Gatlinburg in Sevier County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Mount Le Conte

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 31, 2019

1. Mount Le Conte Marker

Inscription.
Here on top of Mount Le Conte you are standing more than one vertical mile above the valley below. Although other peaks in the park rise higher, Mount Le Conte boasts the tallest face (distance from base to summit) of any mountain east of the Mississippi.

In 1925, the Great Smoky Mountains Conservation Association, an organization formed to promote a national park in the region, established a camp on Mount Le Conte. They began construction of Le Conte Lodge the following summer. The camp and lodge hosted a wide range of local and national dignitaries involved in the political debate about creating a national park in the Great Smoky Mountains. Ultimately, the beauty of Mount Le Conte helped convince these leaders of the area’s value and its need for protection.

Erected by National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Natural Features • Notable Buildings.

Location. 35° 39.25′ N, 83° 26.2′ W. Marker is in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in Sevier County. Marker is located atop Mount Le Conte in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The marker can only be reached by hiking trails. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gatlinburg TN 37738, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles

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of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Lifeblood of the Mountains (approx. 2.1 miles away); Chimney Tops Trail (approx. 2.3 miles away); The Chimney Tops (approx. 2.4 miles away); New Gap, New Road (approx. 2.9 miles away); Rockefeller Memorial (approx. 3.1 miles away); “To the free people of America” (approx. 3.1 miles away in North Carolina); The Appalachian Trail (approx. 3.1 miles away in North Carolina); Hands That Built (approx. 3.1 miles away in North Carolina). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gatlinburg.

More about this marker. The left side of the marker contains a photograph of people inside of Le Conte Lodge and contains a caption of “Visitors to Le Conte Lodge in 1928 slept on bunk beds lined with Fraser fir boughs. Men and women shared quarters in the rustic building.”
Several photos appear on the right of the marker. The top picture of a vista has the caption “At its highest elevation at High Top, Mount Le Conte rises more than 5,300 feet above its base in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.”
Below this is a portrait of John Le Conte. It has a caption of “Evidence suggests that Mount Le Conte was named in honor of John Le Conte, the older brother of Sierra Club co-founder Joseph Le Conte.”
A photograph at the lower left includes the caption “A

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 31, 2019

2. Mount Le Conte Marker

wooden observation tower on Cliff Top was a popular destination in the early days of the lodge.”

Marker on Mount Le Conte image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, July 31, 2019

3. Marker on Mount Le Conte

Credits. This page was last revised on August 14, 2019. It was originally submitted on August 14, 2019, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 290 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 14, 2019, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.