camping options at Sarver hollow VA?

[earlyriser26]

Are there good tent sites near the shelter? How far is the shelter from the ruins of the Sarver cabin and is it easy to get to? directions? Any other info on the area?

[Matteroo]

info: shelter is pretty new and nice. Its a bit of a ways down (maybe 200 or 300 ft?) from the AT. The sarver cabin area is just a mere 100 yards or something more lower down from the shelter site. i didn't see much in the way of camping area (its very much on an incline overall..) You'd have no problem finding the sarver 'cabin', as a path heads down to the ruins. someone else might by able to tell you better info about camping there--you probably could bed down by the ruins but i think that is suppose to be prohibited.

[McKeever]

Prior to the shelter being constructed, the Sarver's Cabin location was erroneously listed as a shelter in the Data Book so hikers just tented near the cabin, or if in a grungy mood slept in the old corn crib beside the cabin ruins.

There is a fire ring just across from the cabin and many many excellent tent sites at least a hundred yards from the shelter. The cabin is on a large grassy bench area from an ancient rock slide http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/mountain/mountain.pdf . The are area is now forested over from it's clearing in the late 1800's, since it's adaptation in to the JNF. The shelter is a very nice memorial shelter but I still would prefer tenting opposite of the cabin, it is a very nice area with several springs and good campsites.

[wakapak]

Prior to the shelter being constructed, the Sarver's Cabin location was erroneously listed as a shelter in the Data Book so hikers just tented near the cabin, or if in a grungy mood slept in the old corn crib beside the cabin ruins.

There is a fire ring just across from the cabin and many many excellent tent sites at least a hundred yards from the shelter. The cabin is on a large grassy bench area from an ancient rock slide http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/mountain/mountain.pdf . The are area is now forested over from it's clearing in the late 1800's, since it's adaptation in to the JNF. The shelter is a very nice memorial shelter but I still would prefer tenting opposite of the cabin, it is a very nice area with several springs and good campsites.

I camped there in 1999 on my thru....very cool campsites and the fire ring back then was nice also. I do, however, remember it all being quite a haul back down the side of the mountain. Last year as we went thru, we didnt stay the nite but needed to refill water, and again, quite a haul down the side of the mountain ( i didnt go down, so didnt see the new shelter).

[McKeever]

The blue blaze to the shelter has been improved with switchbacks since 99 and it's a lot earier than some of the hikes to water where you have to carry water to go get water. I think the same spring at the cabin is the water source for the shelter. It's a fairly good boxed spring.

[earlyriser26]

thanks, can't be worse than getting water at Vandeventer shelter in TN. I lost the coin flip on that one.