Vertical Milestones
Updated: 2 days ago
The vertical mile is a hiking challenge that involves climbing Mount Le Conte from the riverside in Gatlinburg. Hikers start by dipping a toe in the Little Pigeon RIver near Ripley's Aquarium (elevation 1,313 or less) and then climb 5,280 feet to High Top.
The typical route follows the Cherokee Orchard Road up to Rainbow Falls Trail. Bullhead and Trillium Gap offer alternative routes,and it is even possible to do via Brushy Mountain Trail by starting near the Emerts Cove covered bridge below Greenbrier. Depending on the route, the round-trip hike is usually more than 22 miles.
Holly Bryant and T.J. Melinn have reported the most vertical miles with nine each. After his Sept. 26 hike, "The Bearded Guide" posted that his next mile will be with Bryant, so they can remain tied on the record books. "Life isn't always about passing up a friend just to be No. 1," he wrote.
The leaders for most vertical miles:
Holly Bryant | 9 |
9 | |
Tim Massey | 6 |
Larry Russell | 5 |
Mike Edens | 5 |
Jason Schenk | 4 |
Bonnie Northrup | 3 |
Lee Fortune | 2 |
Mark Nielson | 2 |
The first vertical mile may have been in 1922, by Frank Machamer Jr.. He signed an early logbook: "Made it in 3 1/2 hours from Gatlinburg. It's hell, but it's great." It's not clear exactly where Machamer started or if he climbed a full vertical mile.
On April 18, 1930, 32-year-old Nick Robinson walked 51 miles from Knoxville to the original LeConte Lodge. He started at the Andrew Johnson Hotel on Gay Street in Knoxville, which would be a climb of over 5,4000 feet if he went all the way to High Top or 5,100 ir he stopped at Jack Huff's cabin. The one detail he gave to the Knoxville newspaper was a time of 1:48 up the old Rainbow Falls trail, 4. 1 miles.
LeContest.com has recorded more than a hundred vertical miles in recent years.
To get credit for the full vertical mile, hikers need to continue past LeConte Lodge to the summit at High Top. Don't be fooled by the "Elevation 6,593" sign on the dining hall.
Recent vertical milers:
Date | Hiker | Route up, down | Miles | Time | Lifetime vertical miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2026/10/12 | Mike Edens | Rainbow, Rainbow | up 10.80 RT 22.04 | 4:54 10:17 | 5 |
2026/10/04 | Tim Massey | Gatlinburg, Sugarlands, Bullhead | up 13 RT 23.82 | up 4:09 RT 6:54:16 | 6 |
2026/10/03 | Mike Edens | Rainbow, Rainbow | up 10.74 RT 21.98 | up 4:21 RT 9;20 | 4 |
2026/10/01 | Mike Edens | Rainbow | up 10.44 RT 21.31 | up 4:11 RT 8:46 | 3 |
2026/09/29 | Mike Edens | Rainbow, Rainbow | up 10.57 RT 23.08 | up 4:42 RT 9:55 | 2 |
2026/09/26 | T.J. Melinn | Rainbow, Bullhead | up 10.65 RT 24.78 | up 7:36 RT 12:21 | 9 |
2026/09/26 | Mike Edens | Rainbow, Bullhead | up 10.65 RT 24.78 | up 7:36 RT 12:21 | 1 |
2026/09/20 | T.J. Melinn | Bullhead, Rainbow | up 11.08 | up 6:10 | 8 |
2026/09/11 | T.J. Melinn | Rainbow, Bullhead | up 10.99 | up 6:59:05 | 7 |
2026/09/07 | Jason Schenk | Bullhead | up 10.5 | up 3:44.39 | 4 |
2026/09/03 | T.J. Melinn | Rainbow, Bullhead | up 10.63, RT 23.11 | RT 13:30:44 | 6 |
2026/08/29 | T.J. Melinn | Bullhead, Rainbow | up 11.07 RT 23.65 | up 6:31 RT 11:34:29 | 5 |
2026/08/29 | Jason Schenk | Bullhead | up 10.62 | 3:55:37 | 3 |
2026/08/22 | T.J. Melinn | Rainbow | 22:19 | 4 | |
2026/08/22 | Lee Fortune | Rainbow | 21.19 | 5:39 | 2 |
2026/08/16 | T.J. Melinn | Bullhead | 24.49 | 15:00:20 | 3 |
2026/08/16 | Jason Shenk | 22.26 | 9:37:37 | 2 | |
2026/08/09 | T.J. Melinn | Rainbow, Bullhead | 23.74 | 11:39:28 | 2 |
2026/06/30 | Jeff Goulder | Rainbow | 7:19 up, 12:38 round trip | 1 | |
2026/06/26 | T.J. Melinn | Rainbow, Bullhead | 1 | ||
2026/06/26 | Philip Elwick | Rainbow, Bullhead | 1 | ||
2026/04/02 | Constance Perry | Rainbow | 22.6 | 5:23 up, 4:30 down | 1 |
2026/04/01 | Rita Koehn | 23.4 | 9:16 | 1 | |
2026/04/01 | Daniel Koehn | 23.4 | 9:16 | 1 |
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