Alex Hauck: January 2026

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Rainbow Falls & Trillium Gap Loop

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Mount Le Conte - September 11, 2025

Blog Entry:

I chose a very grueling hike to test out what kind of shape I was in, so I planned on taking Bull Head up Mount Le Conte and then Trillium Gap back around. This is probably the longest Mount Le Conte Loop hike, and it would have been over a 20-mile day with over 5,000 ft of elevation gain. I forgot the Bull Head was closed during the week due to trail renovations, so I had to audible and go up Rainbow falls trail. I would still end up with over 18 miles and by the end I was wasted.

- Area Trail Map -

I have done this loop a few times, but I usually take Trillium Gap up, and Rainbow falls back down. I Chose to do it this way because one, Bull Head was closed, but two I wanted to the higher elevation gain going up to judge my strength. It also has been a bit easier on my knees lately, doing the slighter grade down.

The Rainbow Falls Trail is 6.7 miles to the top of Mount Le Conte. It gets its name from the almost 80-foot waterfall located just 2.8 miles up the trail. This waterfall is the highest single drop waterfall located within the bounds of the Smoky Mountains National Park. From here it is another 3.9 miles up to where the trail ends at the Le Conte Lodge.

- Rainbow Falls -

From there I hiked up to Hight Point, that is the true summit of Mount Le Conte standing at 6,593 ft. After I tagged to the top, I went over to Myrtle Point where I had my brunch, coffee, and did some rehydrating for the push back down the mountain. I also took in some great views as well.

To get to the Trillium Gap trailhead I had to back track past High Top where the junction is right before you get back to the Lodge. Trillium Gap is an 8.9-mile trail that has the lowest elevation gain of any of the Le Conte trails, but the lesser elevation is traded for a longer trail. After 3.6 miles you will reach the Brushy Mountain trail junction and from there it is about 1.5 miles to Grotto Falls. Grotto Falls is a 25 ft waterfall and is the only waterfall in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that the trail takes you behind the falls. Once past Grotto Falls it is roughly another two miles of trail that will follow the Roaring Fork Motor Trail road back to the Rainbow Falls trailhead and complete the loop.

- Me at Hight Top, Summit of Mt. Le Conte -

A challenging but still one of my favorite hikes in the park. To break it up and give yourself more time you could always spend the night in the shelter on top of Le Conte. You will need to get a permit to do this, and there are no fires allowed there. As always, my friends hike on and stay safe out there.