
Distance (One Way)
Elevation Gain
Trailhead
Location
Trail Description
The Boulevard Trail is one of the more difficult of the 6 trail options for a hike to Mt. LeConte. The trail itself is 5.4 miles long from the AT to LeConte Lodge, but hikers must start at the Newfound Gap parking lot and hike the Appalachian trail for about 2.7 miles to reach it, making the total one way distance to LeConte Lodge 8.1 miles
From the Newfound Gap parking area, head up the steps on the Appalachian Trail just to the right of the Rockefeller Monument, where the national park was dedicated by FDR in 1940. This is also the route to reach Charlies Bunion. Like most popular trails in the Smokies, this area can get quite crowded, so it is best to get an early start.
The trail does not dip below 5,000 feet for the entire hike. From Newfound Gap to the highest point of Mount LeConte the total elevation gain is 1,544 feet. The Boulevard Trail and AT junction is just above 6,000 feet in elevation.
You'll reach the Boulevard at 2.7 miles and take a left at the intersection. Just a tenth of a mile in is the spur trail to The Jumpoff, a popular vantage point about a half a mile off the main trail. After this point you will descend for almost a mile and lose about 500 feet of elevation.
The Boulevard provides some of the most beautiful views of surrounding mountains of any LeConte trail. There are countless open areas on the way up for hikers to pause and look out.
For the next mile and a half you will gradually ascend before meeting a switchback at the high point of Anakeesta Knob, a peak that you will later be able to look back at from Myrtle Point. From here you descend again. No matter which way you're traveling on the Boulevard, Anakeesta Knob is a welcome sight to all hikers; it's a marker that you're about to head downhill again.
Anakeesta Knob is 2.3 miles from Myrtle Point's spur trail. For the first mile and a half of this distance, hikers will enjoy only a moderate incline with ups and downs along the way. You will then reach a large, open area with the best views on the trail. From here you can see several of the Smokies Sixers (peaks over 6000 feet in elevation) including Old Black, Mount Guyot, Tricorner Knob, Mount Chapman, Luftee Knob, and more.
From here you will begin to climb again on the steepest part of the trail. It's only about a half mile to the Myrtle Point spur trail, so your efforts will soon be worth it. Take a left at the sign and travel just 0.2 of a mile before seeing the 360 degree views from Myrtle Point, the easternmost peak of Mount LeConte.
From the sign at the spur trail, LeConte Lodge is just 0.7 of a mile away. Half of this portion is quite the climb as you will be heading directly for High Top, the highest point of the mountain at 6,593 feet, marked by a large stone cairn. Then you'll head downhill once more until you reach the lodge.
"Many people assume that because this hike begins at such a high elevation that this must be the easiest trail to the summit of Mt. LeConte. Don't be fooled. This is a very tough hike. The trail rises and falls many times as it crosses the ridgeline between Mt. LeConte and the main crest of the Smokies." - Hiking In The Smokies
Because of the unique elevation profile of this trail, its difficulty shows on the way back to Newfound Gap. You won't get the constant relief of 100% downhill like the other LeConte trails. The final climb at the end before reaching the Jumpoff is the most brutal part of the hike.
[+ Read More]Mt. LeConte Trails
Other ways to reach Mt. LeConte: Alum Cave Trail (Mt. LeConte) (5 m) Brushy Mountain Trail (Mt. LeConte) (4.9 m) Bullhead Trail (Mt. LeConte) (5.9 m) Rainbow Falls Trail (Mt. LeConte) (6.6 m) Trillium Gap Trail (Grotto Falls, Mt. LeConte) (8.9 m)
Trail Difficulty Scales Explained
Elevation Grade
5%
Gentle Slope
Paul Petzoldt Scale
8.5
Moderate
5
10
15
Shenandoah Scale
129
Moderately Strenuous
50
100
150
Hiker Tips & Trivia
- Hikers recommend taking a break about ⅔ of a mile in to enjoy the views of the North Carolina side of the Smoky Mountains
- "The Boulevard, which never falls below 5,700 feet, is one of the crookedest and most precipitous ridges in the mountains." - Paul J. Adams, 1966
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Trail Map
More Hikes
- Abrams Falls Trail (4.2 mi)
- Albright Grove Loop Trail (0.7 mi)
- Alum Cave Trail (Mt. LeConte) (5 mi)
- Andrews Bald via Forney Ridge Trail (1.8 mi)
- Anthony Creek Trail (3.5 mi)
- Appalachian Trail Smoky Mountains Segment (71.7 mi)
- Baskins Creek Trail (2.7 mi)
- Baxter Creek Trail (Mt. Sterling) (6.2 mi)
- Big Creek Trail (Mouse Creek Falls, Midnight Hole) (5.8 mi)
- Bote Mountain Trail (6.6 mi)
- Boulevard Trail (Mt. LeConte) (5.4 mi)
- Bradley Fork Trail (7.3 mi)
- Brushy Mountain Trail (Mt. LeConte) (4.9 mi)
- Bullhead Trail (Mt. LeConte) (5.9 mi)
- Cataract Falls (Fighting Creek, Cove Mountain Trail) (0.5 mi)
- Charlies Bunion via Appalachian Trail (4.2 mi)
- Charlies Bunion via Kephart Prong Loop (14.2 mi)
- Chestnut Top Trail (4.3 mi)
- Chimney Tops Trail (2 mi)
- Clingmans Dome Trail (0.6 mi)
- Cooper Road Trail (10.5 mi)
- Cove Mountain Trail (8.5 mi)
- Cucumber Gap Trail (2.4 mi)
- Dry Sluice Gap Trail (4.2 mi)
- Eagle Creek Trail (8.9 mi)
- Elkmont Nature Trail (0.8 mi)
- Forney Ridge Trail (5.4 mi)
- Gabes Mountain Trail (Hen Wallow Falls) (6.6 mi)
- Gatlinburg Trail (1.9 mi)
- Grapeyard Ridge Trail (7.6 mi)
- Gregory Bald Trail (Gregory Bald) (7.3 mi)
- Gregory Ridge Trail (Gregory Bald) (5 mi)
- Grotto Falls (Trillium Gap Trail) (1.4 mi)
- Hannah Mountain Trail (9.5 mi)
- Hatcher Mountain Trail (2.6 mi)
- Huskey Gap Trail (4.1 mi)
- Jakes Creek Trail (3.3 mi)
- Kephart Prong Trail (2 mi)
- Laurel Falls Trail (4 mi)
- Lead Cove Trail (1.8 mi)
- Little Bottoms Trail (2.3 mi)
- Little Brier Gap Trail (Walker Sisters Cabin) (1.4 mi)
- Little Greenbrier Trail (4.3 mi)
- Little River Trail (6.1 mi)
- Low Gap Trail (5.4 mi)
- Lower Mt. Cammerer Trail (7.4 mi)
- Lumber Ridge Trail (4.1 mi)
- Lynn Camp Prong Trail (3.7 mi)
- Maddron Bald Trail (Albright Grove) (7.3 mi)
- Meigs Creek Trail (3.5 mi)
- Meigs Mountain Trail (6 mi)
- Metcalf Bottoms Trail (0.7 mi)
- Middle Prong Trail (Indian Flat Falls) (4.1 mi)
- Miry Ridge Trail (5 mi)
- Mt. Cammerer Trail via Low Gap + AT (5.6 mi)
- Mt. Sterling Ridge Trail (5.3 mi)
- Newfound Gap to Clingmans Dome (7.7 mi)
- Noland Creek Trail (9.2 mi)
- Old Settlers Trail (15.8 mi)
- Old Sugarlands Trail (3.9 mi)
- Panther Creek Trail (2.3 mi)
- Porters Creek Trail (Fern Branch Falls) (3.7 mi)
- Rabbit Creek Trail (7.8 mi)
- Rainbow Falls Trail (Mt. LeConte) (6.6 mi)
- Ramsey Cascades Trail (4 mi)
- Rich Mountain Loop (8.7 mi)
- Russell Field Trail (3.5 mi)
- Schoolhouse Gap Trail (Whiteoak Sink) (2.1 mi)
- Spence/Russell Field Loop (13.2 mi)
- Spruce Flats Falls Trail (Buckeye) (1 mi)
- Swallow Fork Trail (4 mi)
- Sweat Heifer Creek Trail (3.7 mi)
- Thunderhead Mountain (Rocky Top) (6.1 mi)
- Trillium Gap Trail (Grotto Falls, Mt. LeConte) (8.9 mi)
- Turkeypen Ridge Trail (3.6 mi)
- Whiteoak Sink via Schoolhouse Gap Trail (2.3 mi)
The above list of hiking trails in the Smokies is incomplete and constantly being updated. If you have information or photos you would like to contribute, please contact [email protected]