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View Full Version : Rock Spring Hut



kncats
04-18-2004, 18:28
Last there April 2004. Your basic SNP shelter. About .1 miles off the AT down a slight slope, well marked exit off the trail. There is also a PATC cabin there, not for use by your average AT hiker. Nine "designated" tent sites, pretty well located but a little on the small side. My wife and I only found a couple that were big enough for a two-person tent. There is a good healthy spring just down from the hut. Lots of entries in the register about mice, but none of the four people who slept in the shelter mentioned them (it was April though). If you have the time/inclination the hike up the blue blazed trail to the top of Hawksbill is well worth it. It's about a mile each way up a moderate climb. Great views of sunset or sunrise.

jlb2012
04-19-2004, 07:32
I was there April 11 to cut some firewood for some friends - the swing that used to be in front of the shelter is no longer there and the roof leaks in a few spots. Spring is good and there is a lot of firewood around if you bring a saw (yeah I know rather unlikely). Otherwise I basically agree with kncats. Privy has an unusual door that opens inward. Tent sites are mostly above the privy.

CitronellaMan
05-13-2007, 22:06
Was there in April a few years ago. Beautiful shelter overlooking the town of Stanley. Sat in the entrance for about an hour and a half just watching the traffic light change and seeing cars go through the drive-thru at McDonald's. Great spring, the deer like it too, I saw about ten there in the night. A few mice but not a problem. My favorite shelter of all time, just because of the view. Cannot wait to go back

sofaking
04-28-2008, 22:46
stayed there 4/21/08 and this place is a dump, the roof leaks in at least 8 places and water pools on the top bunks and in the middle of the floor.

johnnybgood
09-27-2008, 14:03
I agree totally sofaking.The shelter like so many in the Park system need money designated to make necessary repairs before they are no longer a viable means of shelter for hikers all together. This is our government not caring enough about our National Parks.

Homer&Marje
09-27-2008, 14:11
Was there in March for 3 days. All entries in the log book had to do with the leaky roof. Very nice location, I don't care about the leaky roof because it didn't rain. Also there was very few people there and a healthy wind coming up through the hollow the whole time, so we tucked our tent into the corner of the shelter and tarped the front to block the wind, Other occupants were happy for the tarp and said the tent wasn't in the way... would have moved to a tent site if it was of which there are plenty.

Don't have any pics of the fiasco with the tent in shelter set up, that roll of film was destroyed.

sasquatch2014
09-28-2008, 22:58
This was visited on one of the days when it didn't rain on me this past week in the park. The one thing that I did recall was that the spring at this particular location was good and strong. A bunch of them were going very weak but the last three days of rain had to have helped that a bit. I only stayed long enough to get water and cook a meal before I moved on for the night, it was too early in the day to call it good.

Pony
10-02-2008, 16:30
I stayed there this past Saturday on day two of the three and a half day monsoon to hit SNP last week. I only noticed one leaky spot all the way to left side. There were five people in the shelter and noone got wet. I thought it was a decent shelter, I've seen much worse. Either way if it is such a dump, you can always pay $65-$155 to stay at Skyland or Big Meadows, since the shelter is between the two. As a last resort couldn't one also use a tent?

dovecote
10-08-2009, 11:00
Stayed there the night of 10/5/2009. The condition of the shelter was acceptable for me and the six other occupants. There were visible signs of roof repairs especially to the left side. No problem with mice. Several deer grazing around the area. Spring had an acceptable flow. Plenty of firewood in the area. Entertaining night at the campfire highlighted by AT stories from former thru hiker Sunny Days. SOBO thru hiker brothers Gastank and BB spent the night. Good guys that are having fun hiking the trail.

jamie-Lonewolf
05-13-2010, 13:46
I wanted to stay at the lean to 4-30-2010 after leaving Pass Mountain Hut that morning. I backpacked up Mary's Rock , Pinnacle and Stony Man, only to find some "Adults - using this term loosely" 6 of them, of this only 2 were going to use the shelter for sleeping. I was dead tired and worn out, but they refused to let me stay anywhere near the shelter. They said they had the grounds on a first come first serve basis and I had no right to the area. They cried, whined, made excuses, said they wanted to get away from people and did not want a woman around the camp. They actually blocked my usage of the shelter at one point so I packed up my gear and continued south for a bit and pitched my tent on the trail.

I had never been treated so badly in my life. I had shared shelters with many other backpackers for a month and never had the first issue. The one " man" said he was a lawyer and it would be inappropriate for a woman to be in the area and I was a danger to his career. I told him that I had a right to the shelter and he had nothing to worry about if nothing happened.

After doing nearly 200 miles on the trail, this I did not expect. Absolutely no consideration for me or the efforts I had put in that day. I guess that some people are just plain selfish and dont care about others at all.I asked him if he would treat his sister this way and he replied that his sister would not impose herself on the situation.

If not for this my experience on the App. would have been perfect. They would not have done this if I were a man. After further thought at the time I thought it was best that I moved on. Just a shame that we cant get along.

Jamie

ATsawyer
05-13-2010, 16:50
Roof repairs were made to RS in November 2009. As for the boorish hikers, I can only say that Shen gets it share of day hikers and weekenders who are a different breed of cat. Apologies in advance to all felines on this site.

Lellers
06-06-2010, 21:24
Spent weekend of June 4-6 at Rock Spring Cabin. While there, checked out the shelter and visited with about 8 thru hikers on Friday night. Gave them our leftover tortellini and chicken from dinner. Shelter looked fine, everyone was in good spirits. The only thing that looked worn out was the picnic table, which has a vicious bow in the center of the table top. Wood is a little scarce near the shelter and cabin, but there's a good bit up closer to the AT. Spring is flowing very well. For northbounders, at the moment, there is also plenty of water running over the trail around the Betty's Rock area.

Sailing_Faith
11-12-2011, 11:29
Good spring flow as of 4 days ago. Shared the shelter with 'Combat John' and had a great conversation that lasted into the early hours of the am.

The PATC shelter was right down the hill (IIRC) and looked like the hilton compared to the shelter (closing door, fireplace).... I believe it is $20 a night, and might be a worthwhile consideration for cold weather.

Make sure to do the side trail to go up Hawksbill summit the next day (if heading north) it is well worth while for the extra .7 miles!

Thanks to PATC, sure did enjoy the use of the shelters!

Sailing_Faith
11-12-2011, 22:02
Here is a picture of the shelter, the spring is just down to the left of this picture.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Lse0RgMuCoU/Tr8kvOFnsqI/AAAAAAAAA4M/10Zp72LXZgg/s800/DSC04054.JPG

johnnybgood
11-12-2011, 22:23
Here is a picture of the shelter, the spring is just down to the left of this picture.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Lse0RgMuCoU/Tr8kvOFnsqI/AAAAAAAAA4M/10Zp72LXZgg/s800/DSC04054.JPG Tent sites , bear pole and privy are an uphill climb not seen from this view.

Slow n' Steady
01-21-2012, 11:23
This shelter was my first experience in the Shenandoahs. My son and I started our section hike there and hiked north. I loved the location so much that I joined the PATC so that when I returned the next summer to do a section south, I stayed at the cabin. The view from the porch of the cabin was magnificent. This time, my husband and I section hiked south, and we began our journey there. The shelter and the cabin are definitely worth the stay and a perfect place to begin a hike. An added bonus is that if you get up early enough, you can hike north to Skyland for breakfast or south to Big Meadows for breakfast. The malted waffles with blackberry syrup are absolutely amazing. But that topic is for another thread....

Studlintsean
03-30-2014, 15:53
Stayed 3/30/14. Roof still leaks on top bunks. Spring was flowing great.

Whistler80
05-07-2015, 21:27
was there night of 5-3-15 didnt rain so dont know about leaking. Besides i sleep in a hammock. But there is something Probably flying squirrels that are getting at the food bags on the bear pole behind the shelter. One of the NoBo thrus had his bag destroyed for a couple candy bars