13.8 mile loop climb up to Mount LeConte starting at Cherokee Orchard Road. I traveled up Rainbow Falls Trail and returned via Bull Head Trail.
Elevation profile for the 4000' climb up to Mount LeConte
Newfound Gap Road - Mom and calf elk grazing in the early morning.
Newfound Gap Road - Elk grazing in the morning
Cherokee Orchard Road - The trailhead for Rainbow Falls Trail - getting ready to start around 8 AM.
Rainbow Falls Trail - Heading up the rocky trail
Rainbow Falls Trail - Rocky hemlock forest beside LeConte Creek
Rainbow Falls Trail - LeConte Creek
Rainbow Falls Trail - Big trees and big rocks
Rainbow Falls Trail - Big trees beside LeConte Creek
Rainbow Falls Trail - Big trees
Rainbow Falls Trail - Huge downed hemlocks
Rainbow Falls Trail - A giant hemlock stump
Rainbow Falls Trail - Uphill immediately on Rainbow Falls Trail
Rainbow Falls Trail - A beautiful cascade on LeConte Creek
Rainbow Falls Trail - The rugged early part of this trail was stunning
Rainbow Falls Trail - Ridge views opening up
Rainbow Falls Trail - A view of today's return route
Rainbow Falls Trail - The first of many impressive boulder formations beside the trail
Rainbow Falls Trail - Giant boulders beside the trail
Rainbow Falls Trail - A huge fallen tree rests in amongst the rocks
Rainbow Falls Trail - The trail now rising above LeConte Creek
Rainbow Falls Trail - Approaching the first cascade area
Rainbow Falls Trail - A nice cascade of LeConte Creek
Rainbow Falls Trail - A big dead giant hemlock
Rainbow Falls Trail - Views of Rocky Spur Ridge
Rainbow Falls Trail - Another cascade
Rainbow Falls Trail - Rainbow Falls warning sign, which nobody seems to pay attention to
Rainbow Falls Trail - Rainbow Falls
Rainbow Falls Trail - One of the boisterous red squirrels
Rainbow Falls Trail - This rascal nearly stole David's Snickers bar.
Rainbow Falls Trail - The female - she chased her male competition away.
Rainbow Falls Trail - Above the falls trees grow on a rock outcrop
Rainbow Falls Trail - Climbing up
Rainbow Falls Trail - One of the cool caves
Rainbow Falls Trail - LeConte Creek higher up the ridge
Rainbow Falls Trail - Looking at West Point from trail
Rainbow Falls Trail - West Point from the trail
Rainbow Falls Trail - Indian pipe
Rainbow Falls Trail - Witch hobble showing the first Fall color of the season
Rainbow Falls Trail - A cool drooping branch hanging over the trail
Rainbow Falls Trail - Red (pink) turtlehead wildflower were very common on today's walk
Rainbow Falls Trail - Mushrooms
Rainbow Falls Trail - Heading higher up now into the spruce-fir forest
Rainbow Falls Trail - Views of Balsam Point and West Point from the trail
Rainbow Falls Trail - I was due to have some great views until the clouds rolled in around 11 AM.
Rainbow Falls Trail - 5.5 miles up the trail is this spur
Rainbow Falls Trail - A fallen fraser fir
Rainbow Falls Trail - This was today's 'view' from Rocky Spur Overlook
Rainbow Falls Trail - Looking back down from the overlook
Rainbow Falls Trail - No views today
Rainbow Falls Trail - Made it to the Bull Head Trail intersection, but I still had another 700' of elevation to climb.
Rainbow Falls Trail - My hiking buddy Susan
Rainbow Falls Trail - Continuing up the trail towards LeConte
Rainbow Falls Trail - Thick spruce and rocks
Rainbow Falls Trail - Alum Cave Trail intersection. I was here in March when it was a giant block of ice.
Rainbow Falls Trail - Rocky trail through the beautiful spruce-fir forest
Rainbow Falls Trail - Whew! We reached LeConte Lodge after a 4000' climb!
LeConte Lodge
Jazzy new signs at the LeConte Lodge
Proof of my visit to LeConte Lodge
Coneflower at LeConte Lodge
Coneflower, bee balm, and Monkshood at LeConte Lodge
From the deck of the Dining Room at LeConte Lodge
New feature this year, the dining room now serves us lowly day-hikers. :o)
Looking at High Top (elevation 6593') and Myrtle Point from the deck of the Dining Room at LeConte Lodge
From the deck of the Dining Room at LeConte Lodge - although the views were socked in, the coneflower was stunning up here
Dining Room at LeConte Lodge
LeConte Lodge - More jazzy new signs
Inside the LeConte Lodge office
LeConte Lodge - 60 degrees at 2 PM on August 15, not bad
LeConte Lodge - One last look before heading downhill
Rainbow Falls Trail - We skipped this spur over to Cliff Tops due to the foggy conditions
Bull Head Trail
Bull Head Trail - A look at Rocky Spur
Bull Head Trail - A cool mini mushroom
Bull Head Trail - Grass of Parnassus (thanks Smoky Scout for the ID)
Bull Head Trail - Views of the Rocky Spur Ridge that I walked uphill this morning
Bull Head Trail - Red (pink) turtlehead and Grass of Parnassus
Bull Head Trail - A bee enjoys the Grass of Parnassus
Bull Head Trail - Grass of Parnassus
Bull Head Trail - Typically there are great views of Rocky Spur on the return route down Bull Head Trail, but not today
Bull Head Trail - Lots of lush thickets of fern and moss along the upper part of this trail
Bull Head Trail - Approaching thick ferns
Bull Head Trail - I forgot the name of this stuff
Bull Head Trail - This massive rock reminded me of Devils Courthouse
Bull Head Trail - Looking at the laurel slicks across the ridge
Bull Head Trail - Bull Head Trail had many impressive Thunderhead sandstone formations
Bull Head Trail - Looking back across Bull Head and Sugarland Mountain
Bull Head Trail - CCC work
Bull Head Trail - A beautiful view of the Little Pigeon River drainage
Bull Head Trail - The second ridge is Sugarland Mountain across 441.
Bull Head Trail - More CCC-era culvert work
Bull Head Trail - 'The Pulpit' built by the CCC in the 1930s
Bull Head Trail - The overgrown view from 'The Pulpit'
Bull Head Trail - Looking back at Balsam Point
Bull Head Trail - More massive stone - pictures don't do justice
Bull Head Trail - Massive stone next to a huge dead hemlock
Bull Head Trail - A huge hemlock grew and died atop this sandstone plateau
Bull Head Trail - More ridge views
Bull Head Trail - On the trip home there was decent-sized herd of elk grazing, but I was too tired (i.e. lazy) to get out the car to get a decent picture.
