MtLeconte.com Hike

Hello Ed and Friends,

Toni and I went down to Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg last week. We did more shopping

then hiking but did manage to hike a short way up to 'no-name' falls and a bit above. Drove into the park and stopped at the visitor center to pick up some items and then headed toward Townsend and the Smokie Mountain Institute (SMI). The river was very low, the lowest I've seen in the park for the 24 years we have been coming to visit the park.

Turned into the cove road then up the SMI road (old rail bed) and drove up slowly stopping to watch people fly fish and take in the views. Ending up at where the old town use to be, lots of horse trailers and cars / trucks. But did manage to find a parking spot.

It's a very easy trail, lots of tall trees and pretty level trail. We met a few people and stopped to chat. I found a very nice hiking stick and gave it to a gentleman hiking up, as he was going to go up Alum Bluffs trail the next day and needed one.

Toni doesn't have any problems hiking up to the un-named falls, which has very nice resting bench so we can sit and listen to the falls.

We then went farther up trail to what I call the "Margaret Stevenson Falls". I had the privilege to walk up this trail with Margaret and a companion years back. She showed me wild flowers and this little falls and stated she always wanted to stop and eat lunch here. It is just off the main trail at the bend just above the falls. I can see why she liked this spot so well, very peaceful and a nice area to rest and watch the water heading to the large falls just below. The sun was just right and a small rainbow was showing. ( you can just barely see if off the left in the mist)

In the spring, this is a great trail for wild flowers, there's a more open area above here toward Panther Creek. I hope to check it out more this coming spring and explore a bit father up trail.

Not much in colors yet, then we saw many leaves just falling off the trees. The parking lot at Alum Bluff trail head was packed, many cars along the road.