Campsites between Dragons tooth and Daleville

[cutman11]

Fellow Whiteblazers -- I am planning a hike for a group of 8-10 boyscouts age 12-15, and would like to hike the section SOBO from Daleville to Dragons tooth. I was thinking the following: Day 1 - drive in, hike from Daleville to lamberts meadow campsite, Day 2 - Hike to ? Camp ?
Day 3 - Hike to Dragons tooth, then down the dragons tooth blueblaze to the parking area there. Eat dinner at the Homeplace in Catawba.


My questions are these : 1. Is there a large enough camping area for about 7-8 tents at lamberts meadow? 2.Where to camp 2nd night -- ?pig farm campsite ?catawba mtn shelter area 3. is there anywhere flat enough for the group to camp between catawba mtn shelter and rt 624? 4. I have been thru this north bound several years ago, but wondered where the tough parts would be going SOBO. Also have been to the Homeplace, but where is this on 311?

All help will be appreciated. I do emphasize LNT.Ive a well behaved troop. I try to avoid shelters with the group when possible to respect those of us staying at the shelters, other than to use the water sources.
We did a loop hike last year at Mount Rogers, staying in rhodadendron gap and in the area north of wise shelter, using the pine mountain trail. It went very well, and so they want to do a little more this year.

[bigcranky]

My questions are these : 1. Is there a large enough camping area for about 7-8 tents at lamberts meadow? 2.Where to camp 2nd night -- ?pig farm campsite ?catawba mtn shelter area 3. is there anywhere flat enough for the group to camp between catawba mtn shelter and rt 624? 4.

There are a few decent tent sites at Lamberts Meadow Shelter, and more at the Campsite, plus many along the creek in between.

At Campbell Shelter, if you follow the blue blaze to the water source, it crosses a very large open field where there are plenty of good camp sites. It was somewhat over grown in June last year, but in May should be fine. Pig Farm camp site is also just next to the shelter, and was obvious.

But that's only ~6 miles, and you'll need to make more than that if you want to climb Dragon's Tooth on day 3. So you really need to cross over McAfee Knob. The hike down the other side of the knob is well graded and fairly easy, but there are really only two places to stay. We stayed (in hammocks) at Johns Spring Shelter, where I don't recall a lot of flat tenting ground. Catawba Mtn Shelter seemed to have more, but we didn't stay there. Between the shelters and 311 there's not much that I can remember.

The connector trail between 311 and VA 624 at the base of Dragon's Tooth is just that -- connector trail. Just realize that if you stay near one of the shelters, you'll be climbing Dragon's Tooth at the end of an 11 mile day.

My personal feeling is that this makes a better 4-day hike with Scouts. Climb Dragon's Tooth on the morning of Day 4, when they are rested. If you can only do a three-day hike, then either stop at 311 (which means you can stay at Cambell/Pig Farm on day 2 and spend more time at Tinker Cliffs and McAfee Knob -- good idea!), or have a vehicle waiting at 311 and drive over to Dragon's Tooth early in the morning on Day 3, skipping the connector trail.

[Frau]

The Homeplace is right on Rt. 311 at Catawba, on the south side of the road. It is a big old home, clearly marked and visible.

Fr.

[bigcranky]

The Homeplace is right on Rt. 311 at Catawba, on the south side of the road. It is a big old home, clearly marked and visible.

But, to be clear, it's not right where the trail crosses 311. The Homeplace is about a mile and a half WEST of the trail on 311. Easy to find, as Frau said.

[Kerosene]

Catawba Mtn Shelter seemed to have more, but we didn't stay there.

I don't recall many flat sites around the Catawba Mountain Shelter.

I second the suggestion to skip the AT section from VA-311 to the road where the Four Pines Hostel (VA-621?), which has a lot of PUDS over Sawtooth Ridge. There's a parking lot for Dragon's Tooth with a connector trail up to the AT at Lost Spectacles Gap, which would make for a nice day hike.

[bigcranky]

I just went and looked at my notes from our hike last June. We went northbound into Daleville from just north of Pearisburg.

Your first day, up out of Daleville to Lamberts Meadow, was our last day. Although it might not look it on the map, I have to say that was a mighty tough day. In general, that area has some difficult hiking, where the trail hits every little rock outcrop on every tiny peak along every ridgeline. Thru-hikers likely won't agree, but they're in much better trail shape by that point, compared to a couple of mid-40s section hikers.

The more I think about it, the more I would recommend taking 4 days, or cutting out some of the mileage.