View Full Version : Thomas Knob Shelter
Former Admin
09-10-2002, 05:14
Info, questions, comments, experiences (good or bad) regarding - Thomas Knob Shelter
Past/Present hikers - what can future hikers expect here? Have any good stories or memories from here?
Future hikers - any questions?
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Hammock Hanger
09-10-2002, 06:22
Bautiful,large 2 story shelter. Back in 93, I was hiking north the wind was so bad that it was throwing me around like a piece of toilet paper. I got to the shelter around lunch. Some sobo hikers came in and said the wind keep knocking them down face first it was so strong. We all had lunch, more folks came in with their stories... No onewanted to go back out, it was a COLD wind as well. We all ended up staying and by early evening the shelter was packed. Next day I talked with a ranger who said some of the winds had been clocked at @ 75mph. There is also a nice rock haslf way between the shelter and the water hole to watch the sunset. HH
Jumpstart
09-12-2002, 11:56
A really nice privy, great views from the water source, and the night we were here, a deer practically came into the shelter they came so close! You can watch the wild ponies from the water source if you're lucky...great shelter right before Grayson HIghlands....
The Weasel
09-12-2002, 16:53
See my picture of weather in May at Thomas Knob! It's in the gallery.
fivefour
02-28-2006, 12:15
We stayed here 2/24/06 and found the shelter full of trash. Clothing, tarps, flashlights and lots of food wrappers. We hiked out what we could (no fires are allowed at this shelter due to a rare salamander that lives around fallen wood) but there was still some left. Anyone hiking to this shelter anytime soon might want to carry an extra trash bag and maybe even a new broom. The one there currently has sticks duct taped to the broom as a handle.
Lone Wolf
02-28-2006, 12:22
That shelter really sucks. I heard thru the grapvine that it's going to be taken down.
Kerosene
02-28-2006, 12:23
Are there tent sites in the vicinity of this shelter?
Lone Wolf
02-28-2006, 12:24
About .5 north of the shelter are great camp sites.
That shelter really sucks. I heard thru the grapvine that it's going to be taken down.
you're joking, right?
D'Artagnan
02-28-2006, 17:25
I posted a photo today of Thomas Knob Shelter I took 7/2/05. It seemed to be in pretty good shape then. I'm sure it gets a lot of activitity because of its proximity to the summit of Mt. Rogers and its distance from Massie Gap/Grayson Highlands. I really enjoy that area. (YMMV)
Lone Wolf
02-28-2006, 17:33
you're joking, right?
No joke. I heard it at MRO recently.
lost & found
02-28-2006, 17:35
I spent the night there as the last night of a 500 mile hike that started at Springer. It was the last day of July 2004 and was the coldest night I spent on the trail. I've been in colder weather, but with cold weather clothing. I only had summer weight clothes and sleeping bag. The temp got down into the 30s and the wind was also howling in the 30s.
Plan on having cold weather gear with you for that shelter or plan on shivering.
No joke. I heard it at MRO recently.
LW,
Will it be replaced by a new shelter like they did with Raccoon Branch > Hurricane, or will there simply be no shelter between Lost Mt. & Wise? (Not that it would be a bad thing...)
If the answer is they aren't going to build a replacement shelter, maybe some permanent groupings of tentsites fenced in to keep the livestock out? With a water source nearby, privy or designated latrine area, and possibly a picnic table, that would work as well or better than a new shelter. I bet we could both suggest some good locations.
Actually, this rumor is strange because I heard last Fall that they were going to replace the solar privy with a mouldering privy at Thomas Knob. Or maybe that was the strange rumor. It's just all too strange.
bobgessner57
03-01-2006, 01:38
Kerosene:
Just past the shelter about .1 mile as you head N, look down to the right by some big rock outcrops. There are good tent sites in the grass on the same contour as the shelter's spring. Fantastic view and easy walk to the spring. The ones Lone Wolf mentioned offer more shelter and shade with good access to the views.
Kerosene
03-01-2006, 09:42
Thanks for the info, L. Wolf and bobgessner57. We'll be SOBO in mid-June and see which site works best for us.
fivefour
03-01-2006, 09:50
there are quite a few campsites in that area. i wish we had chosen to use one of those instead of the shelter but the wind was HOWLING. and about the privy ... i have yet to see one that dirty. i don't want to get into details but we all chose to travel onward the next morning w/o a visit.
i think the shelter still has plenty of life in it. it just needs a little TLC.
there's nothing wrong with that shelter. it's really needed, i think, because of the damn wind up there. if they took it down, that'd be a pretty long haul between wise and lost mtn -- 18 miles, right?
Lone Wolf
03-01-2006, 11:06
There's plenty of woods in lower elevations between lost Mtn. and Wise to pitch a tent. Thomas Knob needs to come down.
jaywalke
03-01-2006, 15:02
Mount Rogers sort of collects bad weather (being the tallest thing around, I suppose). I stayed in Thomas Knob with a big group of thru-hikers last May. It was cold, windy and occasionally spitting hail. The next morning was the same, but after walking less than a mile we were in sunshine being panhandled by the ponies. Looking back over our shoulders, we could see Rogers (and the shelter) still wrapped in the clouds. Bypassing it for a tent site might get you better weather . . .
SOBO after Thomas Knob you lose elevation quickly on the AT and get back into the woods. NOBO you will be above treeline for miles (the Grayson Highlands = WINDY and beautiful) after passing Thomas Knob, but you can duck down side trails into the woods.
Just a few hundred feet south of the blue-blaze to the old Deep Gap Shelter spring is a side trail to some great camping spots. It's low enough in elevation to not be as windy as Thomas Knob, and are somewhat protected by trees. There is also a nice fire ring (fires not permitted at Thomas Knob). If there WAS going to be a replacement shelter built between Lost Mt. & Wise I'd think this would be a good location--but personally I think leaving it as tentsites (maybe modestly improved) would be better.You can still get water from the aforementioned spring, which is piped and great BTW.
Stayed in Thomas Knob last Wednesday night. 50+ mph winds, 20 degrees (F), and a clear sky with a full moon. Seems there is a new resident skunk there over the last few weeks that can climb the ladder into the loft as well. My dog was with us and about 2:00am woke me up growling and sure enough, there was Mr. Skunk looking into the shelter but not thinking about crossing the path of my dog. Entries in the shelter register showed hanging bags in the loft thwarted his pillaging efforts though he did get into some packs and messed up some first aid kits. Privy was in good shape too.
B Thrash
06-06-2006, 20:08
Stayed there 1 Jun 06. Could see daylight through the roof in several places. Pony's was within ten foot of the shelter. New privy only half completed. Corral around the water need's repair to keep the pony's out. Enjoyed the stay there.
Kneegrinder
08-10-2006, 13:46
This was a nice shelter in 2004 but great tentsites 0.5 north where we camped. We saw a couple of deer on their hind legs "boxing" from our field. In the middle of the night something was making noise outside our tent and it was two ponies tearing grass out of the ground right next to the tent. After a few minutes the alpha pony for the herd ran by with a dozen buddies and our two tore off with them. One beggar was back for breakfast though. ps The privy was a mess.
white rabbit
08-11-2006, 07:12
Great shelter! Bad Location! It needed to be off the ridge line. When we were there it was so foggy you couldn't see anything but the shelter itself is excellent.
Great shelter! Bad Location! It needed to be off the ridge line. When we were there it was so foggy you couldn't see anything but the shelter itself is excellent.
They must have used some chinking to fill in the gaps where all that wind, rain, and snow was getting in. Or did they?
I think the location of the former shelter at Deep Gap made more sense and was out of the elements compared to Thomas Knob, tho the area immediately around it was in need of a rest. If you look at the mileage, having a shelter at Deep Gap spaces out the distance between Lost Mt. Shelter and Wise Shelter better, and puts a shelter closer to the mid-point of those two. Of course, when there was a shelter at Deep Gap those other two didn't even exist...but today having a shelter there or near there would serve hikers better.
The area where Deep Gap Shelter once stood is still being revegetated, but there are some awesome tentsites plus a fire ring nearby up a blue-blaze in an appealling setting--and the old shelter piped spring is still going strong. If the MRATC was to ever consider getting rid of Thomas Knob, it wouldn't be the worst thing. They could build a shelter near where the tentsites I mentioned are--or (my preference) improve the tentsites, add a picnic table, privy, and a few other amenities--and forgo the shelter structure itself.
orangebug
08-11-2006, 14:08
When I was at Thomas Knob last week, they were 2/3rd's thru re-roofing it, taking shingles down and putting metal up.
The privy was a wreck, as was the Wise Shelter privy. I don't understand why they have nailed two branches across the front, when closure of the privy with a sheet of roofing would be more effective. If the purpose isn't to close the privy, they have made it very inconvenient and possibly dangerous.
The mile marker should read 487.5 verses the 478.5 posted.
Appalachian Tater
09-26-2006, 20:48
When I slept upstairs this spring, the plexiglas fell out of the window and almost decapitated me. It was held in with a piece of string.
big_muddy
04-19-2007, 12:01
Relayed from Grasshopper who stayed at Thomas Knob on April 17, 2007:
Thosmas Knob . . . part of its roof has worked lose and is banging every time the wind gusts, about once a minute. I can handle the wind but I hope the roof doesn't keep me up.
Big Muddy
Lone Wolf
04-19-2007, 12:03
one of the dumber shelter locations
Jester2000
04-19-2007, 19:28
If I recall correctly, this was the shelter in 2000 that was completely packed with hikers who had been there three days waiting out what appeared to be a brutal storm. Rain pelting, wind howling, fog swirling. Those on the upper deck wouldn't let any one up, claiming it was "full." Those on the lower deck were cramped together, including a family that had brought their very young baby with them.
Everyone was pretty surly.
I was just stopping to rest, and the vibe was somewhere in between pre-mutiny ship and mean-spirited leper colony.
Funny thing was, if any of those folk had packed up and hiked on, they would have realized that the storm was sitting stationary on top of the mountain. Two miles north the sun was shining.
Sometimes I discount what Lone Wolf says regarding shelters, 'cause I know he dislikes them generally. But he's dead on here.
Tear down all shelters. Pack a tent or tarp. Shelters make good firewood.
Jester2000
04-19-2007, 19:41
Tear down all shelters.
And not just on the trail! Tear down all shelters, and we can live a happy nomadic existence.
Well, except my Mom's house. She doesn't like camping.
Cabin Fever
11-08-2007, 19:29
I believe the no shelter discussion could live somewhere else. Has anyone been to Thomas Knob Shelter lately? What's the status of the shelter? Water anywhere around?
D'Artagnan
11-09-2007, 09:07
I believe the no shelter discussion could live somewhere else. Has anyone been to Thomas Knob Shelter lately? What's the status of the shelter? Water anywhere around?
I was there a couple weeks ago and the shelter appeared to have undergone some remodeling somewhat recently. It now sports a metal roof (replacing the shake roof). The old solar privy has been replaced with one closer to the shelter, too. The old one is still there, it's just boarded off. Water behind Thomas Knob was non-existant when I was there.
maxNcathy
11-09-2007, 09:25
We had lunch then took shelter as the rains came and the winds blew for a couple hours..played yahtzee on the floor and visited with fellow hikers.Did not stay overnight.
Plodderman
07-16-2008, 15:09
Had a full crowd at the shelter and a deer almost came in to join us. Liked the view but I heard form a Ranger that it can be get cold in the Spring and Fall.
About eleven at night a bunch of boy scouts with there leaders came running in as lighting was flashing and the thunder rolling. The storm passed and they returned back the camping areas close by.
sweetpeastu
07-28-2008, 22:47
Whats the water situation look like up there right now?
barefoot
07-29-2008, 08:47
We were up there 2 weeks ago and the water was very poor. It was a puddle. If I had a filter I might have gotten some water but was using AquaMira.
sweetpeastu
07-29-2008, 10:02
oh great. and its sooo early in the season for it to be so dry.
smithk3933
10-07-2008, 12:47
Planning on a two day loop around Mt Rodgers from Massie Gap going north to Old Orchard and then looping back south to Deep Gap/Thomas Knob shelter for second night by way of the Lewis Fork/Mt Rodgers trail.
Would you recommend planning on staying at Deep gap or Thomas Knob. We will be in tents and not shelters. Is there water available near Deep Gap? Decent tent sites? How about Thomas Knob? Sounds like the water source s suspect?
Do I need to hang a food in the area from bears?
Thanks for the insights.
Keith
Lone Wolf
10-07-2008, 13:08
Planning on a two day loop around Mt Rodgers from Massie Gap going north to Old Orchard and then looping back south to Deep Gap/Thomas Knob shelter for second night by way of the Lewis Fork/Mt Rodgers trail.
Would you recommend planning on staying at Deep gap or Thomas Knob. We will be in tents and not shelters. Is there water available near Deep Gap? Decent tent sites? How about Thomas Knob? Sounds like the water source s suspect?
Do I need to hang a food in the area from bears?
Thanks for the insights.
Keith
you're not "supposed" to camp at deep gap. there is a blue-blaze to a piped spring there. if it were me i'd continue on about .8 past thomas knob shelter where there is excellent grassy camping. i've never hung food in the grayson highlands area
Planning on a two day loop around Mt Rodgers from Massie Gap going north to Old Orchard and then looping back south to Deep Gap/Thomas Knob shelter for second night by way of the Lewis Fork/Mt Rodgers trail.
Would you recommend planning on staying at Deep gap or Thomas Knob. We will be in tents and not shelters. Is there water available near Deep Gap? Decent tent sites? How about Thomas Knob? Sounds like the water source s suspect?
Do I need to hang a food in the area from bears?
Thanks for the insights.
Keith
Like Wolf says, camping is not allowed in the immediate Deep Gap, site of a former shelter. However, about a tenth of a mile (+/-) south of the bliue-blaze to the piped spring is an informal trail leading briefly uphill to a well-used camping area that has developed over the years since the shelter was removed (and reassembled in the Damascus Town Park).
I've camped up there at least a half-dozen times. It's close enough to the trail to the spring that those camping in this area can get water there.
I almost always hang my food bag when camping. Not just because of bears (which are not much of an issue in that part of the High Country) but to protect from other critters.
The sites Wolf mentioned north of Thomas Knob Shelter are also much superior to that shelter IMHO. Water source would be a corralled piped spring about a quarter-mile away. Check out the USFS map for that area. It should be shown on that map.
Busy shelter. Lots of day trippers and a lot of people using it as a rest point after mount rogers.
I would not recommend staying here.
Water source was fenced in and just a mud puddle when I was there August 2009.
copperjohn
07-31-2010, 23:08
I stayed at this shelter on 7/29/2010 with 6 other people. The shelter was nice and clean. A deer did pop out of the woods right in front of the shelter. It rained hard off and on as it got dark. I found out I chose to sleep on the wrong side of the shelter. The wind blew right in and I froze all night. The view from the rocks right behind the shelter was great. The water source was barely flowing. Sometime soon it would be good to have someone dig up the small pool at the spring. It wasn't deep enough to get much water. I dug it out some but didn't want to stir up the water too much because others were needing water.
Also the privy is a composting privy. There was no duff to flush your waste. I didn't feel comfortable digging up duff in such a fragile ecosystem. It can't be good right? We discussed and didn't know.
jimmyfunk
08-23-2010, 21:16
Staying at Thomas Knob next Monday, are reservations required in this Mount Rogers Rec Area? I've only hiked in GSMNP and they request reservations for the shelters...
No reservation is required. Enjoy your trip.
Hikerhead
08-23-2010, 23:31
I never can remember the name of this shelter.
What "knob" is the one called Thomas Knob?
Who is this guy, Thomas?
Why didn't they call this Mt Rogers Shelter?
Am I stepping out of line for asking these questions?
Ditchard
09-29-2010, 11:36
FYI, Thomas knob will be "under construction" Oct 8th. Several rotting logs will be replaced. not sure what else. I will be one of the volunteers.
I am not a big fan of this shelter and the water source is always poor (for years). I hope I am proven wrong and it is better than I recall. Either way there are lots of great places to tent camp nearby. I personally would never stay in this shelter for these reasons, not to mention the poor location (exsposed).
Ditch
Ditchard
09-29-2010, 11:39
excuse my poor typing - lol
Lone Wolf
09-29-2010, 12:27
agree. lousy shelter. it should be torn down
Wild Type
09-29-2010, 15:55
Take down Thomas Knob? That's the silliest thing I've heard of. What, you want to move the old Deep Gap shelter back up from the Damascus Town Park. Have a look at that one sometime. Back in the 70s, that was state-of-the-art. I don't think there is any comparison to the current Thomas Knob Shelter; that is unless something has drastically changed from what I saw there last summer. The privy was a bit fly ridden but the spring was in great shape.
Ditchard
09-30-2010, 09:29
I would definitely not say it should be torn down. I just wouldn't stay there unless really necessary. And furthermore, I haven't seen it in several months but will be there next Friday so I will give a report after the repairs are done.
To be honest I avoid staying at all shelters so I am biased a little. But in really bad weather or if going really light or if really tired a shelter is a godsend. They all serve a purpose.
agree. lousy shelter. it should be torn down
Isn't this a redundant comment from you? ;)
Lone Wolf
09-30-2010, 14:27
Isn't this a redundant comment from you? ;)
yeah. kinda :cool:
Stayed there night before last. The shelter had just been worked on earlier in the day; several logs had been replaced, and there was a sign indicating that they would be back yesterday (10/10) to finish.
My experience was that it was a great shelter, nice privy, good water (there are cool little salamanders in the spring), and amazing views.
Several of us laid out on the boulders behind the shelter and watched the sunset. Later the Milky Way stretched from horizon to horizon. It's nice and dark out there and you can see tons of stars.
Then a bunch of ponies walked up the trail and were apparently looking for food. They stuck around and licked the rocks on the ground in front of the shelter for a couple hours (or maybe more...they were still there when I fell asleep).
Best night of my trip, without a doubt.
Sounds like no bear cables @ Thomas Knob. Lone Wolf says he doesn't hang food in this area. Do y'all agree?
Lone Wolf
05-27-2011, 06:28
Sounds like no bear cables @ Thomas Knob. Lone Wolf says he doesn't hang food in this area. Do y'all agree?
i don't hang food in any area. ponies are a problem in that area
Doc Mike
05-27-2011, 07:00
Ponies are the problem, and the highlight along with the views. I spent 4 days in there last month and did hang my food but that is my usual habit. I saw no bear sign at all. The advantage of hanging it is there is no need to worry about it. The advantage to not hanging it is will save tou about 5 minutes between putting up and taking down.
btw your right no bear cables (which by the way I think are silly anyway) People hike a lot of trails with worse and more dangerous bears than the AT and they don't have bear cables.
Was out there a couple days ago. It's been wet, and there is lots of mud around the shelter. Water is running fine though.
Is the fire ban for the shelter site only? Or does it apply to the various tent sites in the vicinity? Thanks.
I went by Thomas Knob shelter last Sunday about 1100 am. Whoever did the repairs did a fine job. The exterior walls were covered with log siding nailed on 2x4s, providing protection for the log structure and keeping (most of) the rustic appearance. The new siding extended to the top of the gables making the 2nd floor much more weather tight than had been the case.
With this level of effort and expense, there appears to be little danger of this shelter being removed any time soon.
Many hikers had camped just off (as in 10' or so) the AT north of the shelter. My guess is they hoped to stay at the shelter but found it full. An area that exposed can't stand this level of abuse if it occurs very often, but the area looked fine so perhaps it is an infrequent event associated with the foliage peak on a perfect weekend.
AngryGerman
04-24-2013, 12:35
Myself and another thru-hiker spent New Year's Eve in that place; 60-70mph winds, ice, snow, cold. We arrived around 8pm to find two weekend hikers up top with tent set up and kindly asked them to make room for us as sleeping downstairs was out of the question! It sounded like the Abominal Snowman was throwing 6 foot sheets of ice at the shelter all night, insane! In the morning I had a chance to look at the improvements made and was not surprised it was still standing in the AM.
Kaptainkriz
09-21-2015, 19:30
Bump - We plan to be passing through this area in a couple weeks as part of a loop in and around the area. Any recent insights into the water flow near the shelter?
doritotex
09-21-2015, 22:21
Bump - We plan to be passing through this area in a couple weeks as part of a loop in and around the area. Any recent insights into the water flow near the shelter?i stayed in Thomas Knob last Wednesday. Water was flowing ok, the shelter was clean and members of the Mt Rogers Club were there earlier in the day cleaning the privy and doing trail maintenance. There is a roll up tarp to cover the opening when it gets cold. It was a great evening to watch the sunset!
doritotex
09-21-2015, 22:25
32082 Sunrise at Thomas Knob last Thursday.
Kaptainkriz
09-21-2015, 22:38
@doritotex, thanks! :)
Hopefully we have nice weather like it appears you did!
I didn't stay there, but as others have said I heard that it was extremely cold and windy. Other than that, it it a beautiful shelter with an amazing view, good water, wild ponies. I would suggest camping a little bit north of the shelter in the awesome campsites around the rhododendron gap area.
bigcranky
09-22-2015, 06:56
Water was pretty slow up in the High Country over the weekend. The spring in the middle of Pine Mountain (in the corral at the intersection of the Crest Trail and the Lewis Fork Trail) was completely dry - something I'd not seen in many years up there. The springs on the west side of Wilburn Ridge and at the shelter were flowing slowly, but getting water wasn't difficult.
Keep an eye on the weather radar for SW Virginia over the next few weeks and see how much (if any) rain they get.
The weather this past weekend was perfect, and the crowds reflected that. :)
doritotex
09-22-2015, 07:05
At 5400 feet, it will be cool, but of course it is not cold and windy ALL of the time. I had perfect weather last week, it was less windy than camping on top of Pine Mtn. We had no wind at the shelter, and when I hiked out Thursday morning I met a group who camped two miles south atop Pine Mtn who told me that they had an extremely windy night.
Just be aware of the weather forecast and adjust the temps accordingly for the elevation. And yes, there are some beautiful, flat campsites with a view just north of the shelter.
Kaptainkriz
10-12-2015, 17:14
Thomas Knob was packed on Saturday, 9 upstairs and 7 downstairs. The hammoc crowd set up a virtual floor 2.5 to make space for people to sleep below. We stayed in our tent just south of the shelter. Saturday was a soggy mess (lots of mud) but Sunday made for a nice hike to the summit of Mount Rogers.
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shlugger
12-02-2015, 01:11
great two story shelter. Water is close but this is a prime location for boys scouts and big groups!!
I stayed at Thomas Knob shelter last Saturday night. Winds were very strong so we were glad to be there. It was pretty full with 5 upstairs and 6 downstairs. It was clean and in reasonable shape. The front of it is a mud pit however. Luckily there are big rocks so you can go rock to rock avoiding the worst of the mud.
And as others have noted, there is a good camping site about 100 yards north of the shelter. It was also full.