LeConte Lodge — Hotel in Gatlinburg

We took the Alum Cave trail which is a strenuous hike to the top. It was difficult 5 mile hike but what a reward. We arrived shortly after noon and were shown our cabin. The staff gave us a quick tour and explained the rules in the new covid world. We stayed in a super quaint cabin. 2 rocking chairs on the front porch is where we spent most our time. We had access to ample fresh water and flushable restrooms. It was great getting there early as the cabin felt like it was all ours.

At 6pm the dinner bell rings and food was brought to our cabin. I can see pre covid how fun it would have been to share a meal with everyone. This can be said about generally socializing with everyone. During these times, we visited with the cabin directly across from us and had great conversation.

At 8pm you hike .02 to Cliff tops and watch the sunset. Incredible views and amazing experience. The shadows and lights are so vivid with the breeze howling.

Now the only downside, we went to bed early and heard the mice and squirrels scurry about inside and out. I assume this should be expected stating in the wild, but it kept me up all night. I would suggest a sound machine if you are going.

Lastly, hikes .75 to mytrle point for the sunrise. It’s a 20 min hike and when we arrived the fog was heavy. Still Amazing to see the fog roll in and out and catch the mountains. We settle back into the lodge for coffee at 7:30am and breakfast at 8am. It was satisfying and good start for the hike back down.

Overall, it was a great experience. Oh and we called 2 weeks out to get the reservation. Otherwise you have to try first week of October. Due to covid, I assume there are more cancellations...

We arrived at the Lodge on a cold day and couldn't check in until they had the gift shop open to sell shirts and stuff. A staff member took us to our cabin and explained the rules and restroom procedure, but wasn't real clear on instuctions. Coffee and lemonade was available sometime after we arrived and during certain hours (not all day). Coffee was watered down, very weak and lukewarm at best. Was told the lemonade was watered down as well, I didn't try it. A lunch bag was offered at a extra price, not sure what was in it.||Supper was watery soup, canned roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans and for dessert 1/2 peach (canned) and a very hard cookie, (over all substandard, doubt it would past any health inspection). We paid extra for the wine. Part of the crew was introduced, but we weren't sure who was in charge. Guest interaction was not encouraged at all. So after supper everyone went to their own cabins., Beds were soft and comfortable and room was warm with the propane heater..||Coffee was a lot better at breakfast. Breakfast consisted of pancakes, grits, scrambled eggs, a biscuit and a very thin slice of ham a little bigger than a silver dollar. The biscuit was cold, very hard and tasted like baking soda. Everything was cold except the pancakes were warm and ok but cheap thin syrup. Two in our group had stomachaches after we ate, one with diarrhoea. ||Overall this trip was very overpriced for what they had to offer. We paid around $380 per couple plus about $50 for two shirts.. The stay wasn't worth half that. And if the cost wasn't high enough,. the staff ask for tips and any extra food we could spare.||Next time we'll just hike in and out...

Mounted LeConte Lodge is a primitive wilderness Lodge located atop Mount LeConte inside the Smoky Mountains National Park. The main reason it exists is the fact that a spring bubbles water out of the ground at approximately 6,593 feet of elevation. It is the highest spring east of the Mississippi River. The Lodge consists of 8 one room cabins, a 2 bedroom cabin, and a 3 bedroom cabin. Other buildings include the dining hall, the office/gameroom building, and staff housing. All built from local materials. When one stays overnight, a home cooked style supper and breakfast are included. Unless one stays multiple nights, supper is always soup with cornbread, roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, fried apples, a peach half, large CC cookie and all the water, hot chocolate, or coffee one can drink. Breakfast is scrambled eggs, Canadian bacon, pan cakes with maple syrup, grits, biscuits, honey, apple butter, Tang, water, coffee and hot chocolate. There is no electricity at the lodge, but the cabins have propane heaters and kerosene lamps. Hot water is available. Each bedroom has a double bunk bed with pillows, sheets, and Hudson Bay wool blankets. The temperature has never made it to 80 degrees F at LeConte Lodge. It is a wonderful place to watch the sunset or rise. It isn't a trip for the faint of heart. One must hike to the lodge via one of the 5 access trails. Alum cave trail is the shortest at 5 miles of up! The boulevard trail at 8 miles is the longest. Spending the night at LeConte Lodge should be on everyone's...