Hike to Mount Le Conte on Trillium Gap Trail

Trillium Gap is the gentlest route up Le Conte, which is a bit like saying it's the friendliest bouncer at the club — you're still climbing over half a vertical mile across 6.5 miles of trail. The first couple miles lull you through old-growth hemlock forest to Grotto Falls, where you can actually walk behind the 25-foot cascade (and where the llama supply train sometimes passes, which is exactly as surreal as it sounds). Past the falls, the trail steepens through spruce-fir forest that feels more like New England than Tennessee. The final push to the summit lodge area opens up at Cliff Top and Myrtle Point, where the Smokies unfurl beneath you in hazy blue layers that justify every step. This trail is perfect for hikers who want the Le Conte experience without the knee-destroying steepness of Boulevard or Alum Cave.