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Mount Le Conte is Buckhorn Inn’s Backyard

The view of Mount Le Conte from the Buckhorn Inn veranda is breathtaking.

Rising 6,593 feet, Mount Le Conte accounts for the majestic view from the Buckhorn Inn veranda.  It is the highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that is entirely within the state of Tennessee.  It is the third-highest peak in the national park, behind Clingman’s Dome and Mount Guyot.  

Who is Mount Le Conte named after?  There is a bit of controversy about that.  Joseph Le Conte is listed by the United States Geological Survey as the famous geologist for whom the mountain was named.  Others believe the mountain was in fact named for Joseph’s brother, John Le Conte, who was a physicist at South Carolina College.  What we do know for sure is that Paul Adams, an enthusiastic hiker, had a major impact on this area.  In 1924 he joined the Great Smoky Mountain Conservation Association, whose mission was to make the region into a national park.  As part of the campaign Adams led a group of Washington DC dignitaries on a hike up the mountain so that they could appreciate first-hand its rugged beauty.  The trip was successful and eventually the entire region became protected as part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

There are five trails that hikers may use to reach the summit of Mount Le Conte.  They are the Alum Cave, Boulevard, Bullhead, Rainbow Falls, and Trillium Gap Trails.  Millions of years of erosion and weathering have given Mount Le Conte its gently sloping shape.  It is composed largely of sandstone, siltstone, and shale that was formed hundreds of millions of years ago.  One remnant of the Ice Age can be seen today–a dense stand of Southern Appalachian Spruce-Fir Forest blankets the upper slopes.

Lodging at the Top of Mount Le Conte

The Le Conte Lodge, established in 1925, is the inn with the highest elevation in the eastern United States.  Guests may only access the lodge by hiking.  Its inaccessibility means that supplies are brought to the lodge by llama train and helicopter.  http://www.lecontelodge.com

During your next visit to the Buckhorn Inn we encourage you to appreciate Mount Le Conte, whether that means hiking to the summit or enjoying the view, spiced tea in hand, from one of our veranda rocking chairs.