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All 33 Great Smoky Mountains National Park Attractions »

Alum Cave Trail

Newfound Gap Road, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
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Alum Cave Trail
The entrance to Arch Rock.
trail cleared up for our descent
Hike through a small cave
22 visitor photos
Ranked #6 of 33 attractions in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
5.0 of 5 stars 21 Reviews
Type: Hiking Trails
Activities: Hiking, Viewing wildlife
Description: One of the most popular hikes in the park, it is the quick route to Mt. LeConte Lodge.
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21 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    19
    2
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Date Rating
pla_orange
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Alum Cave Trail - very nice”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 8, 2012

Took a group of 17 up this trail. It is not that difficult, and has a lot of nice features - follow the creek for a while, bridges across the creek, climbing through the arch, and the cave itself. It's hard to tell how large the "cave" is from pictures, but it was a cool and different hiking destination. More

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Fort Myers, Florida
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
“Fantastic Hike”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 7, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

We are rookie hikers and this trail was definitely a challenge for us by the end (also should mention that we're both relatively wimpy native Floridians) but so awesome and so definitely worth it. We went very slowly due to both our rookie tendency to pick slowly over the rockier parts and because the trail is so mind blowingly beautiful.... More

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Ohio
Senior Contributor
32 reviews 32 reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Our favorite hike.”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 23, 2012

A great hike. We really enjoyed stopping part way up on the bluffs and the cave was so neat to look up and watch rain drops fall. Do wear hiking boots, take plenty of water for everyone, take a snack to munch on when you get to the cave. Only use half of your water on the way to the... More

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Anniston, Alabama
Senior Contributor
22 reviews 22 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
“Great Hike, one of the Smokies best.”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 28, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

From an relatively easy lower section to the more strenuous climb to the "cave" this hike is pure bliss. Arch rock, inspiration point, the eye of the needle, pure Smoky Mountain beauty. More

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Derry, New Hampshire
Top Contributor
70 reviews 70 reviews
Reviews in 30 cities Reviews in 30 cities
39 helpful votes 39 helpful votes
“Great Hike, some challenges along the way!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 3, 2012

We made this hike on a misty day and hiked right up into the clouds. By noon the weather had cleared and made it seem like a different trail on the way down. Great hike, love the beauty of the Smoky's! More

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Knoxville, Tennessee
Top Contributor
122 reviews 122 reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
48 helpful votes 48 helpful votes
“Icy trail, but well worth the effort”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 6, 2012

The trail is covered with hard packed snow/ice in the winter, but when you get to the bluff, it is as if no sign of winter existed. More

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Cleveland, Tennessee
Top Contributor
56 reviews 56 reviews
Reviews in 29 cities Reviews in 29 cities
29 helpful votes 29 helpful votes
“Bring your camera and make many memorable photos”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 13, 2012
2
people found this review helpful

I woudn't consider this trail super difficult although there are stretches that we did stop and rest. I'm not an avid year round hiker, but I would consider myself fit. Some people in our group were very sore the next day. This trail is very diverse in what you see along the way. You begin through almost a "rainforest" type... More

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New Orleans, Louisiana
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“Beautiful”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 5, 2012

Apparently very popular hike, but we went in jan. very icy , be careful! Fun! More

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Avon, Ohio
Top Contributor
105 reviews 105 reviews
Reviews in 29 cities Reviews in 29 cities
79 helpful votes 79 helpful votes
“Beautiful Hike to Oddity of Nature”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed December 10, 2011
1
person found this review helpful

The Alum Cave Trail was our favorite hike in the Smokies. A wonderful hike through a temperate rainforest with some climbing ending at Alum Cave, one of the driest places on Earth, More

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Pelham, Alabama
Top Contributor
67 reviews 67 reviews
Reviews in 20 cities Reviews in 20 cities
27 helpful votes 27 helpful votes
“Great day hike”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed December 2, 2011
1
person found this review helpful

This was my first time hiking to LeConte and I think this is a great trail to get to the top. It's one of the most beautiful trails I've seen. We got there about 7:30 in the am and made it to the top by 10:30. We hung out around the top for about an hour and made the trek... More

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Alum Cave Trail
Newfound Gap Road
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
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