Alum Cave Trail and 100 Miles in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
After many months of hiking and adventures inside the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park we finally passed the 100 mile mark! Our initial goal was to have this finished by Spring break and to top it off with a hike to Mt LeConte. We did make the deadline but not LeConte due to an injury I sustained in the Rainbow Falls trail a few weeks back.
Knowing LeConte was off the table at the moment we had to pick a trail to put us over the top but it couldn’t be just “any” trail. This had to be a “destination” trail with views and we knew exactly what it had to be………Alum Cave Trail!
Alum Cave Trail is arguably the most popular trail in the park and probably the most used to reach the summit of Mt LeConte. The trail is 2.3 miles each way to the “cave” and takes you through Arch Rock and across the bluffs where you find breathtaking views!
The “cave” also provides amazing views and is a great place to grab lunch or a snack before heading back down. One note here is that it’s not actually a cave but a huge overhang in the mountain that can provide shelter. One the flip side it can also be extremely dangerous to access when the massive icicles are starting to melt and fall from above!
This hike will never disappoint and put us at 100.35 miles hiked within the park meaning we could stop by the Sugarlands Visitor Center and collect our pins! Check out the video of the hike as everyone seems to get a laugh out of the comments from J when we reached the bluffs! Be sure to subscribe to the blog and the YouTube channel as we have much more to come! Until next time…..