Mount Le Conte (Tennessee)
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| Mount Le Conte | |
|---|---|
 Mount LeConte from Newfound Gap Road |
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| Elevation | 6,593 feet (2,010 m) |
| Location | Sevier County, Tennessee |
| Range | Appalachian Mountains, Blue Ridge Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains |
| Prominence | 1,360 ft (415 m) |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Le Conte |
| First ascent | unknown |
| Easiest route | hike |
Mount Le Conte (or LeConte) is a mountain in Sevier County, Tennessee located within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At 6,593 ft (2,010 m) it is the third highest peak in the national park, behind Clingmans Dome (6,642 ft, 2,024 m) and Mount Guyot (6,621 ft, 2,018 m). However, from its immediate base to its highest peak, Mount Le Conte is the tallest mountain in the Eastern United States, rising 5,301 ft (1,616 m) from its base, near Gatlinburg, Tennessee (1,292 ft/394 m).
There are four peaks/subpeaks above 6,000 ft on the mountain (referred to as the LeConte massif): West Point (6,344 ft/1,934 m), High Top (6,593 ft/2,010 m), Cliff Tops (6,555 ft/1,998 m), and Myrtle Point (6,200 ft/1,890 m). In addition, Balsam Point (5,840+ ft/1,780+ m) serves as the dramatic west end of the massif.
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[edit] History
There is considerable controversy over just which member of the Le Conte family the mountain was named for. The United States Geological Survey lists Joseph Le Conte, famous geologist, as the man for whom the mountain was named, supposedly by Swiss explorer Arnold Guyot [1]. However, in recent years this claim has been challenged by local authorities (including the authors of A Natural History of Mount Le Conte), who in turn believe that the mountain derives its name from Joseph's older — and less famous — brother John Le Conte, a physicist at South Carolina College.[2] Their story alleges that the mountain was named by Samuel Buckley in respect to John's help in moving his barometer to Waynesville, North Carolina, at Buckley's request.[3]
Although the mountain was measured in the 1850s, very little activity took place on the mountain until the 1920s, when Paul Adams moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. An enthusiastic hiker and explorer, Adams spent much of his free time creating adventures in the mountains. In 1924 he joined the Great Smoky Mountain Conservation Association, a group dedicated to making the region into a national park. As part of this push, later that year he led an expedition up the mountain with dignitaries from Washington, in order to show the group what rugged beauty those mountains held. The group spent the night in a large tent which would later become a cabin, and eventually the LeConte Lodge, a popular resort near the top of the peak. The trip was a great success and about a decade later Mount Le Conte, and the surrounding region, was protected as part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
[edit] Geology
Mount Le Conte lies in the Appalachian Blue Ridge geologic and physiographic province. It is made up of Late Proterozoic rocks; mostly metamorphosed sandstone, siltstone, shale, and conglomerate formed over 800–450 million years ago. Millions of years of weathering has caused significant erosion, giving the mountains in the region, including Le Conte, a distinctive, gentle sloping feature.
[edit] Climate
The proprietors of LeConte Lodge keep yearly records of climate extremes. In the past twenty years the yearly extremes have been:
Minimum temperature: -18 to -7 degrees F
Maximum temperature: 72 to 79 degrees F
Snowfall: 66 to 154 inches
Rainfall: 75 to 100 inches
[edit] LeConte Lodge
Mount Le Conte is notable for having the highest inn providing lodging for visitors in the Eastern United States. The LeConte Lodge is a small resort, established in 1925, located on the top of the mountain. First, it was a tent, then a single cabin, and now it is a series of small personal log cabins and a central lodge/dining hall situated along the top of a mountain. It can accommodate about 50 guests a night, and is generally open from March–November. There is no transportation to the lodge and all guests must hike in on one of the five trails that access the mountain. Due to this lack of access, supplies must be brought in via helicopter and llama pack trains.
The climate at the lodge is similar to that found in southern Canada, with cool summers (no temperature above 80°F (27°C) has ever been recorded at the lodge) and cold, snowy winters. Currently, the lodge is maintained under a lease with the National Park Service. The lodge is quite popular, with prospective guests sometimes having to book reservations over a year in advance.
[edit] Access
Le Conte's location in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has spurred the creation of five trails that lead to the LeConte Lodge, with spur trails to each of the individual peaks. In addition to the scenic overlooks and peaceful woodlands endemic to each path, every trail offers its own unique attractions along the way to the summit. They are listed with their distances one-way as follows
- Alum Cave Trail — 4.9 miles (8.0 km);[1] Alum Cave Creek, Arch Rock, Alum Cave Bluff and views into Huggins Hell decorate the trail; it is both the most scenic and often used trail.
- The Boulevard Trail — 5.4 miles (8.7 km) (8.0 miles from Newfound Gap); Begins on the crest of the Great Smoky Mountains 2.7 miles east of Newfound Gap on the Appalachian Trail; it never dips below 5,500 ft (1,676 m).
- Bullhead Trail — 6.9 miles (11.1 km); The least traveled path, it offers the most solitude.
- Rainbow Falls Trail — 6.6 miles (10.6 km); LeConte Creek runs alongside the trail until Rainbow Falls, the single highest drop of water in the national park.
- Trillium Gap Trail — 8.9 miles (14.3 km); The trail passes behind Grotto Falls, the only opportunity to walk behind a waterfall in the park; Trillium Gap offers spring wildflowers and a short spur hike to Brushy Mountain; the only horse trail on the mountain; the llama trains that supply the lodge use this trail.
The combined traffic of these five trails make Mount Le Conte the most heavily traversed mountain in the park, and thus, likely in the entire Appalachian region. The Alum Cave and Rainbow Falls trails in particular have a tendency to become overcrowded with visitors seeking rewarding payoffs just a few miles into the trails. Hikers can stay in an Appalachian Trail style shelter overnight for free with a backcountry permit and reservations from the National Park Service.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Manning (1991)
[edit] References
- USGS Mount Le Conte
- Brief History of Mount Le Conte
- Vital Statistics from Peak Bagger
- Newspaper Article Addressing Namesake Confusion
- Manning, Russ and Sondra Jamieson. The Best of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Norris, TN; Mountain Laurel Press, 1991. ISBN 0-9625122-2-2
- Wise, Kenneth; Ronald H. Petersen (1998). A Natural History of Mount Le Conte. Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 1572330104.
