Mt LeConte Shelter Question

[WeBeHikin]

I know that Mt LeConte has banned campfires. Does the shelter have a fireplace as most others and if so are fires allowed in the fireplace? I stayed in the old shelter 16 years ago and it had a fireplace. However, back then there were not any restrictions on campfires. I have not been since the shelter was remodeled.
Thanks

[Highstepper]

I does have a fireplace....and a sign hanging above it that says "No Fires"

[Rain Man]

The thing to do is to ask the authorities. Go straight to "the horse's mouth," in other words.

Rain Man

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[ken209]

I know that Mt LeConte has banned campfires. Does the shelter have a fireplace as most others and if so are fires allowed in the fireplace? I stayed in the old shelter 16 years ago and it had a fireplace. However, back then there were not any restrictions on campfires. I have not been since the shelter was remodeled.
Thanks

Yes there is a fireplace but, it has been closed up, people were cutting green trees and trying to burn them.

[atj_Hiker]

I was just there Sep 2010 & didn't know I couldn't build a fire until the day off. I'd been building fires at the other shelters & had no other way of cooking food so it was a rough night. If I go again, I'll be taking a small propane tank & small burner to cook the food. I assume you're wanting it to take away the chill due to the season so you're out of luck. That's what happens when hikers start cutting trees instead of finding dead branches.

[Ewker]

Yes there is a fireplace but, it has been closed up, people were cutting green trees and trying to burn them.

not only that but people were burning their trash and food in the fireplace.

[WeBeHikin]

Thanks All

I checked further and discovered that indeed ALL fires are banned. Oh well, its still an amazing place to go. Can't wait to get there.

[gollwoods]

take 10 bucks with you and get the day hiker lunch if you want to sit in the lodge dining room and drink coffee and eat.

[liteweight]

Lodge is closed for winter until mid March.

[tenn_hiker]

i went by that shelter on a day hike a while back.. it was the most disgusting shelter.. there we piles of crap everywhere.. less than a foot from the shelter.. other than that i guess it wasn't that bad..

[Chaco Taco]

Fireplace is blocked off now. The shelter has taken a beating but its big and will keep you out of the winds that can rage at the top. The Boulevard Trail is awesome and different than anything else in the park.

i gotta say that this shelter is pretty funky too. The smell each of the times I have been there has gotten progressively worse.

Def no fires

[springerfever]

i went by that shelter on a day hike a while back.. it was the most disgusting shelter.. there we piles of crap everywhere.. less than a foot from the shelter.. other than that i guess it wasn't that bad..

That is absolutely pathetic. There is a privy not 100 yards from the shelter. It is an incredible location. Go to Myrtle Point for sunrise and CliffTop for sunset. And don't forget your camera!!

[The Cleaner]

Fireplace is blocked off now. The shelter has taken a beating but its big and will keep you out of the winds that can rage at the top. The Boulevard Trail is awesome and different than anything else in the park.

i gotta say that this shelter is pretty funky too. The smell each of the times I have been there has gotten progressively worse.

Def no fires

Just one of the reasons I don't hike there any more.The green tree cutters are now on the AT.On my last maintenance trip to Little Laurel shelter someone cut a pine tree right in front of the shelter....there used to be a whole bunch of small pines in front of the shelter....now all gone to the firepit....

[Rain Man]

Go to Myrtle Point for sunrise and CliffTop for sunset. And don't forget your camera!!

Absolutely!

RainMan

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[TROUT BUM]

Myrtle point at sunrise is one of the places I want some of my ash's thrown from,Just can't tell the park rangers. The Clifftop's at sunset would be nice to.

[SassyWindsor]

Hope you have better luck than some friends of mine at this shelter. Right after some work had been done at this shelter some nearby friends of mine went up to check it out and spend the night. Seems some group had beat them there and claimed their reservation entitled them, and only them, the use of said shelter. I've never heard of this type of reservation and hope it was just a bunch of jacka**'s being just that. If it is true, then never mind.

[Emerson Bigills]

Leconte shelter, like others in the GSMNP, require a reservation unless you qualify as a thru-hiker by their definition. I have been told that rangers do fine campers for being there without reservations in some cases. Pretty nice shelter, great mountain.

I got a kick out of some of the Leconte Lodge guests walking by the shelter before dawn on their way to Myrtle Point and loudly talking about the crude conditions of the shelter while shining their flashlights on those of us in the shelter trying to finish up a good night's rest. Staying in the lodges (just a few hundred yards from the shelter) is a bit of roughing for some of the beautiful people in Knoxville. It is not uncommon to see some going up the Alum Cave Bluff Trail huffing and puffing, as they have bitten off a bit more than they bargained for. The good news is the more people that recognize the beauty of those mountains, the better for all of us.

[Chaco Taco]

Hope you have better luck than some friends of mine at this shelter. Right after some work had been done at this shelter some nearby friends of mine went up to check it out and spend the night. Seems some group had beat them there and claimed their reservation entitled them, and only them, the use of said shelter. I've never heard of this type of reservation and hope it was just a bunch of jacka**'s being just that. If it is true, then never mind.

That is not the policy and they knew better. People need to utilize the national park websites. All the questions you need answered and the stipulations are all there too. This type of thing really pisses me off

[SmokyMtn Hiker]

Campfires on NOT permitted on Mount LeConte anywhere, shelter or otherwise. There is a new privy that was just built back in April '12 but have not been up there yet to check it out, the old privy which was basically a porta-john was pretty rank to say the least.

[HooKooDooKu]

Myrtle point at sunrise is one of the places I want some of my ash's thrown from,Just can't tell the park rangers. The Clifftop's at sunset would be nice to.

Little late to the party, but in case someone comes across this latter...

The park does allow the scattering of human ashes in the park. A permit is required
The following regulations can be found here:

Section 2.62
MEMORIALIZATION
(b) The scattering of human ashes from cremation will
be permitted pursuant to a permit issued by the park and
pursuant to the following conditions:
 The chosen site must be no less than 200 feet from any buildings or historic building, structure or cemetery. sites, including historic structures and cemetaries.
 The chosen site must be no less than 100 feet away from any other structures and developed areas, e.g. visitor centers, roads, trails, campgrounds and picnic areas.
 The chosen site must be no less than 150 feet from a stream or other watercourse.
 The ashes must be scattered and not deposited in any type of container. Cremains may not be buried even without a container.
 No marker or memorial of any sort may be placed or left at the site. The placement or planting of real or artificial flowers, memorial trees, brass markers,
wooden crosses, etc. is prohibited.
 A copy of the permit must accompany the person performing the scattering.
 Cremation must be accomplished in accordance with state law.