Good morning to you. I just wanted to provide a quick, early update for you, since weather and trail conditions are a bigger part of the hiking picture today. We received 2.5 inches of snow Tuesday, more than the forecast but not a huge deal. The snow depth won't be too big a concern while hiking, but there will certainly be some slick spots on all the trails. Austin, one of our crew members, did a day hike down Alum Cave Bluff Trail Tuesday and was glad he had traction devices for the top third of the trail. He would recommend them for hiking today. Another big factor overnight is the bitter cold. We bottomed out at 4 degrees this morning. As of 7:45 a.m., the temperature reads 9 degrees. It's a bitterly cold morning complicated by gusty winds, which picked up overnight and are still blowing. We don't have official wind readings at the lodge, but we were surely experiencing wind chills below 0 most of the night and morning. The good news is that skies above the mountain are currently clear and that the forecast calls for decreasing wind and no more precipitation today. The bad news is that it's likely to remain bitterly cold through Thursday morning. Also, Highway 441 between Gatlinburg and Cherokee was closed yesterday and remains so as of Wednesday at 6:30 a.m. However, park officials were working hard on the road and expect to open it soon. Also, our llama truck and trailer got stuck on an icy patch near the Trillium Gap Trailhead on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Park officials are also working on that stretch of road and will have it open as soon as they can. As I mentioned yesterday, the Park Service has provided a recorded information line at 865-436-1200. For road closure information, enter 631 at the voice prompt. For a five-day NWS forecast, enter 630 at the voice prompt. We remain open for business and look forward to seeing you. All of our scheduled guests arrived safely last night, albeit cold. Please be careful, leave early and use good judgment on the trails today. Happy trails. 
Tony Ga
11/13/2013 12:36:37 am
21 degrees here in Dawsonville Ga. this morning.
Steve D
11/13/2013 03:19:30 am
Hi all-man, that is cold! The coldest it was last winter when I was hiking was 19 degrees. Be careful out there! If anyone wants to know it is about 72 here in Maui at 615 in the morning..just saying.
Tony Ga
11/13/2013 03:30:16 am
Steve D!!! Good to hear from you. Hope you're enjoying the Island life. I've enjoyed reading the different opinions and suggestions regarding defenses against bear encounters, particularly bear spray. I'm not sure about the "effective range" of such sprays, but I would surmise that one would necessarily have to be relatively close(r) to a bear for the spray to be at its highest effectiveness, let alone accuracy. I'm sure that some of us, probably me included, would learn to use such sprays while in motion and looking feverishly over our shoulders as our little legs are propelling us as swiftly as possible away from a bear ! I woke up one night while at a backcountry campsite well above Elkmont campground with a bear sniffing me just about four or five feet from my face, so, I learned quite quickly to hold my breath ! {the bear soon waddled off thankfully}; I've had other encounters, mostly on trails while on some of my extended hikes, and between yelling and slapping my hiking staff on the ground or a tree, I've been able to avoid any direct contact with those magnificent creatures. I don't know how effective bells are, and I doubt I'll ever make use of them, but I won't rule them out for myself. Hearing hikers from a distance with their bells ringing would be far better "music" than screams of fright. I carry a very "shrill" rescue whistle and I suppose it would do if encountering a bear; Momma bears with cubs are a sure signal that it's best to completely avoid them if possible. I do so love the photos of the snow covering the porch and roofs of the lodge - - they give such a peaceful feeling. Hope everyone has a great day, especially out on the trail ! G'day.
Kent
11/13/2013 02:15:20 am
Holy crap on a cracker...that's cold!
Melissa (from Alcoa Tennessee)
11/13/2013 02:47:31 am
As always thanks for keeping us up to date! The morning snowfall picture is absolutely stunning! I hiked up to LeConte for the very first time back in May of this year for a day hike and I completely fell in love with that mountain and the Alum Cave Trail. The sad thing, is that I only live about a lil over an hour from Gatlinburg and while I wish I had taken the time to hike it in years past, I am hopeful to be back on the mountain soon as I plan to hike up once a year! However, seeing the snowfall pictures makes me think of how I'd love someday to hike up to see the snow, but I know snow and ice gear is needed for that and I have none, so I'll be staying put for certain. The cold air is brutal and makes for a harder hike indeed, those of you who plan to venture out, be safe and bundle up! We were sitting at a temp of 22 degrees this morning here in the valley so the day on the mountain is sure to be cold! Reading the blog and checking out the pics daily, puts a smile on my face, so thank you LeConte crew for keeping us updated on our favorite mountain top and it's happenings! Enjoy your day!
Cindy Peck
11/13/2013 04:32:57 am
We had a beautiful fall hike on the Blvd Monday Nov 11 and then a lovely hike down Alum with a light wintry snow on Tues. I guess we got out just in time. Did get to see both sunset and sunrise - amazing!
DannyH
11/13/2013 05:10:55 am
Snow pics pretty. When is last day lodge is open, I haven't got tee shirt, yet!
High on LeConte
11/13/2013 02:00:17 pm
DannyH,
Paulrom
11/13/2013 07:22:10 am
I'm about 40 miles from Gatlinburg and looks like the weather is going to warm up a little Friday Saturday and Sunday highs in the 60s maybe some good day hikes then
Pat N.
11/13/2013 08:40:10 am
"B" forBrrrrrrr! And Beautiful! Stay warm and safe :)
Debi
11/14/2013 03:48:16 am
Look at that snow. Brr cold! Comments are closed.
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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
December 2025
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