The Alum Cave Trail , also known as Alum Cave Bluff Trail , is a hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park , in Sevier County, Tennessee . The trail ascends Mount Le Conte , the sixth highest mountain east of the Mississippi River , and passes by many notable landmarks, such as Arch Rock, Inspiration Point, and the Duckhawk Peaks before merging with Rainbow Falls Trail near the summit.
16-686: The first recorded account of Alum Cave goes back to 1837 when three farmers, Ephraim Mingus, Robert Collins, and George W. Hayes from the Oconaluftee Indian Village in the Great Smoky Mountains applied at the Sevier County (Tennessee) Land Office for a grant of a 50-acre (200,000 m) tract of land that would include Alum Cave and its salt deposits. Tennessee sold the tract of land to the three men on December 6, 1838. The Epsom Salts Manufacturing Company
32-427: A clear day offers views of the surrounding landscape, most notably Little Duck Hawk Ridge. Not far from there, 2.2 miles (3.5 km) from the trail head, is Alum Cave Bluff at 4,950 feet (1,510 m) in elevation, and with sandstone cliffs 80 feet (24 m) in height. The first half mile or so beyond the bluff is the single steepest portion of the hike, and included in this section is Gracie's Pulpit . Named for
48-524: A fundamental part of the museums operation. They work to counteract inaccurate imagery of Cherokee culture often found in mainstream media. The Eastern Band of Cherokee also established other local attractions, including the Unto These Hills outdoor theater series in 1950; and the Oconaluftee Indian Village in 1952. After a major renovation in 2023, the museum changed its name to the Museum of
64-638: Is dominated by dead trees, caused by balsam wooly adelgid and acid rain affecting the Fraser fir . A prolific crop of young Fraser firs grows in many of these areas. At the terminus the trail merges into the Bull Head Trail just west of the Mount LeConte Lodge. The lodge provides the only commercial lodging in the national park, as it operates about ten rustic cabins with no electricity or appliances. The actual peak of Mount Le Conte and
80-552: Is often considered Le Conte's most scenic route) it is the most common footpath for hikers seeking to reach the summit of Le Conte. The entire trail is within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The trailhead is 12 miles (19 km) from Gatlinburg, Tennessee , off Newfound Gap Road ( U.S. Highway 441 ). The trail begins its ascent at 3,834 feet (1,169 m) elevation, quickly crossing Walker Camp Prong and its tributary, Alum Cave Creek, which
96-728: The Eastern Band of Cherokee in 1952, and is operated by the Cherokee Historical Association . The Eastern Band of Cherokee also established other local attractions, including in 1948 with the Museum of the Cherokee Indian ; and in 1950 with the Unto These Hills outdoor theater series. Guides take visitors through the village explaining the history and culture of the Cherokee and also demonstrate
112-588: The Museum of the Cherokee Indian (MCI), is a 501(c)3 nonprofit cultural arts and history museum, educational center, and archive founded in 1948, and located in Cherokee , North Carolina. The museum provides permanent exhibitions, an artifact collection, workshops, educational programs, and a museum store. The museum was previously operated by the Cherokee Historical Association, but later became its own entity. It has been part of
128-627: The North American Reciprocal Museum Association . Founded as the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in 1948 by the Eastern Band of Cherokee , it was located in a log cabin building that also housed McLeans Indian Store and the Ocona Lufty Inn. The museum's operations have provided tourism, jobs, and commercial enterprise in an area where unemployment was high; while simultaneously highlighting Cherokee people and preserving their cultural traditions as
144-474: The matron of the mountain, Gracie McNichol, who famously hiked the trail on her 92nd birthday, the pulpit marks the halfway point of the Alum Cave Bluff Trail. From here the onlooker can get as clear a view as any other along the trail of the four peaks of Le Conte: West Point, Cliff Tops, High Top, and Myrtle Point. As the trail crosses 6,000-foot (1,800 m) elevation, the landscape
160-594: The "origins of the American Indian". The Cherokee Potters Guild was formed in January 2003, after a series of workshops held at the Museum of the Cherokee. The museum also hosts a number of annual summer and fall festivals, including the "Cherokee Voices Festival", and the "Festival of Native Peoples". Folklorist Barbara R. Duncan had been employed by the museum to research Cherokee legends, myths, and family stories. Some were published in "Living Stories of
176-734: The Cherokee People to clarify that the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes are one people. Besides the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians based here in Cherokee, there is the United Keetoowah Band and the Cherokee Nation , the largest tribal government in the U.S., both of which are in Tahlequah, Oklahoma . In October 2023, the museum name was changed from Museum of the Cherokee Indian to Museum of
SECTION 10
#1732780881364192-472: The Cherokee People. Museum exhibitions have focused on Cherokee history and pre-history with topics such as "stone tools and weapons", "mineral displays", " Indian corn ", "Cherokee pipes", "bone ornaments", "seashell ornaments", "game stones", "Oconaluftee Village crafts", "model of ancient burial", "mortar and pestle", " bannerstones , birdstones , and boatstones", "Cherokee people today", "Emissaries of Peace: The 1762 Cherokee/British Delegations" (2004), and
208-479: The making of such items as arrowheads , baskets , and blowguns . 35°29′12″N 83°19′22″W / 35.4867655°N 83.3226525°W / 35.4867655; -83.3226525 This North Carolina museum-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Museum of the Cherokee Indian The Museum of the Cherokee People ( MTCP ), formerly known as
224-543: The overlooks of Cliff Tops and Myrtle Point are a short distance from the lodge. 35°38.31′N 83°26.77′W / 35.63850°N 83.44617°W / 35.63850; -83.44617 Oconaluftee Indian Village The Oconaluftee Indian Village is a replica of an 18th-century eastern Cherokee community founded in 1952 and located along the Oconaluftee River in Cherokee , North Carolina , United States. The Cherokee "living museum" founded by
240-473: The trail then follows. This first leg of the trail is a gradual climb on a well maintained footpath through an old-growth forest , consisting largely of hemlock and yellow birch . The trail turns north along Styx Branch, which it follows for a short distance to Arch Rock , a large black slate rock forming a natural arch under which the trail passes. The trail climbs to Inspiration Point, an outcrop of rocks about 4,700 feet (1,400 m) in elevation, which on
256-621: Was formed to mine the deposit. The materials mined were alum , magnesium sulfate , saltpeter , magnesia , and copperas . The easily accessible salts were depleted by the mid-1840s, but mining resumed during the American Civil War . The Alum Cave Trail is the shortest and steepest of the five trails leading to the Le Conte massif , which contains five separate peaks in all, the highest of which has an elevation of 6,593 feet (2,010 m). Because of its short length and scenery (it
#363636