Abingdon Gap Shelter

[Former Admin]

Info, questions, comments, experiences (good or bad) regarding - Abingdon Gap 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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[Hillbilly]

One of the possible shelters on a section from Roan Bald to Mt. Rogers....Is this a good one?

[Bearmagnet]

A nice shelter with plenty of flat ground to camp. The water source is behind the shelter down a hill about 50 yards. A great place to stay if you don't won't to push on toward Damascus.

[Lone Wolf]

The water is actually about 300 yards DOWN.

[Panama Red]

the only problem with that shelter is if you are north bound, planning to stay at it and have never been there before; there is a shelter just before it going north bound named the holiday inn, this is about a half mile before abington shelter and is used by hunter in the area. youll see it one day and know why you do not want to mistake it for an official AT shelter.

[Footslogger]

The water is actually about 300 yards DOWN.===================
That might still be a tad short ...but it's more accurate than the earlier 50 yard comment.

Suggestion is that you carry every water containing device that you have in your pack cause you're not gonna want to go back for seconds.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[Berserker]

I stayed around this shelter on 4/12/08. As others have indicated it has some areas for setting up tents. There is a big flat spot in front of the shelter, and then some more areas spread 50' - 100' to the left of the AT if you are on it going NOBO. I tented up in this area past the shelter.

There were 4 thru hikers in this shelter, one when I got there and 3 that showed up later. The first guy was going SOBO, and the other 3 were headed NOBO. Got to hang out with them for a little while, that was cool.

Also, as others have indicated the water is a pain to get to. Not as bad as Vandeventer (that's the worst one I have seen in TN thus far), but fairly annoying. It is a good steep hike down to it.

There are no real good views from the shelter.

One thing of note is that about a 3 mile area of the AT goes through a burned out section of the forest. It appears to have been a controlled burn. It extends from about a mile North of Double Springs shelter to TN 421. So if you are planning to hit one of the two marked campsites in that area in the next month or two just be aware that they are in the burned area. It was still smoldering in spots when I went through there. I even saw a FS employee in the parking area where I started (on TN 91), and he didn't even mention the burn. Weird.

[Berserker]

the only problem with that shelter is if you are north bound, planning to stay at it and have never been there before; there is a shelter just before it going north bound named the holiday inn, this is about a half mile before abington shelter and is used by hunter in the area. youll see it one day and know why you do not want to mistake it for an official AT shelter.

Yeah, there is a shelter shown as the "Emergency Shelter" on the AT map that you run into about 1.5 miles before Abingdon if you are going NOBO. This shelter is right near the top of McQueen Knob. Someone has carved "HOLIDAY INN" on the front of it. This shelter is pretty darn small. It has a an area to sleep on in it about the size of a short double size bed.

[Tennessee Viking]

I stayed around this shelter on 4/12/08. As others have indicated it has some areas for setting up tents. There is a big flat spot in front of the shelter, and then some more areas spread 50' - 100' to the left of the AT if you are on it going NOBO. I tented up in this area past the shelter.

There were 4 thru hikers in this shelter, one when I got there and 3 that showed up later. The first guy was going SOBO, and the other 3 were headed NOBO. Got to hang out with them for a little while, that was cool.

Also, as others have indicated the water is a pain to get to. Not as bad as Vandeventer (that's the worst one I have seen in TN thus far), but fairly annoying. It is a good steep hike down to it.

There are no real good views from the shelter.

One thing of note is that about a 3 mile area of the AT goes through a burned out section of the forest. It appears to have been a controlled burn. It extends from about a mile North of Double Springs shelter to TN 421. So if you are planning to hit one of the two marked campsites in that area in the next month or two just be aware that they are in the burned area. It was still smoldering in spots when I went through there. I even saw a FS employee in the parking area where I started (on TN 91), and he didn't even mention the burn. Weird.We had another controlled burn early last year by Cross Mtn Road. Usually they post signs up indicating a burn in each direction. Usually route hikers through a bushwhack if its close to the trail. Unless he didn't want to hike in and post them.

[Wonder]

My experience......big, ornery, bears.........they don't like banjo music

[veteran]

Yeah, there is a shelter shown as the "Emergency Shelter" on the AT map that you run into about 1.5 miles before Abingdon if you are going NOBO. This shelter is right near the top of McQueen Knob. Someone has carved "HOLIDAY INN" on the front of it. This shelter is pretty darn small. It has a an area to sleep on in it about the size of a short double size bed.

This shelter was the first on Holston Mountain on the A.T. and is one of the AT’s oldest shelters. Not up to current A.T. shelter “standards,” it is intended for emergency use only, and even then the unchinked walls allow for the weather to easily enter. No water is available at this site.

[BlackCloud]

That shelter defines "old school", when REAL long distance hikers trudged w/o trail magic, GPS, 1lb sleeping bags...

[CaptainNemo]

Saw my first bears very near this shelter a week ago. And the water feels like 300 yards straight down haha. It probably is. I accidentally left my headphones here too. grrrr.