Trillium Gap Trail
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The Trillium Gap Trail is an
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hiking trail A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. " ...
in the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southeastern United States, southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline o ...
, in Sevier County,
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
. The trail ascends Mount Le Conte, one of the tallest (sixth highest) mountains east of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
and passes both Grotto Falls and Trillium Gap before reaching the LeConte Lodge, near the summit. The trail to Grotto Falls is one of the busiest in the national park.


Vital information

* The Trillium Gap Trail is one of the five trails leading to the Le Conte
massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...
, which contains four separate peaks in all, the highest of which has an elevation of . * The trail is the only horse trail on Le Conte and is traveled three times a week by
llama The llama (; or ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a List of meat animals, meat and pack animal by Inca empire, Andean cultures since the pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with ...
s transporting supplies to the LeConte Lodge, except during the winter season, when the lodge is temporarily closed. * The trailhead is located inside of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, about from the town of
Gatlinburg, Tennessee Gatlinburg is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. It is located southeast of Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville and had a population of 3,577 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a popular mountain resort town, as it ...
, off the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.


Landmarks/overlooks

* Roaring Fork * Grotto Falls * Trillium Gap * Brushy Mountain (0.4 mile spur trail from Trillium Gap)


Trail synopsis


Trailhead to Grotto Falls

The Trillium Gap Trail begins its journey up the northern face of Mount Le Conte in an old-growth Eastern Hemlock grove, at an elevation close to 3,200 ft (975 m). Although very easy (only rising in elevation over the first 1.5 miles), this portion of the trail does contain many small creek crossings, so the hiker may want to brush up on his/her rock hopping skills prior to taking on the trail. After the third small stream, Roaring Fork sidles up along the path, signalling the soon-approaching Grotto Falls at . Here Roaring Fork tumbles thirty feet (9 m) over the falls, which the trail actually passes behind on its way to Trillium Gap and points beyond. Grotto Falls is one of the most picturesque waterfalls in the park, and inasmuch can draw quite the crowd on certain days.


Grotto Falls to Trillium Gap

Once the hiker crosses the sometimes treacherous Roaring Fork (particularly after heavy rains), s/he begins a more steady ascent towards Le Conte. The trail here becomes more narrow and progressively rockier, a combination of the gain in elevation and loss of heavy activity along the trail. About a mile past the falls, the path enters into an expansive boulder field, where yet another small creek plummets down towards Roaring Fork. At the trail comes to Trillium Gap, tucked snugly between the peaks of Le Conte and nearby Brushy Mountain. Springtime hikers will be delighted by the brilliant carpeting of wildflowers underneath the American beech grove that dominates the area. The Brushy Mountain Trail extends to the left of the gap, which, if taken less than a half mile, offers excellent views of Le Conte and even the towns of
Pigeon Forge Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,343 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Situated north of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Pigeon Forge is a tourist destinatio ...
and Sevierville from Brushy Mountain.


Trillium Gap to the LeConte Lodge

After leaving Trillium Gap, the trail continues climbing for towards its terminus. Along the way the hiker passes through a heath bald, similar to that found on Brushy Mountain, which is created in exposed, high elevation, areas where the soil is thin and heath family plants dominate. About a mile past the heath bald, the trail enters the fraser and spruce fir zone prevalent in the higher peaks of the Smokies. Fantastic views of the towns of Sevier County are available here when weather permits, sometimes even extending to the outskirts of
Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
, as the hiker closes in on the LeConte Lodge. The LeConte Lodge provides the only commercial lodging in the national park, as it operates about 10 rustic cabins with no electricity or appliances. The Lodge also operates an office which provides t-shirts and other merchandise for hikers and various amenities for guests of the lodge. For many, this signals the end of their journey, but the actual peaks of Le Conte all have separate trails a short distance from the lodge, with Cliff Tops and Myrtle Point each offering expansive panoramas of the mountains and valleys below.


Maps and Directions


Topographic Maps

The Trillium Gap Trail is shown on the following 1:24,000-scale topographic maps published by the National Park Service:


References

;Notes ;Sources * *


External links


Local Hikes Trail Description




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