View Full Version : Byrds Nest #3 picnic shelter converted to overnight hut 10/2008
Awol2003
08-28-2008, 21:01
This info via Laurie Potteiger, ATC & John Hedrick, PATC.
Byrds Nest #3 picnic area in the Shenandoah NP (926.7 mi. from Springer) will be converted to an overnight hut in October of 2008.
Byrds Nest #3 Hut with a reliable spring located .2 mile East from the shelter on a marked forest road. The hut was constructed in 1964 and sleeps 8. A privy is nearby along with designated campsites.
*** please note: not ready until Oct 2008 ***
http://appalachianpages.com/forum/styles/pioneer/misc/progress.gif
minnesotasmith
08-29-2008, 10:31
This info via Laurie Potteiger, ATC & John Hedrick, PATC.
Byrds Nest #3 picnic area in the Shenandoah NP (926.7 mi. from Springer) will be converted to an overnight hut in October of 2008.
Byrds Nest #3 Hut with a reliable spring located .2 mile East from the shelter on a marked forest road. The hut was constructed in 1964 and sleeps 8. A privy is nearby along with designated campsites.
*** please note: not ready until Oct 2008 ***
http://appalachianpages.com/forum/styles/pioneer/misc/progress.gif
I had a park ranger tell me the day-use-only shelters got VERY little use BC of the restriction. This will spread out the hikers at night, and give them more options re daily mileage.
:clap
the goat
08-29-2008, 11:56
i slept in one overnight in Oct 2001 due to an ice storm, ranger came by the next morning & said he didn't blame us as the storm was pretty bad.
Blissful
08-29-2008, 12:00
It would be nice to have the shelters used for something.
Pedaling Fool
08-29-2008, 12:08
I never understood why they are designated for day-use only? They look like any other shelter.
I wonder if they will leave the fireplace intact or if they will brick it up like they have done elsewhere
CherrypieScout
08-29-2008, 16:52
the water source there is very good. A piped "river" of water that is 4 tenths of a mile down hill for 200 feet. It was running strong in late July. I'm glad the shelter will be used for over night. It will break up the long, rocky miles between pass mtn and rock mtn shelters.
This info via Laurie Potteiger, ATC & John Hedrick, PATC.
Byrds Nest #3 picnic area in the Shenandoah NP (926.7 mi. from Springer) will be converted to an overnight hut in October of 2008.
Byrds Nest #3 Hut with a reliable spring located .2 mile East from the shelter on a marked forest road. The hut was constructed in 1964 and sleeps 8. A privy is nearby along with designated campsites.
*** please note: not ready until Oct 2008 ***
http://appalachianpages.com/forum/styles/pioneer/misc/progress.gif
These shelters were originally meant to be used as hiker overnight shelters.
1962 Time article about Harry Byrd mentions the shelters:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,870011-7,00.html
Sleepy the Arab
08-30-2008, 00:05
Slept there in 2001. Kind of mousey.
yeah that's what I remember too - dang mice were really bold
Did you know that there are at least 7 shelters in SNP that were torn down for various reasons in the 60's and 70's. They include:
Elkwallow Shelter near MP24
Shaver Hollow Shelter near MP 35
Hawksbill Gap Shelter near MP45
Lewis Spring Shelter near MP 51
Big Run Shelter near MP82
Riprap Shelter near MP91
Sawmill Run Shelter near MP95
Also, they banned overnight camping at all shelters in SNP in the early 70's. I guess pressure from the trail community must have overturned this. I have a PATC book 'Circuit Hikes in Shenandoah Park' dated 1976 that states all of this. I plan to do some research on this subject and see what led to these shelters being torn down.
three things contributed to the shelter removal:
1. wilderness act - some of these shelters were in areas designated as wilderness and were removed for that reason (Big Run and Rip Rap Shelters I think fall into this grouping)
2. Party sites - Elkwallow, Hawksbill Gap, Shaver Hollow and probably Lewis Spring I think are in this grouping
3. Money - by removing the shelters they no longer had to patrol them or clean them up thus fewer calls on park resources
Nicksaari
08-30-2008, 18:31
where exactly is this particular byrds nest? is this the one at the summit of hawks bill?
thanks everybody!!
Byrd's Nest 3 is the one about a mile or so south of Mary's Rock. It's right on the trail. Beautiful view of lights of Luray from there at night.
Nicksaari
08-31-2008, 20:23
thanks Press. why do they call you Press?
NICKTHEGREEK
09-01-2008, 14:15
Did you know that there are at least 7 shelters in SNP that were torn down for various reasons in the 60's and 70's. They include:
Elkwallow Shelter near MP24
Shaver Hollow Shelter near MP 35
Hawksbill Gap Shelter near MP45
Lewis Spring Shelter near MP 51
Big Run Shelter near MP82
Riprap Shelter near MP91
Sawmill Run Shelter near MP95
Also, they banned overnight camping at all shelters in SNP in the early 70's. I guess pressure from the trail community must have overturned this. I have a PATC book 'Circuit Hikes in Shenandoah Park' dated 1976 that states all of this. I plan to do some research on this subject and see what led to these shelters being torn down.
That was a great start too bad the move lost steam.
where exactly is this particular byrds nest? is this the one at the summit of hawks bill?
thanks everybody!!
Byrds Nest #3 Map
I never understood why they are designated for day-use only? They look like any other shelter.
They weren't. Originally they were overnight shelters with bunks in them. However, in the early 1970's SNP banned overnight use at all shelters in an attempt to spread out the impact. Now, it looks like they are reverting to concentrating the impact at shelter areas.
Shiraz-mataz
09-03-2008, 06:38
Here's a photo we took of Byrd's Nest #3 a couple months ago during a section hike:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=27432&catid=member&imageuser=7231
Shiraz-mataz
09-03-2008, 06:41
Here's a photo we took of Byrd's Nest #3 a couple months ago during a section hike:
You know, I can never get these photos to work right! :confused: See if this works. If not, just look in my gallery - there are only three photos to sort through!
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=27432&catid=member&imageuser=7231
minnesotasmith
09-03-2008, 13:08
That was a great start too bad the move lost steam.
Seems to me it'd be a lot less effort to just tell anti-shelter hikers not to use the AT, that there are lots of other LD hiking trails with no shelters to ruin their lives. ;)
Jack Tarlin
09-03-2008, 15:22
This is good to know. Thanx to Laurie, John, and Awol for passing this along.
NICKTHEGREEK
09-03-2008, 15:46
Seems to me it'd be a lot less effort to just tell anti-shelter hikers not to use the AT, that there are lots of other LD hiking trails with no shelters to ruin their lives. ;)
Simple oh open minded one. SNP embarked on a back to nature binge having decided that things like clearing Big Meadows or spraying the backcountry for gypsy moths are counter to the "wilderness" experience. They feel SNP is a wilderness and any husbandry done on a NATIONAL park is a bad thing now. That includes fighting naturally occuring fires BTW. Unless those shelters grow from seeds it's one more contradiction in stated purpose. I'll enjoy the park as I see fit and you are welcome to do so also.
minnesotasmith
09-03-2008, 18:03
I'll enjoy the park as I see fit and you are welcome to do so also.
No more wishing aloud on your part to have park facilities other people used vandalized by the management. I'll hold you to that... ;)
Nicksaari
09-03-2008, 19:46
im going to stay overnight there next spring. or maybe during a non-menacing snow storm this upcoming winter. so this place has a fireplace built into its infrastructure, or it is separate from the shelter? any info would be great.
staying in Pocosin this upcoming weekend in through mon. just in time for Hannah to come dump some rain on my brother the dog and i. wish me luck
The fireplace is built in, even has an iron hook for hanging a cook pot.
Nicksaari
09-04-2008, 04:27
Press! i watched stand by me this evening previous. the junkyard owner is named Milo Pressman, i thought of you haha
Nicksaari
09-04-2008, 04:28
Chopper Sick Balls
NICKTHEGREEK
09-04-2008, 06:21
No more wishing aloud on your part to have park facilities other people used vandalized by the management. I'll hold you to that... ;)
Not what I said, I'll wish aloud all I want when I want, if it idetracts from your sense of tranquillity I'm sorry, but tough luck
Byrd's Nest 3 is the one about a mile or so south of Mary's Rock. It's right on the trail. Beautiful view of lights of Luray from there at night.
Is this where those falcons or hawks are nesting and the bird people sit and watch them all day?
no - that Byrd's nest is up on Hawksbill
CdnHiker
09-18-2008, 10:08
Does anyone know exactly when in October Byrds Nest #3 will be converted. I'm hoping to stay there approximately October 12 or 13.
Rain Man
09-18-2008, 10:40
Here are some "BEFORE" photos I took on the evening of July 24, 2007, during my and my daughter's "thru-hike" of the Shenandoah National Park.
Byrd's Nest #3 sign (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=27871&c=566)
Byrd's Nest #3 looking NOBO (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=27869&c=566)
Byrd's Nest #3, looking SOBO (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=27870&c=566)
Byrd's Nest #3, interior (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=27872&c=566)
Rain:sunMan
.
Simple oh open minded one. SNP embarked on a back to nature binge having decided that things like clearing Big Meadows or spraying the backcountry for gypsy moths are counter to the "wilderness" experience. They feel SNP is a wilderness and any husbandry done on a NATIONAL park is a bad thing now. That includes fighting naturally occuring fires BTW. Unless those shelters grow from seeds it's one more contradiction in stated purpose. I'll enjoy the park as I see fit and you are welcome to do so also.
Kinda like the Skyline Drive, Big Meadows complex, Elkwallow complex, Skyland complex, etc., etc. grew from seeds. Guess the only exceptions are the money makers.:D
Awol2003
09-23-2008, 20:02
As of 9/23 Byrd's Nest #3 is NOT yet open for overnighting. Troll was told that hikers could be fined for doing so before the official opening, which may still be a month away. So please make certain you know the status before staying. I dunno if they post anything at the shelter asking hikers not to overnight - anyone been there recently?
The PATC will notify the ATC when it is open, so the information can be obtained earliest by scanning the ATC website (and then please update this one).
Pedaling Fool
09-23-2008, 20:05
Makes you wonder what they have to do to "open" it.
Awol2003
09-23-2008, 20:10
Housekeeping will put in a new mini-bar of soap and leave a newspaper.
Sleepy the Arab
09-24-2008, 09:49
Housekeeping will put in a new mini-bar of soap and leave a newspaper.
Funny story. In 1999, I missed dinner at Panorama due to a newspaper left in Byrds Nest #3. I got all wrapped up in the business section and the comics.
sasquatch2014
09-28-2008, 23:23
I just saw the sign that it was a day use shelter and since it was daylight when I arrive I figured I was good. They have the Bear Pole up and the sleep platform is now in where the picnic table once was. The Moldering Privy crib is built but no privy yet. They have also cleared tent sides to the south of the Shelter soon to be Hut. They did not block the chimney as of when I went through there. The old sing out arm in the fire place makes a handy sock drying rack.
Lrg 50KR
09-29-2008, 06:18
I was thru there a week ago today. It sure looked like an overnight shelter to me...especially with the marked/designated campsites.
sasquatch2014
09-29-2008, 20:57
Here is one of the pics I took when I stopped there this past week.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=28070&original=1&c=newimages&cutoffdate=1
Creek Dancer
02-02-2009, 12:01
Some friends and I hiked up to this shelter from the Old Rag Parking lot. We had a great stay there overnight. The fireplace is functional and kept us nice and warm. The picnic table fits under the roof of the shelter. The water source was running. The new sleeping platform can accomodate maybe 8 - 10 really good friends!
If anyone finds a blue Titanium cook pot bag, it's mine. We had some high winds overnight and I think it blew away.
Thanks to the PATC for all their work in getting this ready!
jhedrick
02-17-2009, 13:04
PATC has been working with the SNP to convert Byrds Nest #3 to overnight use for several years. As has been previously noted it is being used now for overnighters and breaks up to some degree the 15 miles between Pass Mountain Hut and Rock Spring Hut. A moldering privy has been installed along with 4 prepared tent sites and the ever present bear pole for food storage. We are working with the park to improve the view from the Hut looking West. The spring located down the forest road is one of the best in the park.
We hope all hikers enjoy the facility.
Web Breaker, GA-->ME 2000
PATC Supervisor of Trails
Jack Tarlin
02-17-2009, 13:23
Thanx for the update, this is very useful information.
Jim Lynch
06-05-2009, 11:48
where exactly is this particular byrds nest? is this the one at the summit of hawks bill?
thanks everybody!!
It's right on the AT, about 3 miles south of Thornton Gap. Its just before the southbound climb up The Pinnacle. The hut on Hawksbill Mtn is Byrd's Nest #2.
Jim Lynch
06-05-2009, 11:53
Did you know that there are at least 7 shelters in SNP that were torn down for various reasons in the 60's and 70's. They include:
Elkwallow Shelter near MP24
Shaver Hollow Shelter near MP 35
Hawksbill Gap Shelter near MP45
Lewis Spring Shelter near MP 51
Big Run Shelter near MP82
Riprap Shelter near MP91
Sawmill Run Shelter near MP95
Also, they banned overnight camping at all shelters in SNP in the early 70's. I guess pressure from the trail community must have overturned this. I have a PATC book 'Circuit Hikes in Shenandoah Park' dated 1976 that states all of this. I plan to do some research on this subject and see what led to these shelters being torn down.
Lewis Spring Shelter was pretty near the road and thus prone to "partiers". I was hiking through there several years ago and planned to stop at Lewis Spring. A small group of guys was leaving to go back to their car on the drive. They had left maybe a half-dozen bottles in the fire pit. I'm sure the rangers just got tired of cleaning up after these slobs. Hikers have an option at Big Meadows Campground, just down the trail about a mile. The spring is still there and pretty strong.
I remember Hawksbill Shelter too. It, if I recall right, was off the AT, on the east slope of the range. Might it have been down Cedar Run Trail a bit?
I just stayed here last week while sectioning. PATC did a fine job on it.The thru-hikers and I who came up on it around 10:00pm after a hot 22 miles were very grateful. Water was flowing hard,and the fireplace was still in great shape....mice are still a bit of a nunsiance there.
I stopped by this shelter on a day hike last weekend and it looked great!
Country Roads
07-17-2010, 16:52
Stayed here Sept. 2009. Good spring; decent looking tentsites; 2 tent poles (the water spigot near the shelter does not work darn it!). It looked like there would only be 3 of us at the shelter that night. We had heard of a bear coming into the shelter the night before, so we had planned a low-tech bear alarm system using our cook pots and stuff. As it turned out, we had company at dark; a group of special needs kids and their 2 trip leaders. We had 12 people in the shelter that night and a roaring fire in the fireplace. They were good kids and we really enjoyed spending the night with them.
So this shelter can sleep 12 if needed. We did not need the alarm system. The next morning, with kids everywhere, it looked kinda like body bags. We figured they would be enough of a bear alarm.
IronGutsTommy
01-13-2011, 14:30
about this shelter, be warned.. they walled off the wrong side.. if they walled the other side, thered be a good 30-35 yards before the mountain side drops off. as is though, the shelter opening, which is the entire side of said shelter, has only around 20 feet of ground before the mountain drops off, making this shelter very chilly and terribly windy at night, even during milder climates. theres a fireplace inside but the windy conditions guarantee a swarm of soot and embers. i wouldnt stay here at night, but its a very nice stopping point and you can always pool up some money and call a cab from Luray 2 miles north of this shelter toget into a very nice trail town
IronGutsTommy
01-14-2011, 18:17
oh i almost forgot, when walking from the trail towards the privy, theres a fallen tree to the left of the privy. tucked underneath is an orange-handled wood saw I found buried some distance from the shelter while gathering firewood.
Studlintsean
03-30-2014, 15:54
Stayed here 3/28/14. Shelter was very clean and the spring was running great. Spring is located .3 down a fire road. Id recommend filling up a night to avoid a trip in the AM.