How to Get a Mt LeConte Permit
A backcountry shelter on the third-highest peak in the Smokies - one night only, no consecutive stays, and you sleep inside it whether you brought a tent or not.
Check Mt LeConte permit availability$8 per person per night plus a $6 non-refundable permit fee. The old $40 cap has been removed - there is no maximum total permit cost.
Permit Cost
About Mt LeConte
Great Smoky Mountains National Park requires a permit and advance reservations for all backcountry camping, and since April 30, 2026 all new permits are issued through Recreation.gov - the old smokiespermits.nps.gov portal is gone, and its domain no longer resolves. The live product is Recreation.gov permit 4675347. The fee is $8 per person per night plus a new $6 non-refundable permit fee, and the previous $40 cap has been removed, so there is no maximum total permit cost. Permits may be obtained up to one month in advance of the first night of your trip, and the maximum on a single permit is seven nights. The shelter rules are what distinguish this from a campsite booking. Backpackers with itineraries that include shelters are required to stay inside the shelter. You may not stay consecutive nights at any shelter - where backcountry campsites allow up to three consecutive nights, a shelter is one night and you move on. Maximum party size is 8. All odorous items - food, trash, lip balm, toothpaste, stock feed - must be hung on the bear cable system at each campsite or shelter. Mount Le Conte is 6,593 feet, the third highest peak in the park. Five trails reach it, and the park publishes round-trip distances for each: Alum Cave 10 miles, Rainbow Falls 13, Trillium Gap 13, Bullhead 13.6, and the Appalachian Trail plus the Boulevard 16.2. It publishes no elevation gain for any of them. LeConte Lodge, at 6,360 feet west of the summit, is a separate private reservation and has nothing to do with your backcountry permit. Two current notes. The Bullhead Trail has been closed Monday through Thursday each week since May 4, 2026, excluding federal holidays, through November 19. And the park's closures page lists the Trillium Gap Trail under bear warnings - areas where bears are active and extreme caution should be used. One thing we will not repeat: search results widely claim the LeConte Shelter is closed for aggressive bear activity. That claim appears on no agency page, including the park's closures list updated three days before we checked, and the shelter's capacity is not published anywhere either. If you are planning around it, call the Backcountry Office on 865-436-1297.
Mount Le Conte is 6,593 feet, the third highest peak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and five different trails climb it. The shelter near the summit is the only way to spend a night up there without a reservation at LeConte Lodge, which is a separate private booking on the same mountain.
The Experience
Spruce-fir forest at the top of the southern Appalachians, usually in cloud, with rime ice on the trees for a good part of the year. Come up Alum Cave through the arch and past the bluffs, and the last mile changes the weather entirely.
The park publishes round-trip distances for all five routes to the summit: Alum Cave at 10 miles, Rainbow Falls at 13, Trillium Gap at 13, Bullhead at 13.6, and the Appalachian Trail via the Boulevard at 16.2. Alum Cave is the shortest and by far the busiest. The park publishes no elevation gain for any of them.
The shelter itself has one rule that catches people out: you may not stay consecutive nights at any shelter. Backcountry campsites allow up to three consecutive nights, shelters allow one. And if your itinerary includes a shelter, you are required to stay inside it rather than pitch a tent alongside.
What to Expect
One night only - you may not stay consecutive nights at any shelter
You sleep inside the shelter, not in a tent beside it
$8 per person per night plus a $6 non-refundable permit fee, with no total cap
Reservable up to one month before your first night; seven nights maximum per permit
Five routes up, from 10 miles round trip via Alum Cave to 16.2 via the Boulevard
Bear cables at every campsite and shelter, and everything odorous goes on them
Maximum party size 8
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Permit Requirements
A permit and advance reservation are required for all backcountry camping in the park
Backpackers with itineraries that include shelters are required to stay inside the shelter
You may not stay consecutive nights at any shelter, or at campsite 113
You may not stay at any backcountry campsite for more than 3 consecutive nights
Maximum party size is 8
All odorous items - food, trash, lip balm, toothpaste, stock feed, hay - must be hung on the bear cable system at each campsite or shelter
Camping is permitted only at designated backcountry campsites and shelters
The maximum number of nights on a single permit is 7
Gear & Preparation
Required Gear
- •A sleeping bag rated for a 6,500-foot ridge in the southern Appalachians - it is much colder up there than in Gatlinburg
- •Rain gear. Mount Le Conte is one of the wettest places in the eastern United States
- •A stove
- •Water treatment
- •A stuff sack you can hang on a bear cable
Recommended Gear
- •Traction devices from late autumn through spring; rime ice forms on the summit regularly
- •Earplugs - it is a shared shelter
- •Trekking poles for the Alum Cave descent
- •A dry bag for anything that must stay dry
Hazards & Safety
Active bears. The park lists the Trillium Gap Trail under its bear warnings as an area where extreme caution should be used
Ice on the Alum Cave bluffs section in winter, where cables are fixed to the rock for a reason
Weather that changes completely in the last mile of climbing
The Bullhead Trail closure Monday through Thursday, excluding federal holidays, through November 19, 2026
Best Time to Visit
Late spring through October. The summit holds rime ice for much of the winter and the Alum Cave route gets genuinely icy on the bluffs. October gives the best colour and the driest tread. Permits are available year-round.
Pro Tips
Book at the one-month mark. The park releases permits up to one month before your first night and this shelter goes quickly.
Plan a single night. Consecutive nights at any shelter are not allowed, so a two-night trip means a second location.
Alum Cave is 10 miles round trip and every other route is 13 or more - worth knowing before you pick a trailhead.
Everything odorous goes on the bear cables, including toothpaste and lip balm. The park lists those specifically.
If you have seen a claim that the shelter is closed for bear activity, call the Backcountry Office on 865-436-1297 - it appears on no park page we could find.
100+ wilderness permits, extensive backcountry experience
This guide is based on personal experience obtaining wilderness permits and is regularly updated to reflect current policies and strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a Mt LeConte permit?
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Mt LeConte permits require advance reservations. Book online as soon as reservations open for your desired dates.
When is the best time to visit Mt LeConte?
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Late spring through October. The summit holds rime ice for much of the winter and the Alum Cave route gets genuinely icy on the bluffs. October gives the best colour and the driest tread. Permits are available year-round.
How difficult is Mt LeConte?
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Anyone with a solid day-hike in their legs. Ten miles round trip on maintained trail is the whole difficulty in summer.
What gear do I need for Mt LeConte?
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Essential gear includes: A sleeping bag rated for a 6,500-foot ridge in the southern Appalachians - it is much colder up there than in Gatlinburg, Rain gear. Mount Le Conte is one of the wettest places in the eastern United States, A stove, Water treatment, A stuff sack you can hang on a bear cable.
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