Reservation6/10
Great Smoky Smokies Backcountry permit
Required for all overnight camping....
Mount LeConte Shelter Permit
Great Smoky Mountains National Park · Tennessee
Booked one camp per night, in order
The AT shelter on top of Mount LeConte, 12 spots a night, booked as part of the park's backcountry permit.
70% of the openings our scanner caught on Mt LeConte Shelter were gone within 10 minutes.
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Mt LeConte Shelter Quick Facts
Permit RequiredYes
Booking MethodReservation
Demand LevelHigh7/10
SeasonYear-round - Year-round
Cost$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.
Max Group Size8 people
Mt LeConte Shelter Permit Facts
- As of September 2026, Mt LeConte Shelter in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee requires a permit issued via reservation.
- Mt LeConte Shelter is a high-demand permit, rating 7/10 on PermitSnag's demand index.
- The permit season for Mt LeConte Shelter runs year-round.
- Cancelled Mt LeConte Shelter permits are re-released on the booking system; PermitSnag monitors availability and alerts watchers when dates open.
Key Information
Key Dates
SeasonYear-round - Year-round
Permit Details
TypeOvernight
Booking MethodReservation
Demand Level7/10
LocationSouthern Appalachians, TN
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.
What to Expect
Route Details
Route Type
Out & Back
Duration
2 days, 1 night
Difficulty
StrenuousHighlights
- •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
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.
Hazards & Considerations
- !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
Weather Forecast
Trailhead (5,000 ft)
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Backcountry Tips
- Today: 63% chance of precipitation. Pack rain gear.
- Day 7: Start early. Be below treeline by noon due to lightning risk.
Today
🌧️
73°
64°
63%
Sun
🌫️
73°
62°
Mon
☁️
80°
64°
Tue
🌧️
82°
60°
Wed
🌧️
78°
60°
22%
Thu
🌧️
77°
62°
Fri
⛈️
74°
60°
28%
View full NWS forecast →Mountain weather changes rapidly. This forecast is a guide—always be prepared for worse conditions.
How to Get This Permit
1
Create a Recreation.gov account
Sign up at Recreation.gov if you don't have an account. Have your payment info ready.
2
Know the release schedule
Permits typically release on a rolling basis. Check the specific release time for your desired dates.
3
Be ready when permits drop
Log in a few minutes early. Have your dates, group size, and payment ready to go.
4
Monitor for cancellations
If your dates are sold out, people cancel all the time. Set up PermitSnag alerts to catch openings instantly.
Difficulty Assessment
Physical Demand3/5
Fitness and endurance required
Technical Skill1/5
Climbing, scrambling, or specialized skills
Exposure Risk2/5
Steep dropoffs and fall potential
Navigation1/5
Route finding and trail clarity
Commitment2/5
Difficulty of bailing out mid-route
Best For
Anyone with a solid day-hike in their legs. Ten miles round trip on maintained trail is the whole difficulty in summer.
Recommended Experience
Basic backpacking. The exposure rating covers the cabled bluff traverse on Alum Cave, which is short but genuinely airy when iced.
Not Recommended For
Winter parties without traction. The Alum Cave bluffs ice over and the fixed cables there are not decorative.
About This Permit
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.
The Experience
Why It Matters
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 Route
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.
The Feeling
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.
Trailhead Information
Alum Cave Trailhead
On Newfound Gap Road, US 441. NPS calls this the shortest of the five routes at 10 miles roundtrip; the lodge operator calls it the steepest and most popular.
Restrooms
No water
Parking
NPS says to expect extreme crowding and limited parking and to consider a shuttle. A parking tag is required to park in the Smokies for more than 15 minutes.
Notes
Pit toilets at the Alum Cave Trailhead parking area.
Rainbow Falls Trailhead
On Cherokee Orchard Road. NPS gives 13 miles roundtrip, passing Rainbow Falls approximately 2.2 miles from the trailhead.
Restrooms
No water
Parking
NPS says to expect extreme crowding and limited parking. Parking tag required.
Notes
Pit toilets here. NPS advises that in high water conditions you consider Bullhead Trail to Mount Le Conte instead.
Trillium Gap Trailhead
On the one-way Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. NPS gives 13 miles roundtrip out and back on Trillium Gap Trail. The lodge operator says some people find this the easiest route, because it is the trail the llamas use to bring supplies up and is not as steep as the others.
Restrooms
No water
Parking
NPS says to expect extreme crowding and limited parking. Parking tag required.
Notes
NPS gives the nearest restroom as the Rainbow Falls Trailhead, before you enter the one-way Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.
Rainbow Falls / Bullhead Trailhead
On Cherokee Orchard Road. NPS gives 13.6 miles roundtrip and says to follow the Old Sugarlands Trail four-tenths of a mile from the parking area to the Bullhead Trail junction on the left.
Restrooms
No water
Parking
Pit toilets at Rainbow Falls Trailhead. Parking tag required.
Notes
Bullhead Trail is closed Monday through Thursday each week from May 4 to November 19, 2026 for the Bullhead Rehabilitation Project.
Newfound Gap Overlook (Appalachian Trail / Boulevard)
On US 441. NPS calls this the longest of the five at 16.2 miles roundtrip: hike 2.7 miles on the Appalachian Trail from the trailhead left of the overlook to the Boulevard Trail junction, then on to the summit.
Restrooms
No water
Parking
NPS says to expect extreme crowding and limited parking. Parking tag required.
Notes
NPS publishes no starting elevation for this route. The lodge operator, not the Park Service, gives 5,048 feet and warns you are exposed to high-elevation weather the whole way.
Rules & Regulations
- •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 Checklist
Required
- 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
- 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
Plan Your Trip
🎒
Gear Checklist
Required and recommended gear for Mt LeConte Shelter
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Shuttle Services
Trailhead transportation options
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Key Landmarks
Alum Cave Trailhead
The shortest route at 10 miles round trip, and the busiest trail on the mountain.
Mount Le Conte summit
The third highest peak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
LeConte Lodge
West of the summit at 6,360 feet, predating the park's 1934 establishment. A separate private reservation, not part of your backcountry permit.
Trillium Gap Trail
13 miles round trip, and the route the llamas use to resupply the lodge.
Mt LeConte Shelter FAQ
Do I need a permit to stay at the LeConte Shelter?
Yes. Great Smoky Mountains National Park requires a permit and advance reservations for all backcountry camping, issued through Recreation.gov since April 30, 2026. It costs $8 per person per night plus a $6 non-refundable permit fee, and there is no longer a $40 cap on the total.
How many nights can I stay at the LeConte Shelter?
One. The park's rule is that you may not stay consecutive nights at any shelter. Backcountry campsites allow up to three consecutive nights, but shelters do not - you spend a night and move on.
Can I pitch a tent at the LeConte Shelter?
No. The park requires backpackers whose itineraries include shelters to stay inside the shelter.
How far is the hike to Mount Le Conte?
It depends which of the five trails you take. The park publishes round-trip distances of 10 miles via Alum Cave, 13 via Rainbow Falls, 13 via Trillium Gap, 13.6 via Bullhead, and 16.2 via the Appalachian Trail and the Boulevard. Alum Cave is the shortest and busiest. The park publishes no elevation gain figures for any of them.
Is the LeConte Shelter the same as LeConte Lodge?
No. LeConte Lodge sits west of the summit at 6,360 feet, predates the park's 1934 establishment, and takes its own advance reservations through its own operator. It is not part of the national park's backcountry permit system.
How high is Mount Le Conte?
6,593 feet, which makes it the third highest peak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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Write the First ReportPhotography Guide
Golden Hour
Near the summit the best views are at Cliff Top and Myrtle Point, both marked with signs.
Best Light
NPS puts Mount LeConte at 6,593 feet and the lodge at 6,360 feet, high enough that the ridge lines coming out of cloud are usually the picture.
Beat the Crowds
The lodge operator says quieter times on the mountain are the bookends of the season, or May and September while schools are in session, and that high-traffic days include most weekends, holidays, summer months and the autumn leaf change in October. It also calls Alum Cave the shortest and most popular hike, so the other four routes reach the same summit with less company.
Classic Shots
- 📍Cliff Top and Myrtle Point, the two signed viewpoints near the summit
- 📍Alum Cave Bluffs at 2.3 miles, an 80-foot tall cliff curled inward, which is not a cave
- 📍The llama train on the Trillium Gap Trail, which the operator says brings supplies up three times a week
- 📍Grotto Falls, 25 feet tall, about 1.5 miles into the Trillium Gap approach
- 📍Kerosene lanterns and the family-style dining room the operator describes
Can't Get a Mt LeConte Shelter Permit?
Consider these alternatives if your preferred dates aren't available.
Great Smoky Backcountry Overnight
Same AreaThe park's general backcountry permit, covering every designated campsite and shelter.
Permit required
Tradeoffs
Same fees and rules, with campsites allowing up to three consecutive nights instead of the shelter's one.
Old Rag Mountain
Similar ExperienceShenandoah's rock-scramble circuit, a day hike on a ticketed permit.
Permit required
Tradeoffs
Day use rather than overnight, at $2 a head - but a real scramble rather than a walk, and the ticket is capped at 800 people a day.
Longs Peak Overnight
Similar ExperienceHigh camps on Colorado's Longs Peak, topping out at the Boulderfield at 12,760 feet.
Permit required
Tradeoffs
Twice the altitude and a flat $36 per trip instead of per person - and a summit route the park classifies as a climb.
🏕️
Where to Stay
Nearby campgrounds to complete your Mt LeConte Shelter trip
Very HardIn Demand16 sitesAbram's Creek Campground
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Book campsite
Very HardIn Demand1 sitesAppalachian Clubhouse campground
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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Very HardIn Demand2 sitesCosby Picnic Pavilion campground
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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