Smokies begins multi-year rehabilitation of Bullhead Trail to Mount LeConte
File photo
The National Park Service (NPS), in partnership with Friends of the Smokies, is beginning a multi-year rehabilitation of the iconic Bullhead Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Beginning May 5, the park will close Bullhead Trail from Monday through Thursday each week, excluding federal holidays, through Nov. 6, 2025.
The Bullhead Trail is one of several routes that lead to Mount LeConte, offering a challenging 13.6-mile roundtrip hike to the summit. Through this rehabilitation, the park will enhance overall trail safety by repairing tread surfaces, improving drainage, constructing trail structures such as staircases, turnpikes and retaining walls, and removing tripping hazards like exposed rocks and roots. These efforts will also help protect the park’s natural resources.
Hikers are welcome to hike Bullhead Trail Friday through Sunday. The park plans to reopen the trail fully on Nov. 6, and resume the rehabilitation in May 2026.
Following the completion of the Ramsey Cascades Trail rehabilitation in 2024, the park and Friends of the Smokies are beginning this rehabilitation of Bullhead Trail as the next project in the Trails Forever program. This program funds a permanent, highly skilled trail crew dedicated to the rehabilitation of high-use trails throughout the park.
