Bullhead Trail closure

Bullhead Trail, one of the routes to Mount LeConte in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, will close four days a week starting May 4 for trail repairs. (nps.gov) The National Park Service said the trail will be closed Monday through Thursday each week, excluding federal holidays, through November 19. Hikers can still use Bullhead Trail on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays. (nps.gov) Bullhead is a 13.6-mile roundtrip hike to the summit area near LeConte Lodge, the park’s only lodging and a backcountry destination reached on foot. The closure affects one of several trails that climb Mount LeConte, one of the Smokies’ most-visited high peaks. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) Park crews are continuing a multi-year rehabilitation project that began in 2025 with support from Friends of the Smokies. The work is aimed at improving trail safety and reducing erosion on a heavily used mountain route. (nps.gov) (wbir.com) Friends of the Smokies has contributed more than $4 million to trail rehabilitation projects in the park, including work on Abrams Falls, Rainbow Falls, Alum Cave, Chimney Tops, Forney Ridge, and Ramsey Cascades. The park said youth trail crews from American Conservation Experience and Southeast Conservation Corps also assist with the work each year. (nps.gov) The park is also planning volunteer workdays on Bullhead Trail each Wednesday starting May 20. Hikers looking for midweek access to Mount LeConte will need to use other routes while the weekday closure schedule is in effect. (nps.gov) If the schedule holds, Bullhead Trail will reopen full time in November, after nearly seven months of Monday-through-Thursday closures during the 2026 hiking season. (nps.gov)