parking for neels gap to deep gap section

[Bear Cables]

Would it be better to park at Neels Gap and get shuttled to Deep Gap or park at Deep Gap and shuttle to Neels Gap? Does Ron Haven run a shuttle for this area?

[terryg49]

I would park at Deep Gap.. Nice to have your car waiting for you when you get there. Also cell reception is hit or miss for calling a shuttle. But the parking lot is very isolated.

[max patch]

I would leave my car at either place; base your decision on which way you want to hike and hike toward your car. My crystal ball predicts that one person this year will return to a car with a smashed window at Neels Gap, and there will be no reported instances of vandalism at Deep Gap.

[scope]

The parking at Neels Gap is a quarter mile down the road. No biggie, though, and in fact I might rather end the hike at a place where I could get a coke. Going down into Bly Gap from Deep Gap is arguably better depending on your knees, as is going down Kelly Knob.

[moldy]

Your car is much safer parked at Neel's Gap. It is a big parking lot with a bunch of other cars. At the top of the mountain that is Deep Gap the parking place is very isolated and there may be one or 2 others parked up there. A friend returned to find his gas tank emptied a few years ago. I left my truck there for 3 days and worried the entire time. For piece of mind park at Neel's Gap. If somebody steals the darn thing you won't be left on an isolated mountain top.

[MuddyWaters]

Spend the night at Goose Creek cabins, down road from MX and leave your car parked there.
Get Wes Wisson to shuttle you, then hike back to Neel Gap.
Shuttle from Goose Creek will pick you up at MX and bring you back down the road to their place, and your car.

[max patch]

Your car is much safer parked at Neel's Gap. It is a big parking lot with a bunch of other cars.

That doesn't make it safer. The parking lot is off of a main hwy. Easy for a meth head to do a quick smash and grab. Crooks are lazy; they aren't gonna drive 14 miles round trip on a forest service road looking for a car to rob. They'll find one much closer. They'll go to the hiking parking lot outside of Standing Indian Campground before they drive all the way to Deep Gap. There was one instance last year of a broken window that I know of at Neels. I predict there will be one this year. But I wouldn't let that stop me from parking there.

And yes, you are correct in that if your car is stolen it would be better to be at Neels. But if thot that was a possibility I wouldn't be parking there anyway.