Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast, near 19E

[Bootstrap]

I had a really good experience with the Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast this last weekend. They have a *wonderful* hiker's cabin, with both a 4-bed loft and a king sized bed, for $15/night per person. They also offer shuttle service, Terry picked us up from Hughes Gap for $20 when we were done. And for $3 each, we got a shower on the day we came back (when we weren't staying there). Parking is $3 / day. They also have three B&B rooms, but we were going the cheap route.

Their web site is here: http://www.mountainharbour.net/

Honestly, most of my hiking has not been on the AT, and I don't know how this compares to other places. This is the first hiker's cabin I've been in, and the first shuttle service. How does this compare to others?

Jonathan

[Sly]

For the amenities and service they provide I'd say they're a cut above many.

[Appalachian Tater]

Definitely above average, especially in terms of the food, very friendly, and the goats are fun. They had an overfull house, barn, and camper when I was there because the weather was really nasty and they handled the crowd very well, no one had reservations and no one was turned away.

The restaurant they took us to for dinner wasn't bad either, good portions and good prices an pretty good food. They were a little worried we might not like it because all of the chairs don't match, etc.

If I recall correctly, they really never planned to cater to hikers in the beginning, it was more strictly a B&B, but hikers started knocking on the door.

[Cookerhiker]

I enjoyed my stay there in May, '05 (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=97365) very much. Terry gave me a ride to a restaurant also and picked me up afterwards. The breakfast was phenomenal - almost "Shaw's-like."

[mixinmaster]

This place is great, one of the two best I experienced from GA>VA earlier this year....... The other was way too early for most people, but circumstance put me in the Hiker Hostel 20 miles out from Springer....... Both well worth the $ by a long shot..........

[Bootstrap]

If I recall correctly, they really never planned to cater to hikers in the beginning, it was more strictly a B&B, but hikers started knocking on the door.

Yeah, as Terry told the story, he discovered 3 very frozen hikers on his doorstep, badly in need of food, warmth, and a hot shower. It picked up from there.

Anyone know who those hikers were?

Jonathan

[Lilred]

I enjoyed my stay there very much summer before last. Mary is the kind of host that puts you immediately at ease. By the time I left, I felt very close to her, wonderful woman. EXCELLENT breakfasts!!!

[Sly]

Yeah, as Terry told the story, he discovered 3 very frozen hikers on his doorstep, badly in need of food, warmth, and a hot shower. It picked up from there.

Anyone know who those hikers were?


Yeah, Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest. :p

[KG4FAM]

I enjoyed my stay there very much summer before last. Mary is the kind of host that puts you immediately at ease. By the time I left, I felt very close to her, wonderful woman. EXCELLENT breakfasts!!! I stayed at the shelter just south of 19e the night before i came by there and went in for breakfast. I came in late and even though breakfast was over she still let me eat. She even offered to cook me up some fresh cooked food, but I told her that the leftovers would be plenty and she still brought out some cake and fruit. On top of that they she only charged me two bucks because I was eating what they considered leftovers. Even being leftovers this was the best breakfast I had hiking. I wish I had stayed the night.

[GoldenBear]

I used Mountain Harbour ("MH" Yes, there's a 'u' in their name -- why, I don't know) for a shuttle, parking, and shower during a wimpy section hike last week. This is simply an update for anyone thinking of using their services.
MH advertises themselves as a B&B, but they most definitely welcome hikers.
http://www.mountainharbour.net/hikers/
It is best to call ahead for a shuttle -- their prices are clearly posted
http://www.mountainharbour.net/hikers/shuttles/
-- however, I was able to arrange a second one in (literally) a matter of minutes when I came back from the first part of my hike.
I paid $2 a night for parking; I don't know if that's the normal price or a discount if one uses their shuttle.

Both shuttle drivers knew that I would be walking back to my car, and made certain that I knew how to get from The Trail back to MH. It's actually quite easy, and you don't even have to think about north & south or left & right. Just walk down the hill from where The Trail crosses the road. Between the trail and MH, the road has two lanes going up and one lane going down. There is almost no shoulder on the uphill part of the road here, so walking on the one-lane, downhill part is the only safe option. Walk with the traffic on the side of the road with one lane (yes, I know you're told to walk FACING traffic, but doing so here will result in almost nowhere to walk!), and you'll be going downhill towards this place. You'll quickly find their sign
https://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=62413
its "Burma Shave" like advertising
https://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=62411
and its entrance
https://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=62412

From the parking lot (room for a couple dozen cars), you'll see the main, barn-like structure
https://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=62410
The general store sells fuel canisters, munchies, freeze-dried food, and some camp supplies.
http://www.mountainharbour.net/the-new-general-store-at-mountain-harbour/
The food truck (yellow)
http://www.mountainharbour.net/the-food-truck-at-mountain-harbour/
was not open while I was there. Behind that truck is their B&B. At the back of the barn is the coin laundry, as well as the stairs to the hostel area.
The showers cost $2 per use; soap, shampoo, and towels are provided. There is plenty of hot water.

I can't speak to the comfort of the bedding
http://www.mountainharbour.net/hikers/hostel/
but the gathering area was welcoming.
https://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=62409
There were chairs, a wood-burning stove, books, flat-panel TV, DVD player, and a couple dozen titles.
Note that you MUST leave the hostel area between 10am & 12 noon.
The kitchen area
https://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=62408
https://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=62407
has a refrigerator, stove, oven, microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker, pizza baker, utensils, and a few staples & flavorings.
Wifi is included for visitors, and it was strong enough for me to do a fair amount of net-surfing.

[windlion]

Great bunkhouse stay in September 2018, good parking and clean accommodations, super shuttle support on short notice. I plan to return this year and kick off the hiking season this year with a slack pack from Culvers Gap back to Mountain Harbour!

[Gambit McCrae]

Mountain Harbour BB is one of my favorite places along the trail. Always extremely nice and helpful. They even bailed me out at Overmountain when I got snowed in one year