 It seems like yesterday we were just celebrating May Day and the continued joy that is spring in the Smokies. Yet here we are about to close out the month as summer rolls in fast and heavy like a loaded freight train. After yesterday’s steady mists and consistent clouds, today has been a nice change of pace. Clear skies this morning gave hikers pleasant conditions for starting their outdoor activities. And while clouds have gradually thickened over the passing hours, the mountains are keeping dry…for now. Late this afternoon and evening there remains a chance for pop-up storms, but hopefully by then everyone is safely where they need to be…either cozied up in a cabin or back down to their vehicles. The first two days of June are looking to be much like today…decent mornings followed by rainy afternoons, so continue to have the necessary rain gear in tow. Temps are holding firm in the 50s and 60s. Come midweek, a solely sun-filled break is expected to take over along with warmer temps. That should be music to the ears of all those summer vacationers heading this way as schools turn all those kids loose. That means the national park and surrounding gateway communities are going to become more congested. Longer queues and wait times wherever you go, trailhead parking spots filling up earlier, frequent wildlife related traffic jams. Be prepared for it all these next couple months here in the Smokies. 
0 Comments
 We’ll be surprised to see much in the way of sunshine this morning, but there’s hope for improvement by this evening. A Flood Watch for the region went into effect last night and will linger until mid afternoon today. Thankfully we’ve been spared of any heavy deluges thus far, but skies are still spotted with isolated showers, so best to remain vigilant. Trails will have their puddles, and tread carefully on slick sloped rock faces. Odds are the cloudy skies and rainy conditions will keep the hiker traffic subdued for a Saturday. Sunday though sure looks promising for spending time in the woods, teasing sunny skies for much of the day. Temps up top should remain quite pleasant ranging from 50s to 60s.   What a treat yesterday turned out to be, as we caught some much appreciated rays of sunshine. And today is shaping up to be one of the nicest days we’ve experienced in some time now. Hikers should get to enjoy mainly clear skies to start, with only a slight chance for storm-building late this afternoon. And with the improved conditions, warming temps across the summit are also expected, as we could be basking in the mid 60s. If you’ve been in town for the week and holding out hope to conquer the mountain when conditions are ideal, today would be the day. For Saturday, it’s looking like the soak-fest resumes. This steady dose of moisture certainly has the snails and salamanders happy, so keep an eye for the tiny residents of the forest floor. Continuing the pattern of what we’ve seen since spring, the blooming trend for many a plant is to be ahead of the norm. Already the purple flower clusters of the catawba rhododendron are peaking and across a rather lengthy elevation range. The sun and rain have them a bit battered at exposed places like Inspiration Point, but from that point upward along Alum Cave Trail to within a mile from the Lodge, they are putting on a grand show. The mountain laurel have opened up as well across the mid elevations, with the various heath balds surrounding the mountain being dotted in whites and pinks among a lush green pallet. A friendly reminder to never pick the wildflowers inside the national park, as they are for all to enjoy as nature intended.   The wash cycle continues. Rain showers move in and out, all ranging from meager mists to torrential toad stranglers. And the volume of precip is falling disproportionately around the region, oversaturating some places and barely glazing others these past weeks. That’s an interesting thing when such weather bogs down in the mountains…one side of a ridge can be flooding, while just on the other side barely a drip. These trails weave in and out of countless hollers, and since one never knows what awaits them around a corner, that’s why it’s ever so important to have the appropriate gear with you. Just because it mighty be sunny and clear in town or at the trailhead, doesn’t mean it’s that way at the summit destination or even as soon as you step foot on trail. So soak up all that helpful information available to you, plan for the worst, and hope for the best. As for today? Well, you might have guessed it. Mostly cloudy, scattered storms, temps in the 50s. Looking that way now and through the weekend.
 Wishing everyone a peaceful and reflective Memorial Day. The skies have calmed down a tad, with only thick clouds consuming the mountain peaks at the moment. Scattered showers are few and far between this morning, and the possibilities for storms won’t increase until late this afternoon. That’s welcome news for anyone hoping to visit the summit today and do so without getting drenched. The thermometer will keep walking that line in the 50s. Views will be difficult to come by today, but at least it should feel decently comfortable for hikers on trail and up top. Could be a while before we can say anything different about the forecast, as we seem to be stuck on a conveyor belt that produces only clouds and storms. Not that such is unusual for this part of the country, especially when we officially get into summer. But going consecutive weeks without a definite break from the precip is unusual. So long as it stays balanced, we won’t mind too much after such a dry spring. Just keep packing the correct gear and you’ll be fine to tackle whatever nature throws at you!   It’s a rather uneventful morning sitting in the clouds, but we know not to get complacent as scattered rain showers are still present across the region. As we get into the afternoon, storms are expected to increase in size and number, so enjoy this brief calm while we have if getting outside and exploring today. Temps at the Lodge will continue to hang around in the 50s. Winds over the peaks to remain variable as storms move in and out. Memorial Day and beyond are all calling for more of the same. If you’re hitting the trail without any rain gear given all that is known, consider that an open invitation to receiving strange looks. It’s happened once before a handful of years ago, but our section of the national park welcomed some visitors not particularly common around these parts. A pair of Elk, likely having made the long trot over from the farm fields of Oconaluftee, were seen near the Alum Cave trailhead yesterday. How far they decided to explore the woods of Tennessee, or their current whereabouts, is unknown. That sure had to be a rare treat for anyone transiting US 441. One of our shuttle drivers, Airika, had the good fortune of witnessing the unusual event and managed to capture some photos (zooming in from a safe distance, of course!). As we get into the summer season, wildlife interactions with creatures both big and small become more likely. To (re)familiarize oneself with the accepted practices of wildlife viewing in the national park, please take the time to visit the Park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/wildlifeviewing.htm   Well, we’re going to have an unavoidably wet holiday weekend and beginning to the tourist summer season. Storms and rain, which have been a steady presence in recent days, are going to continue hounding the Smokies several days more. Temps at our elevation are going to sit snugly in the 50s both day and night. While it certainly puts a damper on many a person’s plans for spending time in the outdoors, activities such as hiking can still be done effectively and safely by simply taking the right steps (pun intended). There’s beauty to behold, even among the foggy and soggy conditions, everyone just needs to be smart about how to approach it.
Double check those forecasts for timing of heaviest rains and strongest storms to map out your routes and start times. Evaluate your gear, from clothes to boots and backpacks, to see how it’s all going to hold up in either light mists or torrential downpours. And even though the weather might not be what everyone hopes for over the holiday weekend, there are still vast numbers of visitors in town looking for ways to pass the time and seek entertainment, which inevitably creates traffic congestion in and around the national park. Early starts to your activity can help beat the crowds to the most popular places, and gives you more time on trail to pace yourselves and tread carefully if footing ever becomes sketchy.  The rain keeps a’falling. Isolated storms and rain showers will continue to roll across the region today and throughout the holiday weekend. Temps up top will stay steady in the 50s. Expect wet and sloppy conditions on trail and have the appropriate gear with you at all times. The NPS have announced a brief closure of Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail next week. Anyone looking to hike the 6.7 mile Trillium Gap Trail next Tuesday evening (5/26) through Thursday (5/28) will not be able to drive the one-way road accessing that trailhead. Thankfully, this brief closure will NOT affect our Shuttle taking overnight guests to that trailhead though! So if you have already booked our Shuttle along that route for those dates, your arrangements remain unchanged. If you had planned on driving yourself to the trailhead but still prefer to take that trail to or from the Lodge, then don’t hesitate in getting in touch with our office about any remaining shuttle availability. Reminder that our reservations office will be closed on Monday in observance of Memorial Day. Normal business hours will resume on Tuesday.   The rain is here! Late yesterday afternoon, the skies finally displayed some excitement. Rumbles of thunder echoing across valleys, occasional heavy downpours pounding down on roof shingles, all sights and sounds that are definitive characteristics of spring and summer that we have experienced so little of lately. But that won’t be the case any longer…at least for the next week at a minimum. Picture lots of “drippy-drip” and “bzzz-bzzz” graphics for those who are visually inclined. Temps up top are going to hover between 50s and 60s.
The extended forecast is currently calling for storm chances every day. And while that doesn’t necessarily mean precip falling from the sky at all hours, it does mean anyone with aspirations of summiting the mountain needs to come prepared with the appropriate gear for staying dry on trail. Ponchos, rain jackets and pants, umbrellas, change of socks, you name it. In these conditions, you are either the creator of your own comfort or maker of your own misery, given the wealth of information and resources available to help one in planning an outdoor excursion in the Smokies. Please make smart choices, as the mountain isn’t going anywhere. Anyone voluntarily putting themselves at risk of hypothermia, injury, or a down-right awful time in the woods by coming ill prepared really needs to consider the impacts of one’s choices not just on themselves but others.  Overnight guests and early-rising hikers are greeted by another morning of clear skies, calm air, and a warm sunrise. The majority of today is setting up to be another wondrous opportunity to explore the outdoors before less optimal climate conditions make their grand arrival. The thermometer came up just shy of nabbing 70° yesterday, and we should experience highs in the upper 60s this afternoon before the clouds move in and thicken. Best to get an early start anyways in case we get any thunderous surprises earlier than anticipated. While the rain chances for this evening are low, they ramp up beginning tomorrow and increase over the coming days. The forecast is shaping up to be a wet one for the foreseeable future, and while that may appear less than glamorous for those with arrangements for visiting the mountain, the precip is a necessity. Some numbers to help make sense of it… Last year, the mountain received approximately 85” of rainfall, which also happens to be the annual average for Mt. LeConte. We are currently 16” off pace from where we were this same time last year. And the evidence is there when you look hard enough. Plants are blooming sooner, while less numerous, and wilting sooner. Some perennial vegetation is also slow to grow. And a number of the high-elevation strongholds like firs and spruces known to weather all kinds of rough weather and climate challenges are showing signs of struggle. So while we get to bask in all this sunshine of late, it’s important to appreciate the rain and the balance it provides in maintaining these unique natural wonders.  |
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 2026
|
RSS Feed
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
