Parking
The Alum Cave Trail is an extremely popular hike in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It is located 11 miles southeast of Gatlinburg and the drive on curvy scenic roads in the parks takes about 30 minutes.
Due to its popularity, the parking area at the trailhead fills up by 7am. If you are not an early riser, you can go around 2pm to get a spot as the parking lot clears once the early birds finish up.
Hiking Alum Cave Trail
The Alum Cave Trail is an 11 mile out-and-back hike that gains over 3,000 feet in 5.5 miles to Mount LeConte. Though the elevation gain is moderate, with the length, the trek is rated difficult on AllTrails.
Most visitors to Great Smoky Mountain National Park, however, do a shorter version of the hike to Alum Cave. The hike to Alum Cave is approximately 5 miles and gains 1,200 feet, most of which comes toward the end.
The beginning of the trail crosses the creek via a log bridge and passes through an old growth forest. The moisture along the path supports the growth of lichen and fungi. In this section, there are also many lovely views of the creek with small water falls who mist sprays in the air.
Features on Alum Cave Trail
The path continues to Arch Rock, a cool formation for instagrammable shots, as the trail climbs a series of stairs right through the tunnel. From this point, about 1.3 miles in, the trail increases in elevation at a more noticeable rate.
After about a mile, hikers are rewarded with views of Little Duck Hawk Ridge, from a rocky outcrop called Inspiration Point. There are also many rhododendrons that bloom beautiful pink flowers in May and June.
From Inspiration Point it is only a quarter mile to Alum Cave which features tall rock formations of orange clay. It is a perfect place to rest for a snack and the squirrels know it as the cautiously hover around you. The bluff also serves as a great shelter during sporadic spring rainstorms.
Overall, the Alum Cave Trail offers a big bang for your buck with lots of interesting features. It is definitely a clear winner in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
Tip
If you plan on hiking in Great Smoky Mountain National Park, consider planning your visit during the synchronous fireflies mating season. It is truly spectacular! ETB
We have just spent a few days staying in the Smoky Mountains using Gatlinburg as our base. Loved it!
Yes. Lots to do!
You can’t go wrong with hiking in the Smokies 🙂 And this looks like a really excellent hike
I loved this hike when I did it a few years ago, thanks for the trip down memory lane. Also, apologies for the multiple notifications, I accidentally hit the unsubscribe button.
Well thanks for resubscribing!