Alum Cave Bluffs: Part 1

Alum Cave Bluffs is a trail located 8.4 miles up Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's a 5.1 mile trail there and back. From Left->Right my hiking companions: Dad, oldest brother Steve, niece Hailey, and Nephew Ryan.

A tricky step on the rocks. Just over the rocks is a nice view down a steep slope. Behind me is the small step over this steep slope. I get a little nervous around steep slopes and cliffs, so this hike was full of personal challenges.

Don't know if you can see the sweat that poured off Ryan and Steve's bodies as we made our way up the mountain in the heat and humidity. As you can see, the weather was turning a little sour as we made our way up. On the way down we would be soaked in the thunderstorm that is building in this picture. Hailey and I were a little bit ahead of the rest of the crew so we didn't get as wet. We hid out at Arch Rock. I'll have to acquire photos of that great part of the trail from my brother. This was a great hike!

The Destination. According to a hiking guide I took along, Alum Cave is neither a cave nor Alum. It smelled like gun powder up here. According to the manual if you touch a finger to the rock you'll experience a bitter, salty sensation. I passed. Many trail improvements have been made since I last hiked this trail over 7 years ago. This hand rail was one of them. It used to be really tricky for someone with an aversion to heights (like myself) to make it to the top.