Camp Spots just north of Front Royal ???

[colorado_rob]

I'm hitting the trail from where I left off last spring at the highway 522 near Front Royal in a few weeks. The trouble is that I get into Dulles airport in the mid-late afternoon and the earliest I can hope to get to the trailhead and start is 8pm or so, meaning I won't have much or even any daylight.

I was wondering: are there any useable campsites just north of 522 along the AT? I see in the guide that there is one about 3.6 miles in or so, but does anyone know if there are any within a mile or so north of the highway?

I won't have access to WB for a few days, so thanks in advance for any info.

[Coffee]

I'll be hiking Harpers Ferry to Waynesboro (or the reverse) in April. I have the PATC guides and maps. The guide describes "Mosby Primitive Campsite" 3.3 miles northbound from 522. That's probably the one you are referring to. It is described as follows:

Mosby Campsite - Primitive campsite site on ten acres of land donated to PATC in 1965 by Mrs. Mary H. Keyser. PATC donated the land to the National Park Service in 1987. A former shelter on this site was apparently stolen in 1980 for the sake of its chestnut logs.

The guide also indicates that the Mosby site has benches, several tent sites, and a spring.

The Denton Shelter is about two miles further along - at mile 5.2 from route 522 heading NOBO.

The guidebook also indicates that the trail passes through the National Zoological Park Conservation and Research Center and that camping for the first 2.3 miles NOBO from 522 is prohibited.

I also know of a hostel nearby (Terrapin Station Hostel) but I have never been there and not sure if it is operating this year or not. If it is open maybe stay the night there and get a shuttle back to the trail.

http://www.acorntrailguide.com/hoste...Station-Hostel

[Drybones]

CR...stop by Sprelunkers and have a cheeseburger or two before you leave Front Royal.

[Malto]

The trail follows the fence for the zoo for quite a while. I don't remember anything within a couple of miles of 522.

[Studlintsean]

I have hiked through here a couple times and if I remember right, after the fence is a stream which has some fairly flat land in the vicinity. I'd think you could find a tent spot here. Hopefully someone who has been by there more recent can confirm.

[rafe]

There's a stream that crosses the trail about 20 minutes' walk (north) from 522. I remember it being flat around that stream, but that would be too close to the road for my comfort zone. I was headed sobo and went into town for the evening, so I wasn't looking at it as a potential campsite. I stopped there long enough to cool my feet in the stream.

[Sly]

There's a new hostel right on Rt 522 From the Companion.

U.S. 522—East 50 yards to Lodging: Mountain Home B&B, (540) 692-6198, $20pp with
continental B, snacks, shower, outdoor kennel, cell coverage, shuttles to PO.

[Slo-go'en]

The Denton shelter is a really easy walk from the road crossing. (which is north of the zoo if I remember correctly - watch for ticks in that area!)

If your coming from Colorado, 8 PM here will feel like 6 PM to you, so doing a couple hour hike in the dark shouldn't be too bad. But for 20 bucks, staying at the hostel to recuperate from all the travelling sounds like a no-brainer to me. Start the next morning, nice and refreashed.

[colorado_rob]

Thanks folks! good info. Though it would be tempting to spend the 1st night in a hostel, I really want to just hit the trail and get going; I won't be too tired from traveling, direct flight from Denver, and I'll nap on the plane.

That flat spot near a stream just 20 minutes up the trail sounds perfect. If it's crappy weather though, good to know there is a hostel right there. Again, thanks all!!! Looking forward to continuing the AT adventure where I left off last year.

[Coffee]

I was looking at my PATC map (#8) last night and noticed that there is a ~1,000 foot elevation gain from 522 gained over about 2.5 miles so that may be something to consider. According to the PATC guidebook, camping for the first 2.3 miles NOBO from 522 is not permitted, so if there is a flat spot 20 minutes up the trail, it is probably a "stealth" site ... not that there's anything wrong with that necessarily!

[rafe]

I'd scoot up the trail to the Denton Shelter, then. It looked pretty nice to me, I was almost sorry to be passing it by. Big shelter, gorgeous site, a separate covered pavilion with a table under it. Very luxurious.

[Studlintsean]

Jim and Molly Denton is a really nice shelter and depending on what time of year it is there is a solar shower. You could make it there by 10 if you start at 8.

[Kingbee]

Here's the Denton shelter.

AT 006.jpgAT 007.jpgAT 009.jpg

[colorado_rob]

Excellent!!!! That Denton shelter looks too good to pass up. Thanks for the pics! Thanks for the info on the legal thing too, I like to stay legal except in emergencies. 1000 foot gain... that's 1/11th of the altitude gain my wife and I will be doing on a day hike the weekend before, shouldn't be a problem, especially with that thick air! And good point about the 2-hour time difference. Thanks all!

[Drybones]

Once you get into this section camping spots are limited. I left the Front Royal motel before daylight thinking I'd have trouble catching a ride so I just hiked back to the trail, about 4 miles. Between water sources and the no camping park I ended up with almost 28 miles before I found a flat spot at Rod Hollow.