A wilderness
lodge located in the
Great Smoky Mountains National
Park.
Founded in 1926 by Jack Huff, a mountaineer from nearby Gatlinburg, TN,
Leconte Lodge started out as a tent camp to entertain visiting dignitaries
from Washington, DC who were in the area researching the creation
of a national park in this area. When the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park was established in 1930, Leconte Lodge became the only
wilderness lodge within the park's borders.
Jack Huff married his sweetheart on Myrtle Point, an overlook
above the camp in 1934 and the two managed the lodge for many years.
The Huff family managed the camp until 1960, when it passed into the
oversight of the Stokely Hospitality Enterprises.
Over the years, the original tents were replaced with wood cabins with
fire places. As the camp rests on Mount Leconte 6,593 feet above sea
level, the air temperature has never gotten above 80 degrees, making the
fire places a necessity. The lodge's supplies are transported there by either helicopter a few times a year
or a pack of llamas that is lead up three times a week. The llamas
are used because they have a lower impact on the trails than horses.
Visitors to the lodge can only gain access by one of the five trails.
These trails are vary in length from five and a half to eight miles in
length. Visitors are provided with a bed and two meals and reservations
are required.