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Ron P. Metcalfe and Richard Adams hike to Mt. LeConte via the Rainbow Falls and Bull Head Trails 2/3/08

Full photo album of February 3, 2008, hike, click here.   Pictures from other LeConte hikes, click here. Richard Adams and I (Ron Metcalfe) hiked to LeConte Lodge on Sunday, February 3, 2008.  The forecast was for partly sunny skies and temperatures in the 50s down in the valley, and LeConte Lodge's weather page indicated that there was 1" of snow on top.  We planned to ascend via Rainbow Falls and descend via Bullhead.  Richard and I had both been down Rainbow Falls, but neither of us had ever ascended via Rainbow, nor descened Bullhead. We left Greeneville around 7:30 AM, were at the Gatlinburg Bypass overlook around 9:03 AM, and arrived at the Rainbow Falls trailhead at 9:24 AM.  Richard's backpack thermometer read about 38° at the trailhead.  We started our hike at 9:28 AM.   We had on gloves and a light fleece jacket in addition to our t-shirts and shirts.   After a few minutes of hiking, we shed the jackets, but did pull out our face warmers.  About 1/2 mile on the trail, at 9:42 AM, we reached what I called the "Turtle Rock" because it resembles a large turtle shell and also looks like the bloom of a Pink Turtlehead flower.  After the first big switchback, about 1.2 miles into the hike, and after gaining some elevation, we began to see the heath growth on Bullhead.   The Bullhead trail does go through this area, but remains mostly on the other side of the ridge.  We also began to see some skiffs of snow on the northwest slopes, but didn't encounter any snow until we neared the first footbridge 1.7 miles into the hike at 10:40 AM.  There were several blowdowns along both trails, many of them appearing to be pretty recent.  There were even a few areas on the trail blocked by some blowdowns, but none that we couldn't get under. Crossing back onto the northwest side of the ridge, we began to encounter some snow and ice on the trail. The ice seemed to be mostly packed snow from previous hikers, as none of the areas where there was water on the trail were frozen.  And there was always someplace safe to put your foot.  At 11:05 AM, we reached the "mini Rainbow Falls" of LeConte Creek.  I wonder how many people get to that point of the trail and think that those are the real thing.  At 11:16 AM we arrived at Rainbow Falls.  Recent rains made for a good water flow, and there was a small pile of ice at the bottom.   We stayed for a few mintues and resumed hiking. As we gained in elevation, the snow on the upper slopes looked deeper and more prevalent than it had from lower elevations and we wondered how much snow we would encounter.  The sun had disappeared behind high clouds and the temperature remained around 40° on the way up.  But as we crossed over again to the northwest side of the ridge which receives little (or no) winter sunlight, there was more snow on the Rainbow Falls trail.  In fact, the last two miles of the trail were almost always covered with snow, with the occasional exception where the trail received some sunlight.  One of the neatest views was picking out the Bullhead trail on the adjacent ridge.  It was plainly visible, although we weren't 100% sure that was it until later during our descent.  From the Rocky Spur trail to the top, there was significant snow on the trail   - much more than the 1" on the Lodge's website.  Although, in their defense, this was on the shadier side of the mountain, and no doubt the "official" guage was at 1".  But in this area, there was probably 2" to 5" of snow, although it was moslty packed down where other hikers had been.  It wasn't very slick, and it was pretty easy walking, although it was still soft enough that it gave a bit under your weight and took a little more energy to take a step.  We reached one of the feeder springs of LeConte Creek at 1:35 PM and reached the junction of Rainbow Falls and Bullhead at 1:42 PM.  After passing through the beautiful tunnel of trees, we reached the junction of Rainbow Falls and Alum Cave Bluff trail at 2:05 PM, and arrived at LeConte Lodge a couple of minutes later.  Total "up" time was 4 hours, 37 minutes. We hadn't seen anybody on the trail, and didn't see anybody at the Lodge until Hope and Dave showed up.   They had ascended ACB and Hope remarked that it was covered in ice in many places.   She said they had to use the cables extensively, but that they were planning on descending Rainbow Falls.  We got up on one of the cabin porches to get out of the wind and have a snack.  We saw three people from Newport arrive who had also ascended Alum Cave Bluff trail.  The thermometer at the Lodge Office read just over 40°, but it seemed colder, espcially with the breeze, so we all pulled out our jackets and wind breakers.   Richard and I decided not to tarry long at the lodge, since we didn't know how difficult it might be to go down in the snow.  It wasn't hard coming up, but we wanted to make sure we got back to the car before dark.  Also, the skies were growing a bit darker.  So, at 2:40 PM, we took our last picture and hit the trail. We met up with the trio from Cocke County at the Bullhead/Rainbow Falls junction.  They were debating which trail to take.  I told them we also were thinking about taking Bullhead, and that if they did, we would.  So we all set off down Bullhead for the first time.  After just a few minutes, we were out of the wind and starting to generate enough body heat that Richard and I shucked our jackets and windbreakers. Bullhead is a wonderful trail.   It follows a ridge line just below the West Point peak of LeConte, then goes out just below the Balsam Point peak.  The trail at the top is very gently sloped, and even level in some areas.  In addition, there are several magnificent views from that trail, far more than on Rainbow Falls.  In fact, other than the falls themselves, I've never cared much for Rainbow Falls trail.  Bullhead seemed pretty steep at the bottom, so you might have some rough hiking at the beginning, but the level areas and the overlooks make it worth it.  Of course, we were going downhill, and that makes lots of things nicer.  As the first part of the trail was on the lee side of the mountain, there was pretty good snow coverage on most areas, but as before it wasn't really slick and it wasn't deep enough to get into the top of your boots.  We caught a glimpse of the Newfound Gap Road through the trees, and another view of the Rocky Spur.  We even caught a glimpse of the pull-off at the Campbell Overlook, but it was raining too hard for me to pull out my camera to snap a picture.  In the area shown in this picture, I believe the Rainbow Falls trail goes from right to left on its ascent before rounding the ridge at the left.  It then crosses back below the Rocky Spur.  This is also the area where we first noticed we could see the Bullhead Trail section that we were now on. As the trail approaches Balsam Point, it crosses back to the southeast side of the mountain and the snow began to dissappear.  On the back side of LeConte, there wasn't any snow on the Bullhead trail.  Also around this area, the clouds began to darken and it started to sprinkle.  The first two little showers weren't enough to warrant breaking out our ponchos, but the third shower came down much heavier, and instead of rain, it was ice pellets and sleet.  We broke out the ponchos and kept them on for most of the rest of the hike, as it showered on and off, getting pretty heavy at some times.  (So much for partly sunny skies and a slight chance of rain, eh?)  There were still plenty of spectacular views of area mountains and ridges and we think we caught a glimpse of the Chimney Tops, although it was raining hard enough that we didn't tarry and try to figure it out.  There were a few areas of ice on the Bullhead, but it was mostly clear.  This trail also shows alot of work done by the CCC after the Great Depression. After rounding the bend underneath Balsam Point, the Bullhead trail parallels Newfound Gap Road until you reach Bullhead.  Here it enters a heath bald where it was quite windy and the rain even picked up a bit.  Just beyond that area, a large table shaped rock cairn erected by the CCC workers marks the beginning of an extremely level part of the trail.  Entering some switchback, you really start to lose elevation and get back into the cove hardwoods again. About 1 1/2 mile from the trailhead, we reached a large rock overhang at 5:03 PM.   Just a few minutes later, at 5:26 PM, we reached the junction of the Bullhead Trail and the Old Sugarlands Trail.  Turning right on the old gravel road, we crossed the final footbridge and arrived at the parking lot at 5:40 PM.   Total hike time down Bullhead was almost exactly three hours. Again, this was my first trip on Bullhead, and it might be steeper at the beginning that Trillium Gap or Rainbow Falls.   But there are far many more overlooks that compensate, in my opinion, for the lack of waterfalls. Ron P. Metcalfe Mosheim, Tennessee

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