View Full Version : Roaring Fork, water? campsite?
illabelle
10-31-2016, 20:16
Headed out this weekend with a small group on their first backpack trip, one night only. We'll start at Max Patch and hike north 2.2 miles, stopping near Roaring Fork Shelter to camp.
1. I've been through there once (or was it twice?) and I seem to remember that there was a pretty good stream. Anybody know how it's faring in this drought?
2. What's the situation with tentsites? Our group will include young children and inexperienced parents, so staying close together is desirable. If we can't set up in a group, we'll consider carrying more water and tenting in the open areas below MP.
saltysack
10-31-2016, 20:27
I don't remember many open flat spots near the shelter....if my memory serves me it was a pretty heavily wooded area but I do suffer from CRS.......can't remember sh$@! We camped on top of max patch, my son had a blast!! We did Davenport gap to HS last summer....sorry water was plentiful then.....http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161101/bee7fc05bc5fcc160b3cdd88f7f28086.jpg
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
illabelle
10-31-2016, 20:58
Fabulous picture! I just had an idea. Maybe we could get on the trail a little further north, hike south, pick up water at the shelter, and then camp out on Max Patch. Would have to shuttle a vehicle, but that can be done. Hmm, I'm liking the idea of sunset and sunrise from the bald.
I don't remember many open flat spots near the shelter....if my memory serves me it was a pretty heavily wooded area but I do suffer from CRS.......can't remember sh$@! We camped on top of max patch, my son had a blast!! We did Davenport gap to HS last summer....sorry water was plentiful then.....http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161101/bee7fc05bc5fcc160b3cdd88f7f28086.jpg
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
saltysack
10-31-2016, 21:09
Y sunset and sunrise were awesome from there....probably getting lil chilly up top with the wind.....no fire wood any where up there either but if forecast looks good I'd highly recommend it...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
illabelle
10-31-2016, 21:12
Y sunset and sunrise were awesome from there....probably getting lil chilly up top with the wind.....no fire wood any where up there either but if forecast looks good I'd highly recommend it...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If the wind is heavy, we may camp elsewhere, but fire? No way! Not even if we didn't have a drought. Too pretty up there to mar it with a fire ring.
oldwetherman
10-31-2016, 21:41
I sectioned I-40 to Hot Springs not long ago and spent the night at Roaring Fork shelter. There was plenty of water a short distance both north and south of the shelter at that time....I don't factually know if that's currently the case. There is a significant amount of tent space near the shelter.....most of it is not totally flat but doable.
illabelle
10-31-2016, 21:51
Thank you, oldwetherman. That's the kind of intel I needed.
saltysack
10-31-2016, 22:08
If the wind is heavy, we may camp elsewhere, but fire? No way! Not even if we didn't have a drought. Too pretty up there to mar it with a fire ring.
I agree...I very rarely never build a fire when solo but a fire sure makes a 9 year happy!!! We didn't build a fire on max either but thought I recall seeing a fire ring....either way have fun. I do recall decent tent sites just north off of max patch in the woods about 1 mile down from the top.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
saltysack
10-31-2016, 22:08
Damn typo...never when solo...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Mr. Bumpy
10-31-2016, 22:30
There is not a lot of tenting around Roaring Fork. Plenty of hammock hangs. If I were taking a new group and looking for a sweet first time experience I'd just go to the other side of max patch, either just in the tree line or down farther at the bottom.
illabelle
10-31-2016, 22:36
There is not a lot of tenting around Roaring Fork. Plenty of hammock hangs. If I were taking a new group and looking for a sweet first time experience I'd just go to the other side of max patch, either just in the tree line or down farther at the bottom.
We did exactly that with a smaller group one time, only 2 tents. And that may be what happens this time, but we might have 5 or 6 tents. It will work if we bring plenty of water with us. I think we'll have to go closer to the shelter to get more water.
Tennessee Viking
11-01-2016, 00:37
Just prep for bears. Hang your bags away from the shelter.
Roaring Fork Shelter had food hoists when I was there in May 2015. I used a hoist to hang my pack. There is a pretty good sized stream crossing the trail about .2 miles north of the shelter though I can't assure you it will be running. I wish I had a clearer memory of how many good tent spots are there. If some in your party are unhappy with the tenting option I would think a few could stay in the shelter as long as they don't take up more than half the space -- it would be no different than three or four hikers who had fallen in together deciding to stay at the same shelter. I believe that shelter would hold at least eight people, if memory serves.
I believe camping on top of Max Patch is discouraged, though I have seen conflicting opinions on that. After the trail exits Max Patch it crosses another decent sized stream within a mile of moving into the trees IIRC. Hopefully there would be water there, though no guarantees.