Mount Le Conte

Mount Le Conte stands more than one vertical mile above the valley below, and although other peaks in the park rise higher, it has the tallest face of any mountain east of the Mississippi. In 1925, the Great Smoky Mountains Conservation Association, formed to promote a national park in the region, established a camp on Mount Le Conte and began construction of Le Conte Lodge the following summer. The camp and lodge hosted local and national dignitaries involved in the political debate over creating a national park in the Great Smoky Mountains, and the mountain’s beauty ultimately helped convince these leaders of the area’s value and need for protection.

Tennessee · United States