LeConte Lodge

Of the 13 million visitors who annually flock to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, fewer than one in a thousand are fortunate enough to spend a night at the LeConte Lodge. Continuing over 100 years of service, Eastern America’s highest lodge still operates with a waiting list, thriving so far off the grid that laundry is transported by llamas and food is ferried in by helicopter. Visitors must brave one of six trails to the Lodge’s entrance, the shortest of which is five miles. Despite its remote location in Tennessee, LeConte Lodge remains a prominent tourist destination as it celebrates its centennial.
Written by two journalists who have been making the trek for decades, this book reveals a history that predates the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The book features stories that contextualize the Lodge’s development, from the log bunkhouse that marked the property in the 1920s to the flourishing Lodge there today. It also explores the history of Mount Le Conte, the namesake peak that houses the Lodge.

Tom Layton is print editor for the international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse and manages LeContest.com, which tracks hiking records on Mount Le Conte. He lives in Boone, North Carolina.
Mike Hembree has written for Smokies Life Journal and is a long-time newspaper and magazine journalist. He lives in Gaffney, South Carolina.

Tom Layton and Mike Hembree
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 209
Bibliographic Info: 77 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2025
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9603-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5454-6
Imprint: McFarland
Series: Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies

Acknowledgments ix

Preface: A Roaring Twenties Birth Certificate 1

Introduction: Shrine of the Smokies 3

 1. A High Calling and a Hermit’s Job 13

 2. A Man, His Mountain and His Mom 32

 3. Almost a Motor Lodge 54

 4. Extinction? Almost Lost in the Wilderness 80

 5. Storms of the Century 91

 6. Tragedy and Thanksgiving 101

 7. “Ain’t no mountain high enough” 108

 8. From Moonshine to Moonshots 120

 9. Llamas, Canines and Bears 141

10. How Does LeConte Measure Up? 153

11. The GOATs of Le Conte 166

Who’s Who: A Biographical Index 181

Your Personal Logbook 189

References 193

Index 195