Very cool natural feature courtesy Mother Nature. Next time I'm on this trail, I'll head up to the lodge for a look see, but the trail was well worth the trip just to Alum Cave and back. All in all, maybe a medium in difficulty, but I saw people of all ages. Remember - show up early!

By now, the skies were sunny blue, but the wind was really whipping. I saw a few wildflowers on the way back, but didn't stop to attempt a shot between gusts. When I got back to the parking area, all spaces were full and cars lined the sides of 441. I decided to just head back to NC and maybe pull off at some of the overlook areas.