Welcome & Info - Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont

OUR ROUTE
Day 1: Appalachian Trail to Boulevard Trail to LeConte Lodge (8.1 miles).
Day 2: LeConte Lodge to Alum Cave Trail (5.0 miles)
WHERE TO MEET
The month of April is a very popular time of year to climb Mt. LeConte. The Alum Cave
Bluff Trailhead can be extremely busy as a result. Ample parking space for all our
vehicles cannot be guaranteed! Therefore DO NOT meet us at the trailhead (regardless
of what our brochure says). Instead we will meet at Sugarlands Visitor Center
between 8:45-9:00am. You can park your car there, use the restroom, and then hop in
the Tremont van for the ride to Newfound Gap.
We will begin our hike starting at Newfound Gap. Here we’ll hike on the Appalachian
Trail for 2.7 miles then take the Boulevard Trail 5.4 miles to Mt. LeConte for a total hike
of 8.1 miles. We will ask one of you to volunteer your vehicle as the shuttle transport.
What this means: from Sugarlands you will follow behind the van on the drive to
Newfound Gap, park your car at the Alum Cave Bluff Trailhead and from there ride in
the van the rest of the way. (Rest assured we will be able to find space for at least one
vehicle at the Alum Cave Bluff Trailhead.) At the conclusion of the hike on Saturday,
we’ll rely on you to shuttle the van driver (me) to Newfound Gap to retrieve the van. This
will take roughly 20 minutes.
So…please meet us outside the restrooms at Sugarlands Visitor Center between 8:45-
9:00am on Friday. We will meet one another for a brief orientation at that time and then
be on our way.
Do realize that we MUST depart Sugarlands no later than 9:15am to ensure that we have
a pleasant hike and do not feel rushed. We will not be able to wait for you if you arrive
later than 9:15am. You will be on your own at this point.
If you do experience a delay and miss us, here are my recommendations: 1) Please call
(865) 448-6709 and tell them you missed us. We will be out of cell phone range and
service can be very spotty in the mountains, but I should be able to reach the office once
we get higher on the mountain and will contact the office to ask about your absence. 2)
Drive yourself to the Alum Cave Bluff Trailhead. If parking is available, hike Alum Cave
Bluff Trail and meet us at the lodge. If parking is not available, drive to Newfound Gap
and hike the route described above (and below). Take a trail map!
ACCOMMODATIONS ON LeCONTE:
We will be staying in a single three-bedroom cabin while on Le Conte. Each room
contains two double beds in bunk fashion. Beds have fresh sheets, pillows, and wool
blankets. Each cabin also has a washstand but bathrooms are in a separate building.
Don’t forget that we will be sharing beds so if you don’t have a friend coming with you,
you will definitely have one when you leave!