The LeConte Vertical Mile Challenge - Great Smoky Mountains

A Thanksgiving Day Hike! One that was on my list for a long time, the LeConte Vertical Mile Challenge isn't for everyone, but is a great challenge for a lot of hikers to complete. and I've seen a lot do just that. The rules here are simple - start anywhere on River Road in Gatlinburg, TN north of LeConte Creek (to ensure you start at a low enough elevation). Dip your hand or foot in the river, start your watch/tracker, then, hike/run up to High Top on Mt. LeConte (6,593') by any route of your choosing. Return to the river and touch the water once more to complete the challenge (stopping your watch at that point). Doing so ensures you gain (and lose) a net 5,280' in elevation equating to one mile. This is also a highly contested FKT (not for me, lol) and to count your official time, you must not at any point stop/pause your tracker until you are done, including for any breaks, snacks, conversations, photos, etc. TOTAL time is what matters here (not just moving time).
This was a great Thanksgiving day for me and this was the first of three back-to-back hiking challenges I completed Th-Sa. The weather wasn't ideal as it was cold and wet, but that also helped me keep my focus as a day of self-reflection and thanks. Getting to Gatlinburg early ensured I could park on River Road (for free), right beside the river, which is the start point for this challenge. My chosen route was up Cherokee Orchard Rd to Twin Creeks Trail to Rainbow Falls Trail to Blvd to High Top -- then back to the lodge and down Bull Head to Cherokee Orchard Rd back to the river. I did see a few Thanksgiving refugees (turkeys) along Twin Creeks and Rainbow Falls was as full as I have personally seen it. Past the falls, the trail was essentially an unavoidable stream itself for 90% of the hike to High Top. Coming down Bull Head really wasn't much better in this regard. I saw a handful of people en route to Rainbow Falls, but only 1 person past the falls on this trail. The shelter seemed to have 7-8 people there as I passed by, and I only saw 2 people when I briefly stopped at the lodge restroom area on the way down. I literally saw zero people on Bull Head. 22 miles, 7h 20m total time from river to High Top to river (no tracker pauses). A good day, a great hike, a wonderful challenge!

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👣 Trail Stats
Total Distance Hiked: 22mi
Total Elevation Gain: 5,400'
Total Time: 7h 20m
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