During the first part of the 1800s, a company established mining operations here to mine Epsom salt. The elevation of the bluff is 4,970 feet. It sticks out over your head 80 feet above and out maybe 40 feet. This place isn’t a cave, but what is known in the geology world as a “rock shelter”. Just a couple tenths of a mile or so past inspiration point was Alum Cave Bluff. Inspiration Point offered a beautiful overlook, so we stopped and got some photos. At times the trail was solid rock, especially at Inspiration Point, which was right before the bluff. Being out of shape, I had to stop probably four or five times along the way. The final 0.9-mile leg is tough and steep. While a cable offers a crude handrail while climbing the stairs, it was a little challenging getting through there.įrom Arch Rock the trail became strenuous. A rock staircase was constructed through the rock that allowed people to continue through to Alum Cave Bluff.Ī quick note about the stairs on Arch Rock: they were steep and wet. Naturally occurring, it is what I would describe as a cross between a natural bridge and a cave. Once at Arch Rock, we stopped for a while and took some pictures of this strange rock formation.Ī winding stone staircase heads through Arch Rock, located about 1.4 miles down Alum Cave Bluff trail. Of course the higher we went the cooler it got, but the temperature fluctuations were noteworthy along the trail. There were a mix of warm and cool breezes and we would run into “cold spots” in random places. We couldn’t help but notice the rather unusual temperature changes along the trail. Along the creek-side trail there were many spots to stop and gawk at the beautiful scenery of the creek’s cascades. The trail paralleled the creek for the entire first leg of the journey to Arch Rock. An old-growth forest of hemlock, yellow birch and blooming rhododendron provided a welcoming shade from that warm summer day. The first 1.4 miles of the trail offered a gentle incline along Alum Cave Creek. The national park’s assortment of plant and animal life is showcased here with abundance of all things nature. My wife had never been so we decided it was time to hit the trail and see what we could find.Īlum Cave Bluff trail is the most beautiful trail I have experienced in the Smoky Mountains. Elevation: 3,834′ at parking lot, 4,389′ at Arch Rock, 4,970 at the bluffĪlum Cave Bluff GPS: 35.63934, -83.447471Īlum Cave Bluff Trailhead on US 441 GPS: 35.629553, -83.451443īy my best calculation it had been nearly 20 years since I had seen Alum Cave Bluff.
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