Shenandoah Hike

[C Mart]

Hi,

I've been planning a hike through SNP during the second week of July and I was hoping that some of you have made this trek before. I'm planning on hiking north through the park spending six-seven days on the trail.

A few questions I have...

---Is it possible to hike SNP solely relying on "huts" for shelter at night? If so any suggestions for a northbound itinerary would be great.

---Any recommendations for a shuttle service? I would like to park on the north end of the park and hike back to my car.

This is my 2nd section hike on the AT (my first was from Fontana dam to Davenport Gap). Any recommendations from veterans would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the help. My hike in the Smokies was a breeze because of the great advice I received from WhiteBlaze hikers.

-Corey

[rafe]

Rule #1 on the AT: do not rely on the shelters or huts for shelter. You must carry your own personal shelter, be it tent, tarp, bivy, hammock or whatever. There's simply no guarantee of room for all hikers at any given shelter.

[Cookerhiker]

Re a shuttle, send a PM to Skyline on WB - he runs a shuttle service.

Since you'll cross Skyline Drive numerous times and pass through or close to restaurants, you can decide how much food you want to carry vs. eating in said restaurants.

Re. shelters, it is possible in SNP to backpack and totally rely on shelters, not bringing a tent. I did it. But....there's one little difference. I did it in February (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=125152). For a July hike, I recommend you bring tent/tarp/hammock whatever.

[Jack Tarlin]

Good advice above.

Definitely bring a tent or tarp. You will likely find shelter space, but then again, maybe you won't. I ran into several large (like over 10 people) groups this past week and if weather was bad and folks like these decided to shelter, you'd be out of luck. And also, it can get buggy in the Park, so buggy, in fact, that you won't want to stay in a shelter even if its empty.

In any case, you don't need to rely on shelters. There are plenty of other places to camp for the night, and unlike the Smokies, you aren't hamstrung with restrictions on where you can stay.

If you go the NPS website for the Park, you'll find all sorts of info on camping, restricted areas, etc.

Have a great trip.

[Press]

The shelters in the SNP are farther apart than in the sections of the AT south of the park.

[Blissful]

Setting up an intinerary would be a little tough to say - depends on your condition, where you plan to start your hike, etc - Shelters can be spread out either 8 miles or 20 miles which makes it tough to plan based solely on shelters. You could mix in some NPS campgrounds which gives you a bit more leeway in planning. But you have to pay for the campsites, of course. Being a ridgeline trail, corssing teh Drive many times, etc. it's tough to find that many good backcountry campsites near the AT other than near the shelter areas.

[Slo-go'en]

Yeap, bring a tent. Some of the shelters are an easy walk from the road and this is a popular time of year for camp groups to show up out of no where. It's going to be hot, so plan on getting up real early (day break) and do as many miles as you can before the heat of the day sets in. You can often hit a way station during the day to cool off, have lunch and tank up on water, that will help. Pack light if you can.

Have a good hike and a good time!

[rafe]

I'd reiterate something Jack mentioned -- unlike other national parks and national forests on the trail, "stealth" camping is permitted in SNP, and the terrain is such that potential campsites are plentiful.

[Rain Man]

My daughter Grass and I thru-hiked the SNP at the end of last June. I remember it was over 100 here in Nashville and dry as could be. I asked the lady on the phone at the SNP who was approving my permit about the weather. She said, "Yes, it has been real hot up here, in the low 80s." I almost laughed. Truly, the weather in the SNP for our hike was cool, IMHO.

If you like, shoot me an email and I'll give you our itinerary and suggestions. If you'd prefer to speak by phone, send me a number and when to call.

Rain:sunMan

.

[Blissful]

I'd reiterate something Jack mentioned -- unlike other national parks and national forests on the trail, "stealth" camping is permitted in SNP, and the terrain is such that potential campsites are plentiful.


Backcountry camping is always permitted within the park guidelines, but from what I have seen on the AT, are not the best sites compared to other places on the trail, and most times not near water sources. Stealth camping that goes against their guidelines (hence the name stealth I always thought)...well, that is your own decision to make. But I did see a couple get slapped with a fine for camping illegally in SNP. Rangers are out there and they do patrol (we had one scrutinize our camping permit for some reason)

[Hikerhead]

Stealth Camping is allowed under these regulations.....from the SNP website.



9) No camping May Occur:

...within 10 yards of a stream or other natural water source. Protect streams and the fish in them from water quality deterioration due to erosion.
...within 50 yards of standing building ruins including stone foundations, chimneys, and log walls. The park has a rich history. Camping in the area of former homesites can damage these remnants of our past. Practice the Leave No Trace Principle of “Leave What You Find.”
...within 50 yards of another camping party or "no camping" post or sign. Preserve the solitude of others and respect areas that are closed to allow recovery from overuse
...within ¼ mile of a paved road, park boundary, or park facilities such as a campground, picnic area, visitor center, lodge, wayside, or restaurant. Backcountry camping requires that you get off the beaten path. If you do not want to travel the required distance, consider a front-country campground.
...within 100 yards of a hut, cabin, or day-use shelter. You may camp in a hut or cabin as described in this bulletin, or in a designated park-constructed campsites at Appalachian Trail huts.

[Cookerhiker]

One reason stealth camping is difficult in SNP is with the trail often traversing a fairly narrow ridge, there are limited flat areas to pitch a tent and still comply with the regs unless you hike downhill some which will also bring you closer to water.

But one ideal place to stealth camp is the top of HighTop Mountain. The top is somewhat rounded with plenty of tent-friendly places sufficiently off the trail. There's an abandoned, non-maintained trail leading to the highest point, site of a now-defunct fire tower. Since this "trail" is off-the-map and not maintained, you can probably camp on or just off it. The AT passes over a spring on top which is usually reliable. And you can catch a fabulous sunset from a rocky outcropping about 10' off the AT.

[Hikerhead]

....with a hammock, the world is your campsite. :)

[jonesat11]

Try to hike another 40 miles or so to Harpers Ferry and catch a train to DC or with luck another hiker with wheels.

[Homer&Marje]

I dont know much, but i did just get back from SNP i did a few miles back in early march, mostly side trails and a piece of the AT, Highly suggest the area around big meadows, Rock springs Hut is fantastic, Definitely bring source of shelter tho, very crowded in SNP even in late winter i remember...

I definitely set up tent 5' from a river in SNP, not because i wanted to but rather due to golf ball size hail, 50 mph winds, and it dropped to 15F that night, 4 hours of sleep very cold, very cold, but justified.