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View Full Version : Davenport to Fontana in 4 days



Blubike@386
09-06-2009, 19:22
Doing Davenport to Fontana 1st week of October. Only have 4 days to hike. Curious how crowded to expect it as I need to go light. THinking about ditching the body of my tent and just bringing the fly if shelters are pretty reliable.
What's the number to get my back country permit?

gearfreak
09-06-2009, 21:04
This link (http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/backcountry-camping.htm) has everything you need. :cool:

Blubike@386
09-07-2009, 17:40
Thanks, very helpful.

l0ngterm
09-07-2009, 21:37
A friend and I are planning on Fontana to NewFound Gap in 2.5 days on that first weekend. So there will be at least 2 more of us in the shelters. Say hi if you pass.

l0ngterm

dmax
09-07-2009, 22:16
My son and his friend should be getting there about that time too. So expect a couple of more at the shelters.

Ox97GaMe
09-08-2009, 00:05
TriCorner and Cosby Shelters will have heavy volume during that time. SMHC will have work crews in the area the first week of Oct. They wont be taking up shelter space, but will be tenting and cooking around the shelter. If it is raining, they will be occupying space in the shelter in the evenings until it is time to sleep.

sliderule
09-08-2009, 16:56
THinking about ditching the body of my tent and just bringing the fly if shelters are pretty reliable.


If you have a reservation, shelter reliability is 100%.

sheepdog
09-08-2009, 17:00
If you have a reservation, shelter reliability is 100%.
maybe, are you gonna start checking permits? can get dicey

jorhawle
09-09-2009, 07:58
I hiked Fontana to Clingmans about 2 months ago...all the shelters were supposedly full, with me being the final reservation in both that I planned on staying in... first night at Mollie's...not one person but me. Second night at Silers Bald there were 3 of us. So I don't know if this is typical this time of year, but it certainly was interesting.

TIDE-HSV
09-09-2009, 18:45
865-436-1231

sliderule
09-10-2009, 14:52
I hiked Fontana to Clingmans about 2 months ago...all the shelters were supposedly full, with me being the final reservation in both that I planned on staying in... first night at Mollie's...not one person but me. Second night at Silers Bald there were 3 of us. So I don't know if this is typical this time of year, but it certainly was interesting.

It's very typical. The "no show" rate for revervation holders is extremely high.

jorhawle
09-10-2009, 21:33
Too bad, I don't know what they could do about it, but I hate to think about how many people get turned away because a shelter is supposedly full...oh wait I know...LET PEOPLE CAMP IN TENTS at the shelter sites.

gollwoods
09-13-2009, 19:44
In the smokies I would rather pay a reservation fee than have 40-50 people running around at the shelters.

jorhawle
09-13-2009, 20:41
I wouldn't mind paying a fee, but if that's the case, that money had better be used for some shelter maintenance and improvements. I still think the best option is to allow people to tent camp at designated spots in the shelter areas.

sliderule
09-14-2009, 13:32
I wouldn't mind paying a fee, but if that's the case, that money had better be used for some shelter maintenance and improvements.

There won't be any money left for maintenance. With the government in charge, the administrative cost of collecting the fee will exceed the revenue generated. Plus, you will probably have to prove that you have health insurance before you could make a reservation.

sliderule
09-14-2009, 13:34
In the smokies I would rather pay a reservation fee than have 40-50 people running around at the shelters.

Maybe we need a "Cash for Old Backpacks" program to thin out the number of hikers!!!

jorhawle
09-14-2009, 17:16
LOL, that's funny.

Pedaling Fool
09-14-2009, 17:50
I wouldn't mind paying a fee, but if that's the case, that money had better be used for some shelter maintenance and improvements. I still think the best option is to allow people to tent camp at designated spots in the shelter areas.


There won't be any money left for maintenance. With the government in charge, the administrative cost of collecting the fee will exceed the revenue generated. Plus, you will probably have to prove that you have health insurance before you could make a reservation.
Like sliderule said, the govt will screw it up. Fees for hikers would be a bad idea.

jorhawle
09-14-2009, 22:05
What about deposits on the shelters? Of course, thru-hikers would be exempt. When you call to reserve shelters you have to put down a deposit on them, when you exit the other side, you sign your ticket and place it at an appropriate box and your credit card is refunded, pretty simple really.

sliderule
09-14-2009, 22:15
What about deposits on the shelters?

You are dealing with the government. And the government doesn't think that the no-show issue is a problem. No-shows mean less user impact. Less impact is a good thing, according to the NPS.

jorhawle
09-14-2009, 22:30
Good point! Though I still believe that God made this beautiful Earth for humans to enjoy, and it's too bad that a few people cause disruptions and cause the rest of us not to be able to enjoy. Less impact=Less knowledge about our wildlife and Earth!