Mt. LeConte & AT Backpacking Adventure in the Smokies

This backpacking adventure boasts one night each in two of the most sought-after backcountry shelters in the 6000’ high country of Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Icewater Spring and Mount LeConte. No need to pack your tent since we have eight confirmed reservations for the wood-platform bunks inside these scenic roofed structures that are enclosed on three sides and offer great wind protection. We expect to backpack about 3 miles Friday, 6 miles Saturday, and 6 miles Sunday. The level of difficulty is suitable both for veterans and for fit newcomers to the sport who can pack lightly -- our uphill climbing segments will total about 1200 feet of vertical gain on Friday, 2400' on Saturday and only about 300' Sunday since we’ll be descending via a loop hike back toward our vehicles. We plan to offer several short optional dayhikes from our shelters to spectacular waypoints including Charlie’s Bunion, the Jumpoff, Cliff Tops, and Myrtle Point. We’ll cap off Saturday with a little nighttime partying in the rustic "social hall" of LeConte Lodge -- at 6400’ the highest bed & breakfast lodge east of the Rockies. While backpacking down Alum Cave Trail on Sunday we’ll enjoy more rugged mountain scenery while passing the "hole in the rock" at Peregrine Peak, venturing under the huge overhang of the historic Alum Cave, and descending a stone staircase through the middle of eerie Arch Rock.

Friday: We’ll meet for carpooling at 9:30AM in the I-85 Indian Trail Park/Ride lot -- or if you prefer, rendezvous with us at 1:00 PM at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Park. (See detailed directions below to both meeting points.) We expect to begin backpacking about 2:00 PM Friday from the parking lot at Newfound Gap in the center of the National Park on US-441. That first leg will take us NE on the Appalachian Trail about 3 miles to the Icewater Spring Shelter where we’ll spend Friday evening and night.

Saturday: After breakfast we’ll dayhike up the AT to Charlie’s Bunion (about 3 mi. round-trip), then break camp and backpack up the rolling 5-mile Boulevard Trail NW to the summit of Mt. LeConte -- with an optional en-route dayhike to “The Jumpoff” view point on Mt. Kephart. After setting up camp at LeConte Shelter we’ll relax, have dinner, visit Cliff Tops for sunset, then socialize a bit with the guests at LeConte Lodge before retiring for the night.

Sunday: After an optional sunrise dayhike to beautiful Myrtle Point we’ll have breakfast at the shelter, break camp, hang out a bit more at the Lodge (and fill our water bottles with their good potable water), then head down Mt. LeConte via the gorgeous Alum Cave Trail, with spectacular views of Clingman's Dome and "Chimney Tops."  We expect to be back at our vehicles by midday, making it possible to be back in Atlanta by about 6:00 PM Sunday.

From Spaghetti Junction (I-85/I-285 Interchange in NE Atlanta):
1) Take I-85 North about 18 miles to Exit #113, I-985 North. (En route, pass our optional 9:30 AM carpool meeting point, the Indian Trail Park/Ride Lot at Exit #101).
2) Bear Left at I-85 Exit #113 onto I-985/ GA-365 North and follow it beyond Gainesville where it merges with US-441 North. (Merge point is about 45 miles north of the I-85 exit, near Cornelia, GA).
3) Carefully follow the US-441 signs northward through Clayton GA, Franklin NC, Dillsboro NC, and Cherokee NC to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on your right at the southern entrance of Great Smoky Mountains Nat’l Park. (There are several turns along the way. Total distance along US-441 from its GA-365 junction near Cornelia is about 80 miles.)
NOTE: In lieu of using the above simplified directions from NE Atlanta you can enter “Oconaluftee, NC 28719”as your destination and use Google.com/Maps for detailed directions from any point of origin.
4) Our target time to rendezvous at the Visitor Center will be 1:00 PM. We’ll fill out the necessary paperwork here for our reserved backcountry permit -- then caravan northward to Newfound Gap (~15 miles beyond the Visitor Center) where we’ll again rendezvous. After leaving all but one vehicle at the “Grassy Patch” parking lot (~4 miles further north on US-441) we expect to begin our backpacking adventure together from Newfound Gap at about 2:15 PM.

Free event!