Moon Asheville & the Great Smoky Mountains by Jason Frye

Author:Jason Frye
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avalon Publishing
Published: 2019-03-19T16:00:00+00:00

LeConte Lodge

LeConte Lodge has no hot showers, but in every cabin there is a bucket for a sponge bath (which can be surprisingly refreshing after a hot day on the trail), which you can fill with warm water from the kitchen, though you need to supply your own washcloth and towel. There are a few flush toilets in a separate building. The only lights, aside from headlamps and flashlights, are kerosene lanterns. For the most part, it’s a rustic spot, harkening back to the Lodge’s 1934 arrival on the slopes of Mount LeConte. Dinner and breakfast are served at the same time every day, 6pm for dinner and 8am for breakfast, and the meals are substantial enough to fuel you for another day on the trail.

The Lodge doesn’t lack for charm, but it does for comfort, so if you’re the five-star hotel, breakfast-in-bed type, this may not be the place for you. Catering to hikers who are happier to have a dry place to sleep and a bed that’s more comfy than their sleeping bag, it’s short on the luxury amenities, and rooms are, in truth, bunk beds in small, drafty cabins. But if you’re a hiker or if you just love to have a completely different experience when you travel, this is a one-of-a-kind accommodation. Rooms fill quickly—up to a year in advance.

For those who don’t want to camp or hike to a rustic lodge, there are countless motels just outside the GSMNP. Reservations are always a good idea, especially in summer and in leaf season. There are many choices in Cherokee, Maggie Valley, Bryson City, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Sevierville, and other neighboring communities. In addition to the many chain motels, affordable mom-and-pop motels also dot this landscape in abundance. Two homey choices in Gatlinburg are the Riverhouse Motels (904 River Rd., Gatlinburg, 865/436-7821, www.riverhousemotels.com, around $150 in season, around 90 off-season), and Johnson’s Inn (242 Bishop Lane, Gatlinburg, 800/842-1930, www.johnsons-inn.hotels-tennessee.com, $60-125). In Cherokee, on the North Carolina side of the park, go with a hotel like Cherokee Grand Hotel (196 Painttown Rd., 828/497-0050, www.cherokeegrandhotel.com, $109-159), located only five minutes from the park entrance, or cabin accommodations with Panther Creek Cabins (Wrights Creek Rd., Cherokee, 828/497-2461, www.panthercreekresort.com, cabins $100-150), a quiet, quaint, comfortable set of cabins just outside downtown Cherokee.

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