorrow skies are expected to open back up for us. Winds to remain calm for the time being.

This abnormally warm start to the month of October has the leaf change a bit behind schedule. Although, there are still plenty of admirable trees making an attempt to get the grand show started in the upper elevations. The maples with the bright red around Inspiration Point and the bluffs are always eye catchers, and further up the gold of beeches and fire cherries cut thru the thick fog. Around the lodge, the vivid red of the mountain ash berries continue to create a stunning landscape among the dark evergreens. Truly a great time to be enjoying the Smokies!

Have a great day.

Good Morning,

​It’s our fifth consecutive (and possibly last) day of rain as we roll into the second of five October weekends. Chances are high for wet conditions throughout the day once again, so don’t get fooled into thinking we’re done just yet despite intermittent breaks in the action. Winds across the peaks will be much calmer today, and the clouds should maintain their grip over the mountains. Aside from some fog expected tomorrow morning, conditions ought to improve as Saturday goes on and improving into the holiday. We’ve spent so much time in the upper 40s and 50s of late, but we might finally warm up a smidge to the 60s come this weekend depending on how much sun we get. As trail conditions dry out, it should make for some delightful autumn rambles though the woods. Clearer skies and changing leaves will surely lure in the crowds, so come ready for backups and congestion while visiting the park this weekend. One can probably count on the occasional animal traffic jam as bears, deer, elk, and turkeys forage near roadsides. Just remember to maintain a safe distance while viewing any wildlife.

​Have a great day.

Good Morning,

Already a week into October. It’s been a warm start to the month, and when combined with all this rain, it could mute the first wave of changing leaves in these mountains. We’ve got at least two more solid days of rain ahead of us before conditions improve through the holiday weekend. Winds will be noticeable across the mountain again today, with gusts upwards of 35mph possible. Since that warm air continues to blow up from the south, that means we’ll hold onto to these stable temperatures in the 50s a little longer. By this weekend we should start to see more variance between highs and lows, mainly more seasonably appropriate temps. Whether you’re hiking up or down today, dress for keeping your person and belongings dry and warm. The deeper we get into autumn, the more challenging the outdoor elements can become.

​Have a great day.

Good Morning,

​We’ve reached the middle of the week and we’re in the middle of a week long soaker. Today could mark the wettest day yet from start to finish with numerous rain showers hounding the mountains. The winds overhead are also going to be at their strongest these next 48 hours, with gusts of 35mph anticipated today and up to 40 mph tomorrow. Amazingly, the temperatures both day and night seem to be content in the 50s. Not exactly balmy, but it sure isn’t freezing either. Remember to use caution on trail in these conditions, as autumn can present new hazards underfoot. Fallen wet leaves obscure roots or slick rocks that can cause trips and slips. Creeks with unbridged crossings will of course be running higher than average, and trails themselves could be quite mucky in places with having so much precip of late.

Although our popular single room cabins for 2022 are mostly booked up, there are still plenty of multi-room lodges available on weekdays for parties ranging from 8-13 people. So pair up with some friends and family, then give our reservations team a call to see what’s still open for next season. And remember, any initial bookings that have not been paid by November 1st go back into the general pool, so there are still plenty of chances to secure a reservation down the line.

As for this season, we’ve hit the 7 weeks to-go mark, with Halloween now signifying our halfway point to the end. Sure is approaching fast! Have a great day and stay dry.

Good Morning,

Thunderstorms are active once again this morning as they will be bubbling up from the south all day. Conditions up top will be cloudy with intermittent showers with the strongest chances for turbulent skies happening this afternoon. Winds will ramp up by this evening and persist the next couple days, with gusts as high as 35mph possible. Temps are maintaining their presence in the lower 50s with this warmer air pushing up from the south. Continue to watch for flooding conditions as mountain streams see a days long stretch of steady saturation.

Bookings for 2022 reservations continue again today from 8:00-5:00. When it comes to weekends and the month of June, the single room cabins have all been snatched up, with the other warmer months of the season filling up quickly. There are still opportunities for interested parties to snag weekday stays, especially when it comes to the bigger multi-room lodges. So get ahold of your friends and family and consider pairing up to book some of our larger spaces if your desired days aren’t 100% booked yet.

​Have a great day.

Good Morning,

As anticipated, Sunday was a soaker of a day. The cloud cover kept skies dark and gray from start to finish, with occasional rain showers filling in the gaps. There have been several strong downpours through the evening and Monday is now shaping up to be a repeat performance. There could be breaks between the isolated storm cells, but otherwise count on experiencing wet conditions at some point during one’s hike today. Temps will still be hanging out in the 50s, and although the winds for today have been dialed back, they’re expected to ramp up for tomorrow and Wednesday. The strong rain percentages aren’t supposed to let up until the weekend. That might put a damper on what trees have already started to change by knocking them off. So the most colorful patterns could be underfoot this week instead of out and above. If anybody is enjoying this resurgence of wet weather, it’s the salamanders! They tend to come out in droves, so mind your step, cause a few of them are tiny.

2022 bookings resume today from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM!  Reminder, that we are NOT accepting walk-in requests at our reservations office.  This includes folks attempting to make payment.  There is plenty of time to process payment for one's reservations in the coming weeks, and our team is thoroughly occupied trying to process phone calls and written requests.   Thank you.

Have a great start to the week.