Alum Cave Bluff - Boulevard Trails

“Monday, May 27, 2002: Alum Cave Bluff - Boulevard Trails

We will hike up the Alum Cave Bluff Trail: 5.5 miles, and is the shortest, fastest, steepest and the most scenic. 2700' elevation change, and will return using the Boulevard Trail: 8.8 miles. Total for the day, including the additional short walk to Newfound Gap is about 16 miles.”

“I love the Boulevard trail, sounds like a full day, I hope you travel light. We did a 13 mile day hike from CS9-Spence field- Russell Field-CS10-CS9. That was enough for me.”

“Absolutely. All of the hikes described for the Memorial Day weekend need to be done running ultralight.

Food/water/headlamp/firstaid.”

“and map & compass (grin)”

“ya.. BARE essentials.”

“I want to do this hike again. I really miss Tennessee.”

“The Alum Cave Trail and Boulevard Trails have to be the most beautiful trails I have ever been on.”

“EarthNsky - I've actually been on the Alum Cave Trail!!! Loved it. But we have to get you on the John Muir Trail!”

“Alum Cave Trail last November and The Alum Cave trail and Boulevard trails in the Height of Fall Color last year The Alum cave and the Boulevard trails are probably the most scenic trails I have hiked anywhere. Huggins Hell is amazing.”

“alum cave is the pimp shiznit. i still havent done boulevard”

“the views from Inspiration Point, Cliff Tops and Myrtle Point are the best over looks I have ever been to. The Jump Off is no slacker overlook either!”

“call me or IM me dude..i'll head up the mtn with you.”

“ENS - you planning to go any time soon? I'd like to go sometime this winter. I've done Alum Cave as a day hike once before but not stayed overnight.”

“I want to. I will see what I can do. Before I post a trip, I will need to call the BC office and see how many spaces I can get in the shelter. It's hard to score spaces in that shelter, even in the winter.”

“I did the and in on the Boulevard Trail and an out on the Alum Bluff Cave Trail twice this year. It is easy doing it in that direction. Going up Alum Bluff Cave Trail is pretty steep. All are great views. What I like best is that in the daytime it all looks like vast wilderness as far as the eye can see, but at night, there are lights everywhere in the valleys, especially around Gatlingburg. I think the shelter would hold up to at least 12. You can only reserve up to eight spaces in a party - I think.

I wanna go again.”

“yeah you're right. Thing is that shelter fills up so fast. You can make a reservation 30 days in advance of your trip and the back country office opens up at 730am EST. I tried to schedule space in the shelter 3 times last year and only had luck getting 2 spots once. Everytime I called was right around 730 and was 30 days prior to the trip and the shelter was filled. The LeConte Shelter is the GSMNP's most popular shelter. Mt. LeConte is an awesome mountain though. The views and scenery along the Alum Cave trail is just so amazing. One time I hiked up LeConte on the Alum Cave trail and then took the Boulevard trail out to the AT and then the Sweat Heifer Trail down to the Kephart Shelter. That was about 17 miles in one day with quite a bit of elevation gain. That was a tough day. The next day I was going to hike back to my car at the Alum Cave Shelter and my knee was so sore from a fall I had on the scree coming off of LeConte just below Myrtle Point that I couldn't get up the hill on Kephart Mountain. I went back down to the shelter and hitched a ride back to my car with a couple that stayed in the shelter with me the night before.

Still, it was a most beautiful hike. The Boulevard Trail is pretty much a ridge walk, but the scenery is amazing. Alot of the time you are on a narrow ridge between 5500 and 6000 feet above sea level and there views on both sides.”

“EarthNsky - You almost make those trails sound like a walk in the park. They are, for someone in good to excellent condition. But for someone hiking in cold weather with a backpack loaded with preparations for an extreme weather change necessitating a prolonged trip, I would rate the trails as difficult. This would be on possible ratings of easy, moderate, difficult and extremely difficult.

Most of the Alum Cave Trail is easy walking, but with a steady uphill grade that averages about 500 feet elevation change per mile for about five miles. The lower, first mile is the easiest, gaining about 400 feet. One of the steepest parts is reached at about mile 2.5. The trail decends for a while from there and in the fourth mile it climbs over 700 feet. I consider above 500 feet per mile to be difficult and above 600 feet per mile to be extremely difficult.

The Boulevard Trail generates some difficulty, although much of the trail is easy walking without ankle-breaking rocks. After leaving the AT it drops almost 600 feet in the first mile. It then has some ups and downs as it regains that altitude during the next three miles. After a short level area, it climbs 600 feet in about 0.8 mile as it passes through the slide areas. That climb equates to about 750 feet per mile, before the trail slants downward some as the shelter is approached. The main difficulty with The Boulevard Trail in either direction is the final mile uphill climb as you enter the home stretch.

These trails may be easy for someone in excellent or better shape, but compared to other trails I have to rate them as difficult. I have gone the full length up and down on the Alum Cave trail once and have traversed The Boulevard Trail many times.

You are correct about the scenery and beautiful views from these trails. Mt. le Conte must be the prime overnight objective in the park.

Boy, I'm tired just thinking about hiking those trails.”

“well I just wish the trail head for both of those trails were in my back yard because they are quality trails, plus then I could hike to Mt. LeConte, the Jumpoff and Charlies Bunion when ever I wanted and even the Sawteeth would be in reach. That would rule!”

“
Looking at Mt. Guyot. This is a short side hike off of the Boulevard Trail and less than a mile from the shelter.”

“EarthNsky - Maybe you should give serious consideration to a relocation.

I have given serious consideration to the Bryson City area for the mountain hiking opportunities(for my health), but have declined the idea at my age. I have other interests and activities in my life which would be difficult to pursue in that area.”

“well I lived in Nashville for a few years and really liked the fact that the Smokies were a few hours a way, but my family was up in PA and I wanted to be close to them. The thing that sucks is that now I am not close to any of the big eastern mountains. The Adirondacks are 450 miles from me, the Whites are 500 and the Smokies and Blacks are 550. Mt. Katahdin is probably 700 miles from me. The one good thing is that I am fairly centally located to both the northern and southern big mountains. Plus WV and Shenandoah are pretty close.”

“Different ages, different perspectives. There's only about 50 years difference in nowslimmer and ENS' legs, and having hiked with ENS, he makes the difficult look easy. I'd rate the top half of the Alum Cave Bluff trail moderate to difficult, though I don't think it as difficult as the Rainbow Falls trail up LeConte, 4000' in 6.5 miles. I went up Rainbow Falls trail in March 2003 with a pack full of water training for climbing Mt. Rainier. That's what I call difficult, Rainier that is, 8700' in 8.5 miles.”

“Hey Tater, yeah we hiked together on the Black Mtn Crest trail and that is no walk in the woods and you were right up there in the front of the pack. Some of the mountains that you have under your belt are amazing. It was an honor to hike with you.”

“I did the Bulls Head trail last February and it kicked my butt moreso than any hike I have ever been on. The conditions that day were pretty bad though. It was pretty much a blizzard above 5000 feet.

I remember seeing a sign near the top that said "Mt. LeConte Lodge .6 miles" and thinking thank god! It seemed like it was more than an hour till I got to the lodge. I pretty much got to the shelter, ate and passed out.
last edited: 11/28/04 9:01:03 PM”

“couchtater - That's just a little more than I did July 4, 1987. Went up Mt. Fuji's Gotemba Trail from the bottom(the first of two Stage 1's) from about 4,000 feet to 12,388 feet.
”

“?
?? !!”

“that pic is awesome!

Here is another Mt. LeConte pic, taken on an unseasonably warm November day. It was 70 degrees in Gatlinburg and 45 and windy up on the top of LeConte! Beautiful hike!

last edited: 11/28/04 9:55:40 PM”

“
crap!
http://community.webshots.com/photo/123828443/123838314XRvjGL
last edited: 11/28/04 9:57:40 PM”

“Very nice.
(all three)”

“NS - I don't know that I'll ever get to Japan, but if I do, Fuji will be on the list to do. That's cool that you've done it.

I had to back out of going back to LeConte next month. I'd still like to go this winter, maybe late February. I'd like to do it before I go to Hawaii and hike Mauna Kea. Probably do it from the visitor's center starting at 9,000' Have you been there NS?”

“Sure have, while my five bypasses were healing. At Volcano NP there is an expensive lodge. Across the road they rented cabins for $25 per night. They slept about 4-8 people. Next to the cabins there was is a free campground. Camping was free in state and national campgrounds and only $1 per night in the county parks(1990-91). Mauna Loa used to be the most hiked of the two mountains.

BTW, I've been to Hawaii six or seven times. All but the last trip were on a full expense account, no work to do and each visit was for about two weeks.
last edited: 11/29/04 12:45:39 PM”

“I have not been on the Rainbow Falls Trail, Trillium Gap Trail or the Bushy Mountain trail. So muching hiking in the Mt. LeConte area. I am hoping to do a climb of Mt. LeConte up one of the manways this summer. I think it is Lowes Creek. It's supposed to be a scramble the entire way up.”

“I can't imagine how awesome the Alum Cave Trail is right now. Anyone hiking this trail anytime soon?”

“No plan to hike Alum Cave Bluff, but this morning a local radio station in Knoxville claimed there was 13 inches of snow on Mt. Le Conte. Also the high in Knoxville for the next five days is only in the low 40's, which is about 20 to 25 above 5,000 ft. So the snow wiil be there for a few days.”

“LeConte's top could be around 0 overnight and 10 for highs. In February I was in Gatlinburg when it was 50 degrees and when I got up to the top of LeConte it was hovering around 0. That night it dropped to -4.”

“hmm....snow on leconte huh? that would be a lot shorter of a drive for me then WV??? heeheehee...

na, i wouldn't do that...i am going to WV...but i want to do leconte soon.”

“that snow will be there for a while.”

“If it was 50 in Gatlinburg and 0 on Le Conte something strange was going on. The norm is 15 to 20 degrees colder than Knoxville. If its cloudy at night the low may only be 10 degrees colder, but on a clear night you can bet on 20 degrees colder.”

“http://www2.nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/parks/grsmpkcam/grsmpkcam.htm

heh... looks pretty cold.”

“Guess I've got to get modern or hep. So, it looks like it snowed 3-4 inches of ozone last night.”

“I may end up car camping at Cades Cove campgrounds for a few days after Christmas. Hit some of the trails around that area. Drive over to Newfound Gap and take the AT to Clingmans Dome or Charlies Bunion.
Shouldn't be many tourist that time of yr.”

“

I bet the Bunion would be an awesome site in the winter. Good view of Mt. LeConte from there!”

“

Mt. LeConte is in the clouds, but if the clouds clear it would reveal the snow capped mountain top. I bet she looks pretty white.”

“ewker, that sounds like fun. keep me posted if you're not planning on going solo.”

“ductape, I will not be going solo. The lady I am dating wants to go. It will be her first time camping in the winter. I do see a motel night in there at least once...lol”

“What trails are you going to hike Ewker?

Are you going to hike the Alum Cave Trail? Get out your crampons. lol”

“it's cold in dem hills”

“bump”