View Full Version : bears ben hostel
We stayed at the bears den in June it was great I would highly suggest you stay here if you have the chance. They offer loaner clothes for washing your other ones, they have excellent pizza and a wide variety of ben and jerrys. The people were friendly. :D
Hammock Hanger
11-05-2002, 16:08
are Skipper & Dusty. They hiked in 2001 and posted on Trail Journals. Very excellent folks. HAMMOCK HANGER
Jumpstart
11-06-2002, 11:26
This place was incredible, we were taken in and whisked away to get clean and fluffy before we knew what hit us. It is a nice place to rest after you enter the "rollercoaster" just before Harpers Ferry. The pizza & food were good but pricey..my husband broke the pancake record for the breakfast this past year...19...ugh and we hiked the 20 miles to Harper's ferry that same day!
Jack Tarlin
11-06-2002, 19:42
Yet another reeason to stop there is they have a very good short-term resupply selection, which you'll find useful, especially if you don't have any maildrop at Harper's Ferry, or plan to go right thru town. Unless you take the shuttle bus to Charles Town, there is essentially NO re-supply in Harper's other than the 7-11, so if you don't plan on getting mail at the P.O. or the ATC office, I suggest you stock up at Bear's Den.
Oh, and the new managers ARE very nice folks. Stay here if you can.
i very much enjoyed my stay at bear's den, although i tented on the lawn. got a shower, did my laundry and ate 2 pints of phish food.
Can anyone tell me if Bear's Den is open in April? I'm planning on hiking in this coming weekend the 3rd of April. Thanks in advance!
Sky Rider (walessp)
Kerosene
03-31-2004, 14:48
I remember reading register entries from a number of thru-hikers who stayed in the Bear's Den Hostel in the first quarter of 2001 (including Brian Robinson, the calendar-year Triple Crown hiker who started at Springer on January 1st and was at the hostel on February 15th that year (now that's fast). However, the hostel has changed ownership since then but it looks like it's open and you can even get a reservation here (http://reservations.bookhostels.com/cheap-hostels-in.com/hostel.php?HostelNumber=5417).
chknfngrs
05-22-2005, 17:44
Anyone stay at the hostel lately? I drove through the area this morning and it looks just fabulous; like I wanted to pick up and move there. Being on the trail this time of year in this part of the world must be groovy.
MedicineMan
05-22-2005, 21:57
in the back yard but still use the facilities....quite a beautiful place....Wisconsin Dave offered me a shuttle but by then my feet were fried and i there was no way, even in those easy rolling hills :(
I stayed at Bears Den on April 20, 2004 during my section hike from Harpers Ferry to the N.Va 4-H Center (a good place to park the car) near Front Royal. The weather was unseasonably hot that week and the day I stumbled in to Bear's Den, I was totally exhausted. I know 11 miles is nothing for a thru-hiker at this point in their hike, but for a section hiker like me, it was one of the most difficult hikes of my life. I had started from the David Lesser Shelter that day and the temperature was in the high 80's and their was no foliage on the trees yet. That day I lost so much sweat that I started getting a metallic taste in my mouth, which really worried me. I was also very fatigued. I took 2 salt tablets which really fixed me up nicely, at least long enough for me to make it Bear's Den. The Bears Den Hostel is a very nice facility with friendly folks, as has already been noted. I would definately stay there again.
Also, my notebook says I met several NOBO thru-hikers the following day: Chainsaw, Drifter and Cactus. I think they were taking a break at the Sam Moore Shelter when I pulled in for the same reason. Even they remarked at how the heat was taking its toll on them.
Blue Jay
05-24-2005, 14:31
Stayed there on my way back from Trail Daze. The Great Queen Diva is running the place now. A great place just got even better.
One of my favorite places! Just 20 miles before Harper's Ferry, in the middle of the "Roller Coaster", a sanctuary with food, fun, music, and the best people. Queen Diva is a blast!
jamarshall
04-30-2006, 21:28
Stayed there last Sunday on the recommendations of the folks I met from ALDHA at Blackburn Trail Center. Great place. Came off the trail and got a hot shower and split a pint of Ben & Jerry's with another section hiker. Then got to spent the night in the castle. Thanks Queen Diva!
Stayed there last Sunday on the recommendations of the folks I met from ALDHA at Blackburn Trail Center. Great place. Came off the trail and got a hot shower and split a pint of Ben & Jerry's with another section hiker. Then got to spent the night in the castle. Thanks Queen Diva!
In 1993 the Bear's den was among my top three or four "professional" hostels. On trips south several times since, i've been equally impressed.
It's deliberately not a Rusty's. But if you just want a comfortable bed in a historic building at a very inexpensive cost, just stop. You absolutely won't be disappointed. On my trips to North Carolina from Maine to visit inlaws it was just a bit further than I was comfortable driving in one day, but often I did anyway, because it was more comfortable than all the competition.
Weary
Yet another reeason to stop there is they have a very good short-term resupply selection, which you'll find useful, especially if you don't have any maildrop at Harper's Ferry, or plan to go right thru town. Unless you take the shuttle bus to Charles Town, there is essentially NO re-supply in Harper's other than the 7-11, so if you don't plan on getting mail at the P.O. or the ATC office, I suggest you stock up at Bear's Den.
Oh, and the new managers ARE very nice folks. Stay here if you can.
Umm...dont' forget the outfitter in Harpers Ferry. I'ts 200 ft off the trail.
BlackCloud
05-02-2006, 09:48
One of my favorite places! Just 20 miles before Harper's Ferry, in the middle of the "Roller Coaster", a sanctuary with food, fun, music, and the best people. Queen Diva is a blast!
located at the north end of the rollercoaster.
we are planning to stay there in sept.on our way to harpers ferry will it still be open and can we resupply there also how is the black burn ctr ,we are only going from front royal to harpers ferry just a take our time hike to enjoy the trail,we already did up to bear mtn and the shenandoah nat.park ,trying out some new gear for next years 300 miler
we are planning to stay there in sept.on our way to harpers ferry will it still be open and can we resupply there also how is the black burn ctr ,we are only going from front royal to harpers ferry just a take our time hike to enjoy the trail,we already did up to bear mtn and the shenandoah nat.park ,trying out some new gear for next years 300 miler
Try their web site (http://www.bearsdencenter.org).
tgrundAT09
04-01-2008, 05:10
I have a creeping suspicion that Wisconsin Dave is the reincarnation of President Abe Lincoln, that is all.