Mount Le Conte via Rainbow Falls Trail

Mount Le Conte via Rainbow Falls Trail is a strenuous 13-mile out-and-back from Rainbow Falls Trailhead to the mountain’s summit area. The mapped trail corridor runs about 6.4 miles one way, then you return the same way. Give it most of a day; nine hours leaves room for Rainbow Falls and the summit views without rushing the descent. This is the route to choose if you want the waterfall and the mountain in one hike. If the falls are your main goal, the shorter 5.6-mile round trip to Rainbow Falls is a sensible alternative. Other published estimates run 13.6–13.8 miles; check the map before deciding how far to walk around the summit.

The lower trail follows LeConte Creek through forest on a boulder-strewn path. You cross three bridges before Rainbow Falls, a tall drop over layered rock into the creek. The lower approach also passes old-growth trees and scars from a 2016 fire; higher up, rhododendron, sand myrtle, and mountain laurel bloom in spring. The waterfall is the payoff for the shorter hike, but here it comes early, about 2.2 to 2.8 miles in depending on which published distance you use. Keep going and the trail soon turns into a sustained climb. On a sunny afternoon, mist can catch a rainbow below the falls; a view that includes the creek or footbridge gives the waterfall some scale.

After the bridge below the waterfall, the route keeps climbing through forest and rhododendron. The next roughly 3.2 miles gain more than 1,700 feet before the Bullhead Trail junction. At that junction, stay on the Le Conte route; continue straight where Alum Cave Trail turns away, then follow the signs toward the summit area. Trillium Gap Trail also meets the approach near the top, so pay attention at the junctions rather than following a different Mount Le Conte route by mistake.

The trail reaches the LeConte Lodge area before the high point. A short side path leads to the lodge; the main route continues toward High Top, at 6,593 feet. High Top itself is marked by a cairn and does not have the broadest view. The signed spurs to Cliff Top and Myrtle Point are the better choices for the panorama. Myrtle Point opens toward a near-360-degree view, while Cliff Top is close to the lodge. Those viewpoints add a little summit-area walking beyond the main 13-mile trail figure. The lodge began with a cabin Paul Adams built after leading Washington visitors up the mountain to make the case for a national park. When the lodge is operating, day hikers can buy drinks, sack lunches, and baked goods there; it is a separate stop near the top, not a trailhead service.

This is a long, steep climb on rocky trail with stairs, followed by the same descent. The elevation profile rises roughly 3,800 feet from the trailhead to the upper end of the mapped route. The distance, grade, and uneven footing make this a hard day, even for a regular hiker; the waterfall is not a good place to decide casually whether to continue. Cold weather can bring ice and falling icicles on the trail, so traction devices matter in winter.

Start at Rainbow Falls Trailhead on Cherokee Orchard Road; the trail begins by the southeast side of the parking area, and both upper and lower lots serve the trailhead. Parking is limited and often full, so consider a shuttle. A Smokies parking tag is required if you leave your vehicle for more than 15 minutes, and there is a restroom at the trailhead. Pets are not allowed on this route. The 13-mile length is the full out-and-back; the shorter falls-only walk turns back at Rainbow Falls.