Apr 30, 2016 — Mount LeConte is a popular high point within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I wanted to hike to it via a longer loop than the more common approach from Alum Cave. For this hike, I started from the Rainbow Falls Trail and followed this popular hike to Rainbow Falls. After passing the falls, the trail had a bit more solitude and began to gain much more elevation. Mossy and heavily forested, the Rainbow Falls Trail continued along the northwestern ridge of Mount LeConte. It reached a junction with the Bull Head Trail. I'd be returning to this junction later to make a loop, but first I headed east to the summit of Mount LeConte. The summit area is quite developed, a popular camping area for backpackers.
I took in the exceptional views from the summit of Mount LeConte before backtracking to the Bull Head Trail. This led west along the ridge crest for a while before descending to the north through more pretty forest. This took me to the Old Sugarlands Trail, an old converted road, back to the trailhead.
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