What is the "least" friendly trail town?

[wookinpanub]

I southbound thru-ed way back in 1990 and Elk Park, NC was not very hospitable at that time. Locals had burned a shelter and (rumor had it) dumped some chemicals in a water source in the area. I was solo and when I got to the area there were signs put up by the USFS instructing hikers not to hike alone, not to stop, and not to go into town. I had a maildrop in Elk Park and couldn't do much in the way of heeding their suggestions. I got harassed by some locals outside the post office, and to tell the truth, the whole thing shook me up a bit. I think there was a situation where the AT had claimed some trail land through eminent domain and the locals were unhappy. Hopefully, that's all water under the bridge, now.

[Pancake5765]

No time in a town North or South around the trail have I had a "bad" encounter. But it is funny to see all the hate on Connecticut, I've lived there from 1 to 25, just recently moving to Denver. Kent and the other towns are all some of the most expensive in the state anywhere for sure, but I will admit we have a different attitude to strangers. Within just 100 miles of us is over 8 million people plus NYC, it gives you a tough social filter. I know people in Denver here think I'm mad at them or pissed off a lot, when I'm happy as a clam.

[Del Q]

Cookerhiker...............did not want to isolate the hotel, I was cold, wet and hungry, no water, the guy at the Port Clinton Hotel was not kind, was their off day, rooms only, restaurant not open to others, just wanted a meal and food and willing to pay $$$...........firm NO

No biggie, just moved on..............am sure that some hikers stain trail towns for various reasons, get that, if I owned a business in a small trail town might feel the same but at the same time, $$$ is $$$

[Skyline]

I think it's a tie between:

•Elk Park NC
•Kent CT
•Great Barrington MA

[coach lou]

I think it's a tie between:

•Elk Park NC
•Kent CT
•Great Barrington MA

Back many moons ago my friends and I walked into a local breakfast joint in Great Barrington, to get something to eat. The old bat looked at us and said......." well look at this!" I just smiled at her gave her money.

[Amanita]

Great Barrington seemed pretty nice to me. I spent the afternoon reading on a park bench, someone pulled over and asked if I needed a ride back to the trail. The pizza place was good, and the waitress had lots of questions about my hike. And Dunkin Doughnuts let me stay after they closed (while they mopped up ect). I was getting off at the end of a section and my ride didn't get there until after 10pm, so I spent most of the day relaxing around town. Oh and another section I parked my car by the trail, it ended up being about 2am when I got back to it. A cop saw my lights on and pulled in to make sure everything/one was okay.

It all comes down to personal experience.

[RichardD]

The only bad stop for me was Culvers Gap, New Jersey. The only place open when I got there was Joes Coffee shop, guidebook warned it was unfriendly, they were not kidding, the guy is insane in my view.
I bought coffee, breakfast and some snacks, all good. Sometime later I asked if I could fill my water bottle, the guy went nuts and ordered me out of his establishment with many obscenities along with my hiking friend. I have never in my life been thrown out of anywhere until this. Both my hiking friend and I are polite respectful considerate people, there was absoltely no reason for his outburst but from what I hear its commonplace.
It would be wrong to say that the town is unfriendly based on this one person but it definitely left me with a bad feeling for the place and New Jersey in general.
My stops at all other trail towns were very positive and enjoyable.

[Don H]

I've been in Joe to Go in Culver Gap twice and never had a problem although I've heard others have. Went in there last year and met a local couple who buy breakfast in there every morning and live a few house behind the deli. They invited me to their house for breakfast which was very kind. They said he's generally a nice guy but sometimes flips out over seemingly simple things. He does makes some great subs.

[mateozzz]

It would probably help if so many hikers didn't look like hobos.

[WIAPilot]

It would probably help if so many hikers didn't look like hobos.

How should these guys look after 1,000 miles on the trail?! Joe is in business and a lot of his business comes from the AT. Behavior like that is simply unwarranted.

[Montana Mac]

I also was treated decently and had a good meal at Joe's. Just goes to show you can't prejudge a place based on someone elses experience

[RichardD]

Joes treatment of me was totally unacceptable and totally uncalled for. Mateozz, by the timing of your post do you assume I look like a Hobo?
You haven't a clue!! and your dead wrong.

[dperry]

Outfitter? Lol! In 2009 it was a boutique clothing store and ice cream shop masquerading as an outfitter. No one there knew what Tyvek was used for and hadn't stocked AquaMira in months......

I often wonder if the curmudgeon that ran the laundromat is still there.

Interesting; last weekend, we got a shuttle from Hoyt Rd to NY 22 with the male half of the ownership and his version was that business collapsed with the financial crisis a couple of years ago and has never recovered. (That's when he started doing shuttles.) He said that the ice cream store was what was keeping them alive. I guess there are two sides to every story (and some of both may be true. . .)

The only complaint I had about CT was the outfitter in Kent at the time required a $20 minimum to use your charge card (which is against the merchant user agreement).

Also interesting, because he was going to charge $45 for the shuttle, but when I told him I only had $20's and he didn't have any change, he just took $40. (although that was on him, of course, for not having change. . .)

[tdoczi]

I've been in Joe to Go in Culver Gap twice and never had a problem although I've heard others have. Went in there last year and met a local couple who buy breakfast in there every morning and live a few house behind the deli. They invited me to their house for breakfast which was very kind. They said he's generally a nice guy but sometimes flips out over seemingly simple things. He does makes some great subs.

in your normal day to day life do you walk into a place of business and ask to fill up water bottles? no, probably not. so why do you think being a hiker makes it ok to ask such a thing? not saying he didnt over react, but he probably gets requests for special treatment from hikers all the time and is sick of it. frankly i would be too.

[tdoczi]

in your normal day to day life do you walk into a place of business and ask to fill up water bottles? no, probably not. so why do you think being a hiker makes it ok to ask such a thing? not saying he didnt over react, but he probably gets requests for special treatment from hikers all the time and is sick of it. frankly i would be too.

replied to wrong post, ehh, whatever.

[rocketsocks]

The only bad stop for me was Culvers Gap, New Jersey. The only place open when I got there was Joes Coffee shop, guidebook warned it was unfriendly, they were not kidding, the guy is insane in my view.
I bought coffee, breakfast and some snacks, all good. Sometime later I asked if I could fill my water bottle, the guy went nuts and ordered me out of his establishment with many obscenities along with my hiking friend. I have never in my life been thrown out of anywhere until this. Both my hiking friend and I are polite respectful considerate people, there was absoltely no reason for his outburst but from what I hear its commonplace.
It would be wrong to say that the town is unfriendly based on this one person but it definitely left me with a bad feeling for the place and New Jersey in general.
My stops at all other trail towns were very positive and enjoyable.

Well,I don't know this fella,but yes It sounds like you had a very bad expeience.Sounds that that fella is tired of hikers in general,and problbly wont change anytime soon,and I'm sure he must know his name is in a book,which most likely furhter infuriates the situation,and I'm am supprised to hear that.....which book is that exactly?cause that ain't cool IMHO,That kind of info is something that could be in a trail log/or word of mouth....not published in a "guide book".I hope that is what your saying here,was it a trail log...?

[rocketsocks]

Well,I don't know this fella,but yes It sounds like you had a very bad experience.Sounds that that fella is tired of hikers in general,and probably wont change anytime soon,and I'm sure he must know his name is in a book,which most likely further infuriates the situation,and I'm am surprised to hear that.....which book is that exactly?cause that ain't cool IMHO,That kind of info is something that could be in a trail log/or word of mouth....not published in a "guide book".I hope that is what your saying here,was it a trail log...?

Ok,I just looked in The A.T. Guide 2012,Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers Companion 2012,and the Appalachian Trail Guide New York-New Jersey seventeenth edition 2012,and sixteenth edition2007,and did not see anything referring to Joe's coffee shop in Culvers Gap NJ and them being unfriendly.But in The A.T. Guide book,page 129 it says Joe to Go Leave pack on bench outside.Perhaps that is what you've read.Nothing wrong in publishing that,or even placeing "stars" on a reveiw to denote quality of service.Please get back to me on this.Thanks

[Don H]

The AT Guide, 2011 edition, page 127: "Joe To Go, just west of the trail, has been unwelcoming to hikers in the past".

The couple that I met at Joe's and took me home for breakfast had just got married the day before and had their wedding reception at their home. They had all kinds of left over food. They offered me BBQ ribs, burgers, cake and ice cream, more than I could eat. I left Culver's Gap very happy but the climb out of the gap was kinda slow

[WIAPilot]

Ok,I just looked in The A.T. Guide 2012,Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers Companion 2012,and the Appalachian Trail Guide New York-New Jersey seventeenth edition 2012,and sixteenth edition2007,and did not see anything referring to Joe's coffee shop in Culvers Gap NJ and them being unfriendly.But in The A.T. Guide book,page 129 it says Joe to Go Leave pack on bench outside.Perhaps that is what you've read.Nothing wrong in publishing that,or even placeing "stars" on a reveiw to denote quality of service.Please get back to me on this.Thanks

I think it would be a great idea to rate hostels, hotels, and dining establishments. With the new AT apps coming out, they could have something like Trip Advisor. It would definitely be a good selling point for the 2013 A.T. Guide. (AWOL are you out there?? 2013 is my year!)

I have to say that I will not be leaving my pack on any restaurant bench. Now maybe that is frequently done on the trail, but if so I won't be following the rules. Call me jaded; call me cynical, but in this economy my pack has too many expensive items to be so trusting. Forget even the money. How about irreplaceable items like camera and journal? Even if equipment is cheap, for most of the hikers who own them - it would mean the end of their journey if they had to replace them.

In full disclosure, I haven't met this Joe. But if he is going off because some hiker (or lots of hikers) asked to refill their water, he is in the wrong business! Hotels and restaurants are service-oriented businesses. He knows by now that he has many hikers who support his business, which is customer-driven. Just even from a human kindness point of view, he sounds like a jerk.

I frankly don't care if he is pleasant to 90% of the hikers out there. I don't intend to be one of the 10%.

[rocketsocks]

The AT Guide, 2011 edition, page 127: "Joe To Go, just west of the trail, has been unwelcoming to hikers in the past".

The couple that I met at Joe's and took me home for breakfast had just got married the day before and had their wedding reception at their home. They had all kinds of left over food. They offered me BBQ ribs, burgers, cake and ice cream, more than I could eat. I left Culver's Gap very happy but the climb out of the gap was kinda slow

Thanks don,Apparently someone has decided that the language used in the earlier book,should be reworded,of coarse not all would agree with me on this,and thats cool,but I just don't see that placing bad press in a guide book bodes very well for the hiker community,and apparently so did the editor,as it has since been changed.A couple months ago I had made a comment about not telling a store owner off,when service was refused for whatever reason(no packs in the store),after having been informed that this was not wise,and would only help to inflame the stigma associated with hikers in general,I came to the conclusion that telling one of the owners of a trail town establishment where the monkey put the peanut was not the way that situation should be handled.Like wise bad press can only cause resentment for the community,and probably not bring a good change.imho