trail. It is the most scenic and most often used trail to the summit. The Boulevard Trail — from the Appalachian Trail ( from Newfound Gap). The Boulevard begins on the crest of the Great Smoky Mountains on the Appalachian Trail, east of Newfound Gap. It never dips below . Bullhead Trail — . The least traveled path, it offers the most solitude. Rainbow Falls Trail — . LeConte Creek runs alongside the trail until Rainbow Falls, the single highest drop of water in the national park. Trillium Gap Trail — . The trail passes behind Grotto Falls, the only opportunity to walk behind a waterfall in the park. Trillium Gap offers spring wildflowers and a short spur hike to Brushy Mountain, the only horse trail on the mountain. The llama trains that supply the lodge use this trail. Starting the Trillium Gap Trail at the Trillium Gap parking lot shortens the climb by , making this a trail. The combined traffic of these five trails makes Mount Le Conte one of the most heavily traversed mountains in the park. The Alum Cave and Rainbow Falls trails in particular tend to become overcrowded with visitors seeking rewarding payoffs just a few miles into the trails. Hikers can stay in an Appalachian Trail style shelter overnight for $4, limited to 12 spots, with a backcountry permit and reservations from the National Park Service. The area was affected by the 2016 Southeastern United States wildfires. The park, including the area around Mt. Le Conte, was evacuated during the disaster. References USGS Mount Le Conte Brief History of Mount Le Conte Vital Statistics from Peak Bagger Newspaper Article Addressing Namesake Confusion Manning, Russ and Sondra Jamieson. The Best of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Norris, TN; Mountain Laurel Press, 1991. National Weather Service Regional Max/Min Temp and Precipitation Table External links LeConte Lodge Homepage Smoky Mountain landforms Mountains of Tennessee Southern Sixers Mountains of Great Smoky Mountains National Park Protected areas of Sevier County, Tennessee Mountains of Sevier County, Tennessee Mountain huts in the United States