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BobbyNoel
01-06-2008, 16:33
Last May I did the AT thru the Smokys to Hot Springs & the Presidentials, this year's section will be Shenandoah to Harpers Ferry:
1. When are thru hikers likely to be passing this way?
2. Advice about staying at some of lodges along the way? At what parts along the AT should I camp out with hikers or stay at a lodge?

You folks are alway great, could never have done last season without all your help.

Rob
Fort Lauderdale

Blissful
01-06-2008, 16:40
Last May I did the AT thru the Smokys to Hot Springs & the Presidentials, this year's section will be Shenandoah to Harpers Ferry:
1. When are thru hikers likely to be passing this way?
2. Advice about staying at some of lodges along the way? At what parts along the AT should I camp out with hikers or stay at a lodge?

You folks are alway great, could never have done last season without all your help.

Rob
Fort Lauderdale

Mid May to early June is the prime hiker time in SNP. But I have seen some as early as late April. BTW - April is a great time to go, just no conveniences except Big Meadows.

The lodges in SNP are expensive if you want to stay there. The huts can be tough as they are spaced out either short or long distances (distances aren't that bad if you have been hiking and are used to 18-20 miles but can make for shorter days for section hiking. Some are 8 miles apart). Another option too is to stay at the NPS campgrounds.
Check the NPS web site for info on when services open. Water was a little harder to come by until the faucets were turned on in May. Not sure when you plan to go.

rafe
01-06-2008, 16:41
The Quality Inn in Front Royal is nice. (Pool!) They'll shuttle you back to the trail. Blackburn Center and Bears Den are worth looking into. Can't advise you on the lodges within SNP, though I did avail myself to food & brew at some of them. Mmm good!

Almost There
01-06-2008, 17:51
There will be plenty of thru's still coming thru N. Virginia all throughout June. That being said most should be thru and you should have plenty of space to camp wherever you want.

bigcranky
01-06-2008, 18:09
Make sure you stop at all the Waysides and campgrounds for a meal or a milkshake. Skyland is pretty cool for an overnight if you can stay in one of the historic cottages, and breakfast is a great meal at any of the restaurants.

The huts are okay, but can be crowded. They have tent sites nearby. Be aware that there are specific rules for camping along the trail. (Not a big deal, though.)

We had a great time on this section.

Pedaling Fool
01-06-2008, 18:48
Make sure you stop at all the Waysides and campgrounds for a meal or a milkshake... and breakfast is a great meal at any of the restaurants...
It's a special treat for thru-hikers, they're like little kids around all those waysides. Skyland is an absolute must for breakfast, especially for thrus. Whenever I hike SNP (always gone NOBO), I ensure to time the hike to stay at Rock Spring Hut so I can eat breakfast at Skyland.

Lellers
01-06-2008, 19:24
If you've got the disposable income, staying at Big Meadows Lodge can be a real halfway treat in SNP. I believe the lodge is run by Aramark. I got my non-outdoors hubby to go to SNP back in September by taking him to the lodge rather than camping. I have to say that I really loved it.

Go to the Aramark website (http://www.visitshenandoah.com/lodging-food/big-meadows-lodge.cfm) and check out the prices. Somewhere on the site you can sign up for email information and deals. They send out some doozy deals when rooms aren't booked, especially off-season and mid-week deals. Back in November they had a deal for rooms at $59 a night, breakfast included.

I'm hoping to go back to Big Meadows and camp at the family campground during the peak thru season. I love it down there and will sometimes set up a basecamp behind the ranger station. I go out hiking all day, but like to leave big towels and a jar of quarters on the picnic table in my site -- little trail magic for thrus to take showers with fluffy towels and pay for the vendor-showers in the campground. I don't know if I'll make it down there this year, but if I do, I post a note on the board at the ranger station.

Rain Man
01-06-2008, 20:09
We stayed one night at Big Meadows Lodge this summer. (My daughter and I hiked the AT through the SNP and my wife drove our car in support.) I was very impressed with the restaurants at Big Meadows and Skyland and highly recommend both. Both have white table cloths and waiters. Elkwallow was a huge disappointment after those two, as Elkwallow has no inside seating of any sort and they even grumbled when we and another family moved a picnic table under an awning to eat out of the rain. Elkwallow's food "service" is just a grill. You stand at a counter and order a hot dog or cheeseburger, etc. Had we not expected Elkwallow to be more like Big Meadows and Skyland, it wouldn't have been such a let down. But it was.

Besides the night at Big Meadows, we stayed at the big campgrounds (where my wife could get to with the car), except for one night at a hut and one night "stealth" camping. That night, we camped just off the trail on the way up to Mary's Rock at a spot another hiker told us to watch for. It was great. As the trail starts up about 15 minutes north of Byrd's Nest #3, there is a slight turn to the right. To the left in the turn is a short (10 feet?) trail to an overlook, which has enough flat grassy area for one or two tents. The real attraction is the view of the sunset and/or the lights in the valley to the west. No water, but worth the stop. The next morning it was half an hour up to Mary's Rock. WOW... what views from there, too?!

As you can see, SNP has a lot of options and variety.

Rain:sunMan

.

rafe
01-06-2008, 23:09
Elkwallow and Skyland were entirely different experiences for me. The first (Elkwallow) was just the wayside, where I ordered a blackberry shake and consumed it outside, at a picnic table. The latter (Skyland) was the site of a delicious sit-down dinner with a view. Both were delicious.

Lellers
01-07-2008, 00:49
And, I forgot. You can get wine and beer at the waysides! I'm looking at a bottle of blackberry wine right now. It's on a shelf next to my computer. Bought that at Elk Wallow. I don't have much hope for it being good, but we toted it back on our car trip in September. To a Pennsylvanian, just being able to pick up a bottle of wine in a little convenience type store is mind-boggling. Up here, we still have mostly state-owned liquor stores, with the odd experimental grocery store selling wine and beer. Maybe one day, Pennsylvania will be civilized, too!

Hmmm, I should open that bottle of wine.