Mount Le Conte via Rainbow Falls Trail (Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee)

After my Jeep Rubicon was totaled late last year, I gave a lot of thought to what my next vehicle might be. While I loved my Jeep, it seems like a overkill living near Atlanta now. I decided to change it up a bit and bought a Subaru Outback with the Wilderness Edition package. One of the reasons, I chose this car was the possibility of sleeping in the back of it. After arriving at my campsite last night at Elkmont on the western side of Great Smoky Mountain National Park, I decided this night would be my first experiment with that use case. It worked out very well and I slept comfortable with the ability to fully extend myself. That's a good thing because I have a lot of miles to tackle today on the trail. 

Mount Le Conte rises to 6,593 feet and is the third highest mountain within the park. I visited and climbed it from the southern face (Alum Cave Trail) a couple of years ago, but today, I wanted to attack it from the north. The Rainbow Falls trail offers such an opportunity. While not quite as steep, today's trail is a couple of miles longer.

Wanting to get an early start, as I know the parking lot will fill quickly, I broke camp (meaning, I changed clothes and drove away) and headed into Gatlinburg to try and find a quick breakfast. Unfortunately, nothing fast was open yet and I had to settle for a pack of crumb donuts from a gas station just to get some calories in me. I might regret that later.

Pulling into the trailhead parking lot, there were already several cars here, but I was able to get a nearby spot without any trouble. After checking my gear and using the restroom, I hit the trail about 7:45 AM and began the ascent. The trail follows Le Conte Creek for the majority of the way up and offers ample opportunity for great pictures. This forest is lush, with the green hues almost saturating what the human eye can absorb. The trail itself is well maintained, but quite rocky and requires a certain level of focus to prevent injury. Speaking of injury, I took a short detour to get a picture shooting up the creek and while stepping on a large boulder, it rolled under my weight and scratched up my shin pretty good. It's not a serious injury by any means, but it sure does sting.

The trail crosses over the creek in a couple of places along very unique bridges, which I have only seen in this park. Essentially, it is a toppled log with the top side cut to offer a flat walking surface. A rail has then been attached on just one side. It's very sturdy and offers no real challenge, but I just find it interesting the builders only put that one rail on. Luckily, there were no pubs to be found at the trailhead to assist me in impairing my balance.

I'm making good time for now; those donuts are fueling me well, but with the trail continuing a relentless climb up the mountain, I'm not sure how long this sugar rush will last. I pass a small waterfall and take a minute to get a picture or two as I pass. I question whether or not this is Rainbow Falls, but the lack of tourists and the small size of this waterfall leads me to believe it is not the namesake of this trail.

Just a bit further though, I do reach Rainbow Falls and as predicted there are a lot more people here. They are very friendly though and not blocking my shot. This waterfall is actually a ways up a hill covered with boulders that must get washed further down with heavy rains. The waterfall itself is probably thirty yards from the trail and pours over a giant cliff that is probably eighty feet tall over a single drop. There isn't a massive flow of water right now, but I can imagine on a sunny day after a hard rain, this waterfall would be amazing and with the sunbeams hitting the mists through the tree canopy, it's not hard to imagine how it got it's name.

I chat with a couple of folks here and we discuss options for looping back along a different trail. I explain my plans and we look at the map together. There really is no option though unless one wants to put in the big-ish miles I'm planning to do. They decide to go back they way they came and I continue past the falls and continue the relentless uphill. 

The sugar rush is starting to wear off and I can feel some fatigue. I've still got about 2.5 miles to go and another 2,000 feet or so to climb. I'm not in bad shape, but I just feel that my energy levels are low. I push on though and continue up the trail, which now begins a series of long switchbacks through the forest. The trail here is notably less traveled, as the foliage has not been beaten back by the masses of hikers that likely travel to the waterfall. I imagine only a few of the hikers of this trail continue past the waterfall, but today I'm one of them that will.

In a few places along this part, there is an incredibly steep drop off and I think about who the rains must occasionally wash parts of this trail out. No sooner do I finish the thought than I come upon a section where a large boulder has recently slid down from above and blocked the trail along section. I'm able to climb over it without much problem, but I could definitely imagine this entire trial simply sliding down the mountain if conditions were right.

Past the rockslide, a burn area comes into view. hundreds of dead white trees rise up the mountainside and above the younger green growth. The fire that caused this was probably ten or more years ago, but the scars remain. It's always refreshing to see life returning though and the new growth below ensure the continuity of this landscape.

Eventually, the Rainbow Falls Trail merges with the Bulls Heat Trail and then together with the Alum Cave Trail (which I hiked previously) before dumping out at the Le Conte Lodge, the highest inn in the eastern US. The lodge is not truly at the high point of the mountain, but it's going to be my end point for today. I summited last time I was here. I'm hoping to purchase a snack or sandwich here, but it seems the gift shop doesn't open for another hour and the dining hall is only available to registered guests. I've entered the lottery the last couple of years to stay here at the lodge, but haven't yet met with success. I take a seat on a nearby bench and settle for the snacks I brought with me, which includes two clif bars and a pack of lemon peel scented green olives. It's not much, but it will do for now.

After a short rest, I head back the way I came. I had thoughts of returning on the Bulls Head Trail, but as it is a little longer and I'm already running a little behind schedule I decide the Rainbow Falls Trail will be fine to double back on. I'm not on a super tight schedule, but I did tell my wife that I would be home sometime in the later afternoon today and as it stands, I'm pushing a 6 PM arrival already.

The return trip is pretty uneventful, though the constant downhill is worrisome for my knees. Expecting this, I brought my hiking poles and while I generally find them annoying and unnecessary, they do take some of the pressure off my knees on steep descents when used correctly. This is one of those times. As I've already seen much of the scenery on the way up, I push pretty hard to get back to the parking area.

I do decide to take one slight detour though. The top of Mount Le Conte has four peaks and none of them offer great views due to the tree growth. On the way up, I saw a sign for the Rocky Spur Overlook and decide to take this side trail this time. That was mistake. The side-trail, though short, is overgrown and I have to fight my way through rhododendron and other bushes to get to the overlook, which itself is pretty overgrown. With no view to be had, I return on the other half of the loop disappointed. After returning to the main trail, I inform a couple of hikers on their way up of the nature of the spur trail to save them the trouble.

As I get closer to Rainbow Falls again, I begin passing hikers in huge numbers. It's around noon and most of the tourists have risen from their breakfast buffets and want to get outside and explore the park now. Most are very pleasant though and without being asked, move aside and allow me to pass them when they see the pace I'm traveling at.

Finally getting back to my car, I take a deep breath and a big gulp of water. It's been quite a workout. I just completed a 14.2 mile hike with over 4,000 feet of elevation gain. I'm tired, sweaty, stinky, hungry and ready to go home. I'll have to figure out which order to address those conditions on the drive. Overall, this was a great workout. I think I prefer the trail from Alum Caves to this one, but I'm glad I've now complete both and can compare.