Alum Cave
| Trail Features: | Views, Geological Features |  |
|||
| Trail Location: | Newfound Gap Road | ||||
| Roundtrip Length: | 4.4 Miles | ||||
| Total Elevation Gain: | 1125 Feet | ||||
| Avg. Elev Gain / Mile: | 511 Feet | ||||
| Highest Elevation: | 4955 Feet | ||||
| Trail Difficulty Rating: | 6.65 (moderate) | ||||
| Parking Lot Latitude | 35.63014 | ||||
| Parking Lot Longitude | -83.44936 | ||||
Directions to Trailhead:
From the Sugarlands Visitor Center near
Gatlinburg, drive
8.7 miles south along Newfound Gap Road to the Alum Cave Trailhead. The
parking
lot will be on your left. Due to the popularity of the Alum Cave Trail,
there
are two parking lots for this trailhead. To ensure a spot, you may want
to get
here early during peak hiking season, as well as any nice weekend
throughout
the year.
Trail Description:
The first section of the Alum Cave Trail, up to Arch Rock, is a fairly gentle climb. You'll follow Alum Cave Creek for the first mile. Then, just before reaching Arch Rock, the trail begins to follow the smaller Styx Branch. This section of trail is choked with rhododendron, offering beautiful blooms in early summer.
The night before our hike a strong storm
blew through the
Smokies, dropping marble-sized hail which still littered the trail that
morning. Guests returning from their stay at the LeConte Lodge the
night before
reported that the top of the mountain received nearly six inches of
hail. They
also related how they watched an incredible display of lightning below
them
before the storm moved up and over the mountain.
At just over 1.3 miles from the trailhead you'll reach Arch Rock, the first prominent landmark along the trail. The arch was formed by freezing and thawing which eroded away the softer rock from underneath the harder rock. The trail actually goes under the arch and requires a climb of several steps etched into the stone before exiting at the top.
Roughly two miles from the trailhead hikers will reach the appropriately named Inspiration Point; with its commanding views of Little Duck Hawk Ridge towards the west, and Myrtle Point near the top of Mount LeConte towards the northeast. The Eye of the Needle, a hole in the rock at the top of Little Duck Hawk Ridge, can also be seen from Inspiration Point.
A much better view of the Eye can be had
just a little further up the trail. While descending the trail on our return
trip we
watched two Peregrine Falcons as they playfully swooshed through the
air near
the Eye. By the way, Peregrine Falcons are also known as Duck Hawks.
At 2.2 miles you'll reach Alum Cave, which really isn't a cave, but is actually a concaved bluff, about 80 feet in height, and roughly 500 feet in length. During the warmer months of the year water drips off from the ledges above. In the winter these droplets turn into large icicles.
The first two times we hiked to Alum Cave we were forced to dodge icicles falling from the top of the bluff, some as long as 3 feet. Every couple of minutes an icicle would drop down like an incoming missile and explode on the rocks around us. We were forced to time our entry and exits into the cave in order to avoid shrapnel, or worse yet, a direct hit. Needless to say, extreme caution is needed here during such conditions.
Fortunately we didn't have to worry about
icicles on this day,
but we did have the additional obstacle of several inches of
accumulated hail.
The last 50 feet to the cave is normally a bit of a slog, even with the
help of
steps and cables. However, on this day, we were forced to climb through
enough
hail to completely bury the steps.
It's all worth it though. The views here are great.
Alum Cave has some interesting history behind it as well. The Epsom Salts Manufacturing Company was established at Alum Cave in 1838. Until it was sold in 1854, the company mined epsom salt, which was used by mountain folk to dye homespun clothing a reddish brown.
During the Civil War the Confederate Army mined saltpeter out of the cave, which they used to manufacture gunpowder.
Of course the Alum Cave Trail continues up to the summit of 6593-foot Mount LeConte. If you're considering going to the top you can click here for more information.
