Rocky Run Shelter - MD

[Programbo]

What kind of "purists"?...Shelters were always part of the AT and are part of it`s history and tradition.....I seriously doubt there is anyone who could object who was hiking the trail when there wasn`t a shelter at this location!

[Green Bean]

Stayed here once. There were a group of college students camping there. They gave me a ride into town. so nice = ) but theres a parking lot up a blue blaze trail by the bridge. hope i'm thinking of the rite place. ~GB

[rswanson]

FYI, posted on the blue blaze shelter sign was a notice that this shelter is closed for repairs starting 03/01/07. Did not visit shelter iteslf, but its apprently undergoing renovation.

[veteran]

From the PATC Newsletter:

Henry Horn and Jack Adams continue their good work with shelters in Maryland. Henry is leading the construction effort of the 21st-Century Rocky Run Shelter. Work has ended at the site for the winter; Henry expects to start back up as soon as the mountain thaws out. Henry is also pressing forward with the new Raven Rock Shelter. Raven Rock is a replacement of the Devils Racecourse Shelter, which will eventually be removed and rebuilt elsewhere. Likewise, Jack Adams' crew is restoring the historic (1941) Rocky Run Shelter as a showcase of CCC construction. Rocky Run is one of only a handful of wood-construction CCC shelters in the East.

[partly cloudy]

Rocky Run Shelter is CLOSED The crew is busy re-building it and many beams have been removed. The campgrounds are open and the spring flowing as of May 24 '07.

DO NOT plan on using this shelter. Notices posted along the trail.

[EarlyBird2007]

PATC has torn down this shelter and is in the process of replacing it.

[Undershaft]

As of 5/21/07 the shelter was boarded up and had signs indicating it was unsafe to stay inside, but the shelter had a brand new roof, so I don't think it will be torn down, just renovated. The spring was gushing and cold. The tent sites on the ridge are nice and it's worth the climb up the hill.

[Newb]

I was making use of the privvy in 2006 (door open) when a warbler landed at my feet and gave me a preturbed look. It was trying to build a nest and my "constitutional" was interrupting its efforts.

[Bubble Toes]

The shelter is currently closed for repairs, but the campites and swing are still open. It even looks like they are building a new shelter nearby. It was a great place to stay even with the shelter closed! Just don't camp on the ridge if a storm is rolling in, we saw it get hit a few times.

[MrStargazer]

I was out for a hike last weekend and visited the shelter. Although we are in drought conditions, and have been all summer, the spring is still running with excellent and strong flow. The sign posted at the the turn-off from the AT says that they are replacing just the two lower courses of logs which were American Chestnut. When I got back to my car in Turner's Gap there was a notice on my windshield saying that parking was by permission only and cars could be towed. The lot is owned by the Olde South Mountain Inn. I didn't investigate further. I've been going there for years and this is new. I don't know how serious they are, but there is a lot of public and historical significance in the gap for access to be strictly limited. The hiker Dahlgren campground is a short walk away.

[wpbucher]

What is the status of the rebuild effort? Any target date for completion? I found nothing on the PATC website.

[Critterman]

What is the status of the rebuild effort? Any target date for completion? I found nothing on the PATC website.

Past by there two weeks ago and the walls are up but no roof.

[dessertrat]

When I got back to my car in Turner's Gap there was a notice on my windshield saying that parking was by permission only and cars could be towed. The lot is owned by the Olde South Mountain Inn. I didn't investigate further. I've been going there for years and this is new. I don't know how serious they are, but there is a lot of public and historical significance in the gap for access to be strictly limited. The hiker Dahlgren campground is a short walk away.

Sorry to hear that. There doesn't seem to be any other convenient parking very near there, either.

[Topcat]

You can park at Washington Monument State Park and walk down past the chapel and on to Dahlgren very easily.

[Del Q]

Awesome shelter, when I was there it was a bit chilly. A few inches of ice in the morning made the jaunt to the privy interesting.

[bddeck1]

As of last weekend (jan 18 2008) the new shelter had 3 walls and a floor on it but no roof. A group of people put the extra logs across the front to block the wind and threw a tarp over top of it. We stayed in front of the old shelter and by extending the "porch" with the old floor boards.

[Aesculus]

Was @ Rocky Run this past weekend (3/2/08). The old shelter has all of the floor boards removed and is tied up to prevent it from collapsing. Howerver, just a little farther up the blue blazed trail towards the AT is the new Rocky Run shelter that is coming along nicely. The building has its three walls and floor, but still lacks a roof. I stayed in the campsites above the old and new shelter on the ridge. It was a bit windy but still a nice site. Spring was flowing well. The swinging bench was still outside of the old shelter and was a nice treat. I'll post some images that I took of the old shelter. I wasn't able to take any photos of the new structures. I hope to see it when it is finished.

[veteran]

New Rocky Run Shelter

[d_dawg6969]

Hey all, just signed up. Decided to google my old love in the hills, and came across this site. For what it is worth, I was the overseer of this shelter from 1986 until 1998. A then member of PATC and ATC.

Glad to hear that he PATC is rebuilding the original, at least that is the gist of what I have been reading. I was never crazy about the 'Hilton' style shelters that they are currently building. During my tenure at this site, many family members and friends helped me along the way to build the nice additions to the place that seem to be still there.

I'll assume that the deck is still out in front of the shelter, with the railing?...also is the platform still there that had a picnic table on it, just to the left of the shelter?...I know the outhouse should still be there as that was built new while I was overseeing it. I installed the shingles and skylight on the roof along with the 2 tone interior paint scheme inside.

I have not been out to the site since 2005. I moved to South Carolina in 2006, so when every fall comes around I get a little lonesome thinking about the place.

I'm glad to see that the swing has survived all these years since it was installed. That was quite an undertaking as all the materials were hauled in by sheer muscle and no power tools were used in the making.

My thanks to the current overseer who seems to still uphold the strong values that I had in keeping up with the place and keeping it the quaint and unique area that it is.

Thanks for letting me ramble.

Karl

[Toolshed]

I was there Sunday night and slept on the Deck next to the shelter, under the stars. Some good ole boys were in the shelter and were nice. I got there after dark and thought I saw a shelter across the valley - and asked them - they said it was the old shelter which was being torn down. I looked at the one I was standing in front of (CCC 1940's) and thought they must be nuts to think this was the newer one.
Ran into a ranger a day later and she confirmed. It is being dedicated in the next week or so.