Hurricane Campground Trail

[dmperkins74]

Hey y'all,

I'm planning on a section hike in October ending at the Hurricane Campground parking lot in VA. Anyone know if the trail to the campground from the AT is clearly marked?

Any input appreciated, thanks,
Dan P. (alphaPig)

[10-K]

It is... no problem at all.

[GoldenBear]

I have found that, while on The Trail, showering is an activity that always boosts my spirits. A hot shower is particularly nice, and this one costs $2
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/gwj/...a/?recid=73771
(where and how we're so supposed to pay this is never stated).
As I went north from the Hurricane Shelter in Mount Rogers National Recreational Area this month, approaching State Highway 16 near Troutdale, I had no trouble getting just such a shower at the Hurricane Campground. As long as we A.T. hikers don’t act like a bunch of idiots and abuse this nice feature – something I (sadly) can’t be certain all of us will avoid – I think we can continue to enjoy this privilege. In that spirit I’ll detail how to get there, and hope my information doesn’t lead to a bunch of idiots ending up there. This schematic map
https://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=62354
should help get you there.
About three miles north of the Hurricane Shelter is a sign indicating a blue-blazed trail leading to the Hurricane Campground. This trail goes steeply downward, and levels off after a turn to the left, just as it approaches Highway 650 (Highway 84 on some maps), the paved road that goes between the campground and State Highway 16 at Dickey Gap. The camp trail is just off this road until it reaches the campground entrance, and a sign there notes that entry is closed between 10 pm and 7 am.
As you walk into the campground, you’ll notice the camp host on the left, and an info kiosk on the right. From this kiosk you’ll see a building to the left of the road, behind a drinking fountain. This building has flush toilets, a trash can, and – YES! –hot showers for a mere $2. I was fully prepared to drop quarters into a control box in order to get the shower, but I never saw any indication about how to pay for this. So I just pressed the button and enjoyed a spray of water that, after a minute or so, became quite warm. Note that there is no way to control the temperature or the flow coming from the nozzle, and that it turns itself Off automatically after a couple of minutes of water spray. So just press the button until you gotten your dirt off.
Afterwards, I dropped $2 into the slot normally used for campers, but I have no idea if this is the proper protocol.
Often in my use of communal camp showers, I’ve found soap or shampoo that someone left behind. No such luck this time, so don’t count on it. And, of course, you’ll have to provide your own toweling. But how can any A.T. hiker complain about a hot shower that costs a mere $2?
You can return to The Trail by backtracking on the blue-blazed trail, or (if going north) go up Highway 650 to State Highway 16 at Dickey Gap. If you leave The Trail, you’ll skip Comer Creek Falls, a site many hikers enjoy seeing.
SoBo’s can get to the campground by walking down Highway 650, following the signs to there.

[TNhiker]

Is the campground free to stay at?

if not---I would tend to think the showers are off limits to people not staying there....

[GoldenBear]

Is the campground free to stay at?
if not---I would tend to think the showers are off limits to people not staying there....

The campground cost $16 to stay there.
I walked into the campground in broad daylight, making no effort to hide myself as I walked by the host.
There was no sign stating who could or who could not use the showers. So I just used them.

Again, AT hikers MIGHT be able to use this privilege *IF* we don't start acting like a bunch of idiots when we get there.
Whether others have the same joy I experienced will depend on how well we act. We can police ourselves, or someone else will police us.
The choice is 100% OURS.

[TNhiker]

did ya ask the camp host if it was alright to use the shower?

[Grampie]

I just walk ed in and took a shower. I asked no questions and know one questioned me.

[Lone Wolf]

always ask first

[soilman]

The campground cost $16 to stay there.
I walked into the campground in broad daylight, making no effort to hide myself as I walked by the host.
There was no sign stating who could or who could not use the showers. So I just used them.

Again, AT hikers MIGHT be able to use this privilege *IF* we don't start acting like a bunch of idiots when we get there.
Whether others have the same joy I experienced will depend on how well we act. We can police ourselves, or someone else will police us.
The choice is 100% OURS.

No, the choice is not ours. Non-campers are to pay $2 for shower.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/gwj/...a/?recid=73771

[TNhiker]

I just walk ed in and took a shower. I asked no questions and know one questioned me.

So you contradicted what you wrote earlier about acting like a bunch of idiots abusing a privilege....

[GoldenBear]

No, the choice is not ours. Non-campers are to pay $2 for shower.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/gwj/...a/?recid=73771

Great -- so we DON'T have to ask. But we DO have to pay.
Which means I was wrong -- it is NOT free.
Which is why I edited my original post.

So where do we put the money?

I ended up placing two dollars into the slot that is normally used for campers, but there was no sign indicating that this is the protocol.
Indeed, as I noted, there was no sign indicating ANYTHING about who could use the showers, or what the cost is, or where to leave payment.

[TNhiker]

Indeed, as I noted, there was no sign indicating ANYTHING about who could use the showers, or what the costs was, or where to leave money.

its kinda like a hotel with a pool---it might not say it, but the pool is for guests only...

its kinda common sense....

as for payment---I'm sure the campground host would have had an answer if you had asked them...

[bigcranky]

We have camped at Hurricane many times over the years, both car camping and once on a section hike from Atkins to Damascus a couple of years ago. The campground host is a great guy and likes hikers. It's a small campground, about 30 sites, most of them very private, and makes a nice overnight stay while hiking.

I'd have talked with the host before showering just to find out where to put the $2. Also, because it's an enjoyable conversation.

[GoldenBear]

I'd have talked with the host before showering just to find out where to put the $2.

Okay, so where DO we put the $2?

[TNhiker]

Okay, so where DO we put the $2?

ask the host....

and then, more than likely, they will take it..........

[bigcranky]

Okay, so where DO we put the $2?

Dunno, that's why I suggested asking the host.

[Grampie]

I just walk ed in and took a shower. I asked no questions and know one questioned me.

There was no one around to collect the $2.00 for the shower.

[MtDoraDave]

Beautiful place. Burbling stream, lovely campsites... I wish they would have been open for business last November when I stopped in.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

[bigcranky]

Beautiful place. Burbling stream, lovely campsites...

Yeah. Last summer we spent a long, pleasant evening sitting under a tarp pitched in front of our big car camping tent, as the rain pounded down. We passed a guitar back and forth, sang songs, enjoyed some libations, etc. The weather was lovely (ok, except for the rain), cool and breezy. There were maybe four or five sites filled that weekend in mid August. Out of ~30.

[GoldenBear]

Words attributed to Yogi Berra -- and remember his statement, "Half the things I said, I never said" -- include, "You can see a lot just by looking."
In my case, this applies quite well to simply LOOKING at the kiosk at Hurricane Campground, which I did yesterday and SHOULD have done just over two weeks ago.
It would have saved me from making a complete error, and all of us from trying to figure out what's right there in plain sight.
Here's what the kiosk -- the one I included on the map, and thus was fully aware of -- says:
https://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=62364
In other words, there was no need to bother the camp host, all one needs to do is just LOOK at the info kiosk.
And it will tell you that, in order to take a shower, you pay the $2 by placing it in the envelope & dropping it in the slot -- exactly as I did.
In other words, I completely goofed and did the right thing -- all in the space of about ten minutes.

My apologies to everyone for my initial mistake and my initial post.
Let's hope I can learn from this blooper.