The Crew from the Mt. LeConte Lodge Says Hello to Ellen DeGeneres

The Crew from the Mt. LeConte Lodge Says Hello to Ellen DeGeneres

Monday, September 23, 2013

1 comment

A couple weeks ago two crew members from the Mt. LeConte Lodge decided it would be fun to make a short video and send it to Ellen DeGeneres - in order to share what their day looks like 5000 feet above and several miles from civilization. This humorous video gives Ellen (and you) a glimpse of this beautiful mountain top.

Thanks to Allyson Virden, the Resident Manager at the LeConte Lodge, for sending this to me. Hopefully the crew will be able to get Ellen's attention with this:




Jeff
Hiking in the Smokies

Read More

34 Inches of Snow Atop Mt. LeConte!

34 Inches of Snow Atop Mt. LeConte!

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

No comments

Allyson Virden, caretaker for the Mt. LeConte Lodge, is reporting on her blog (with some great photos) this morning that the mountain has received a total of 34 inches of snow - with 3 more expected today. She also reports that there are drifts up to the roof on the dining hall! At Newfound Gap, the National Weather Service is reporting a total of 36 inches of snow as of this morning.

In her post Allyson states that ten more guests showed up after dark yesterday evening. The hikers reported extremely difficult conditions, including a lot of downed trees on the trail which they had to crawl under. It took some of them 10 hours to hike up the Rainbow Falls Trail.

Allyson also warns:

If you have a reservation for this evening, we are asking you to please not hike up. Please call our reservations office and they will take care of you. (865) 429-5704

Currently there are many closings throughout the national park system as a result of Hurricane Sandy. NPS Digest is reporting that as of Tuesday night, "69 parks are closed or partially closed and are working to account for all employees. There are no reports of significant injuries or fatalities."

Here are a few closings for parks in the Smokies region:

• Newfound Gap Road, Clingmans Dome Road, Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, Cataloochee Entrance Road, Foothill Parkway East, Twin Creeks Road above the science center, and Old NC-284 between Big Creek and Cataloochee in the Great Smoky Mountains are closed due to snow and ice.

• Snow, rain, and extreme wind have forced the closure of most sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Until the weather improves and cleanup is completed, travel on the Parkway is not advised.

• Shenandoah National Park remains closed. Yesterday afternoon, rangers reported approximately 12 inches of snow at milepost 35 on Skyline Drive.

• In North Carolina, Mount Mitchell, Grandfather Mountain and Mount Jefferson are closed due to snow; hazardous road conditions exist near most mountain parks.

As the day progresses I will try to update this post with other closings and alerts for parks and national forests in the Smokies region.

For the latest updates on closings in the Great Smoky Mountains, please click here.

For updates on current weather and forecasts for the region, please visit the weather page on HikingintheSmokys.com.


Jeff
Hiking in the Smokies

Read More

High on LeConte

High on LeConte

Friday, March 12, 2010

2 comments

High on LeConte, that's the name of the new blog from the folks that run the Mt. LeConte Lodge.

As I mentioned in a posting earlier in the week, the winter caretaker at the LeConte Lodge is retiring his current website as of today, and has already launched a new one. In that same posting I mentioned that the management for the LeConte Lodge has decided to publish their own blog on their own website.

A couple of days after posting this article, a representative from the LeConte Lodge left this comment on the blog posting:

I would just like to share with you the new LeConte Lodge blog. The management just wanted a more permanent site that would be around for years to come. I hope you enjoy the new one as much as you liked Doug's. We are very grateful to him for watching the lodge this winter and sharing his experiences with you. I hope we are able to do the same. Check it out at www.highonleconte.com.

On the new site, the LeConte management states that:

It is our goal to give you the latest trail conditions, weather, and photos from atop Mt. LeConte.

Welcome to the blogosphere! I look forward to staying current on what's going on atop the mountain.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Read More

Mt. LeConte receives 20 inches of snow

Mt. LeConte receives 20 inches of snow

Saturday, December 19, 2009

No comments

Mt. LeConte received 20 inches of snow from yesterday's storm, including 3 foot drifts in places.

This information comes courtesy of an online report from Doug McFalls, the winter caretaker at the Mt. LeConte Lodge. He's using a broadband connection, powered by solar panels, to give the world photos and updates from his new blog, called "Life On LeConte".

This morning, Doug spent time digging out the out house - taking care of the important stuff atop LeConte!

You can check out his blog by clicking here.

Also, as of 10:33 this morning, the National Weather Service has no report on the amount of snow on Newfound Gap. Yesterday morning the Gap already had 4 inches of snow, while Mt. LeConte was reporting only a dusting. So, it's possible that the Gap has even more than 20 inches on the ground.

** Almost every road in the Smokies remains closed - please call the park hotline at (865) 436-1200 for the latest updates **


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

Read More

Leconte Lodge Seasonal Closing

Leconte Lodge Seasonal Closing

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

No comments

Another closing hikers should be aware of this time of year is with regards to the Mt. LeConte Lodge.

Although overnight accomodations at the lodge have been booked full for the season for some time, day hikers can still enjoy the opportunity to purchase a sit-down lunch, or a sack lunch to go, at the top of the mountain.

However, the lodge will close for the season after November 24, at which time those services will end until next spring.

For more information on hiking to the summit of Mt. LeConte, please click here.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Need new hiking gear? Check out Amazon's Outdoor Recreation Store

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Read More

Last of seasonal road closings in Smokies

Last of seasonal road closings in Smokies

Friday, November 21, 2008

No comments

The last of the seasonal road closing for Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be occurring over the next several days.

A few early snow and ice events have already temporarily closed Clingmans Dome Road on a couple of occasions in recent weeks. In fact, the road continues to be closed since last Saturday’s snow storm. With up to four more inches of snow predicted for today, I wouldn’t be surprised if the road remains closed for the rest of the season.

Officially, on December 1, the road will close for the winter. This will impact several trails along the road, including; Road Prong, Spruce-Fir, Sugarland Mountain, Fork Ridge, Noland Divide, Forney Creek, and Forney Ridge (Andrews Bald) trails.

Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail will also be closing on December 1. Trails impacted by this road closing include; Trillium Gap, Grapeyard Ridge, and Baskins Creek Trail.

The last road to shut-down for the season will be the Little Greenbrier Road, which will be closed on January 1. This closing will impact the Little Brier Gap Trail.

Of course all of the trails mentioned above will continue to be open but you may have problems reaching these particular trailheads.

You should also note that Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials recently announced on the park website that the Cades Cove Loop Road is tentatively scheduled to be closed on December 3-4 for hemlock woolly adelgid spraying. Closure dates may be adjusted due to weather.

One final closing hikers should be aware of is with regards to the Mt. LeConte Lodge. The Lodge will close for the season on November 26.

Jeff

Why burn gas and fight crowds and traffic at the malls? Enjoy the convenience of shopping from home or work. Just click on the Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store to find quality hiking gear and apparel from some of the best outdoor brands. We also have a wide variety of books related to hiking and the Smoky Mountains.

HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Read More