50 Best Hikes in the World Every Adventurer Should Do in Their Lifetime

One of this hike’s main selling-points, besides the near-total isolation of the Smokies, is an overnight stay at the LeConte Lodge—the only accommodations in the entire half-a-million-acre Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The lodge has seven rustic cabins at the summit of Mount Le Conte, with arguably the grandest views in the park. There’s no electricity, but it does offer flush-toilets, kerosene lamps, and washbasins to take a sponge bath, plus a hot breakfast in the morning (Make reservations far in advance). The hike-in is practically all uphill, as the trail rises and falls—though mostly rises—over the ridgeline between LeConte and the main crest of the Smokies. The hike-out is your reward.

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