The only shelter officially within The Priest Wilderness Area, the Priest Shelter is just south of the 4,000' summit of The Priest. The shelter is located about a tenth of a mile off-trail at a very obvious turn in the AT. There is an open area in front of the shelter that should receive good sun on a sunny day. In October 2002, we had a lot of nice sun for our early morning ascent of The Priest, but it had clouded over by the time we reached the shelter and prepared lunch. Shelter design is similar to the Maupin, Harpers Creek and Seeley-Woodworth shelters. Not sure where the privy is. Water comes a spring behind the shelter that was filled with leaves and pretty stagnant when we were there.

There was nothing especially attractive about the shelter or its location, although at almost 4,000 feet of elevation it might be cooler in the summer than the next two campsites to the north. I suggest staying at or near Seeley-Woodworth 7 miles to the south, Tye River 5 miles down the mountain to the north, or Harpers Creek about 7 miles north of the shelter. Alternatively, there are several nice campsites just north of the shelter and just off-trail. There is also a very impressive overlook of Pinnacle Ridge just north of the shelter accessed by a short unmarked side trail to the west.