This article was from sometime in 2018. I wanted to make it into a book but there was not enough information to do so. I believe that an earlier version of this article was in a Mason-Dixon Trail Newsletter around that time. I’m turning the comments on for this one so please keep it clean:
Trail Shelter Trivia
Trail shelters are mostly three sided structures where long distance hikers can camp at and spend the night. According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, there are over 250 trail shelters on the Appalachian Trail alone. They are also known as huts, lean-tos or cabins. Day and section hikers also use them to take a break and get out of the way of bad weather. Some shelters are fully enclosed and some offer meals. What follows is some history and trivia about 49 trail shelters on or near the Appalachian Trail that once were but are no more. They are listed from south to north. Here we go:
Hawk Mountain Shelter, GA– 8.1 miles from Springer; Built in 1993; I stayed here my first night on the AT in 1999. This shelter was scheduled to be removed in 2018. I don’t think that it has but instead camping has been restricted in the area.
Gooch Gap Shelter, GA– 17.4 miles from Springer; Build date unknown; Tear down date 2001; Not much information on this shelter. I tented here my 2nd night on the trail in 1999. It was replaced by the Gooch Mountain Shelter in 2001. Gooch Mountain Shelter is 1.6 miles south of this site (whiteblaze.net)(Sylvester, 2014).
Big Spring Gap Shelter, TN– 102.2 miles from Springer; Built in 1959; Tear down date unknown; Replaced by Long Branch Shelter in 2012 (whiteblaze.net).
Rock Gap Shelter, NC- 106 miles from Springer; According to:
The original Rock Gap Shelter was estimated to be 60-70 years old. It was replaced in March, 2023 with a brand new, bigger shelter and retains it’s name.
Old Sassafras Gap Shelter- 143.8 miles from Springer; Build date unknown; Tear down date unknown; This one was replaced by a new Sassafras Gap Shelter at some point. I think that I stayed at the new one in 1999.
Birch Spring Shelter, NC– About 175 miles from Springer; Build date unknown; Removed in 2002? It is now a tent site (whiteblaze.net).
Apple House Shelter, TN– 395.3 miles from Springer; Build date unknown; Tear down date unknown; I tent camped near this shelter in 1999. It looked more like a storage shed. I did read that it was torn down shortly afterwards but I do not remember the source.
Raccoon Branch Shelter, VA– 515.1 miles from Springer; Not much info on this shelter but a post on whiteblaze.net said that it was replaced by the Hurricane Shelter in 2008-9.
Davis Path Shelter, VA– 545 miles from Springer; tear down date in early 2000’s? This one was here when I section hiked this area in 1999. From what I remember there was no water souce or any tree cover around this shelter. That may have contributed to it’s demise.
Big Pond Shelter, VA– 671 miles from Springer; Build date not known; Tear down date not known; Not a lot of information about this shelter. It was between War Spur and Laurel Creek Shelters and is very close to Kelly Knob. The shelter appears on older forest service maps (Malloy, 2014) (topozone.com).
Boy Scout Shelter near McAfee Knob, VA– 711.5 miles from Springer; Build date unknown; was rebuilt in 2003 and renamed Johns Spring Shelter. The old shelter was in bad shape when I sectioned this area in 2000.
The Wilderness Act of 1964 set aside over 9 million acres in the United States as Wilderness. This affected about 40% of Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The Wilderness Act stated that there could be no man made structures within these areas. This caused the removal of some of the following trail shelters in SNP (Wilderness, 2017)
I have a 1976 copy of the PATC publication ‘Circuit Hikes in Shenandoah National Park’. It stated, at that time, that no overnight camping was allowed at any of the shelters in the park. Thankfully, that is not the case today.
Sawmill Run Shelter, SNP, VA- 872 miles from Springer; Built in 1941; I section hiked SNP in 2000. When hiking .2 miles past the Sawmill Run Overlook I came across a wide trail intersection. But there was no intersecting trail! I couldn’t stop and investigate this at the time because I was hiking with a group. So I started looking into this after I got home. It was at this trail intersection that I got interested in long lost trail shelters. I returned to this trail intersection in 2007. The foliage was thick but I could make out a well constructed trail (possibly built by the CCC) heading west. I bushwhacked along it. A big pile of fresh bear scat scared me but I kept going. It was dusk at the time. I kept walking until I came to a left turn in this former trail and a draw. It was an open area. I did not see the spring that is depicted on PATC Map 11 but it just felt like the shelter was once here. I felt like I had discovered something really neat. So I started researching additional long lost shelters. This shelter was also probably torn down because it was in a wilderness area.
Riprap Shelter, SNP, VA- 874 miles from Springer; Built in 1939; Technically not on the AT, this shelter was located in Riprap Hollow, which is a valley about 3.5 miles west of mile post 91 on Skyline Drive. This shelter was torn down as a result of the Wilderness Act of 1964. The author visited this site in 2007. It is a very beautiful area and all that is left of the former shelter site now is a small open area. Riprap hollow can be accessed from either Skyline Drive or US340 near Crimora, VA
Big Run Shelter, SNP, VA- 888 miles from Springer; Built in 1939; This shelter was a few miles west of mile post 81.5 on Skyline Drive on a loop trail. This author visited this site in 2007. The former shelter was at the confluence of 3 small streams that formed Big Run. It was torn down as a result of the Wilderness Act of 1964. All that remains on this pristine spot now is a worn ‘No Camping’ sign.
Big Flat Shelter, SNP, VA- 890 miles from Springer; Built in 1940; This shelter was on or near Big Flat Mountain, which was renamed Loft Mountain when the Loft Mountain campground was built in 1964. This shelter was more than likely torn down when the campground was built.
Ivy Creek Shelter, SNP, VA- 891 miles from Springer; Built in 1965; According to a web site article, this shelter was built to replace Big Flat Shelter when Loft Mountain Campground was built. It is a huge stone shelter and sleeps 9. The article states that this shelter eventually became a PATC maintenance hut (that makes 3 of them in SNP). But it didn’t say what precipitated that change. This shelter is now locked and not open to the public. It is not on the front of PATC Map 11 1996 Edition but you can find it on the back of that map within the Loft Mountain inset.
South River Shelter, SNP, VA- 910 miles from Springer; Built in 1940; This shelter still exists. It was turned into a maintenance hut by the PATC sometime in the late 1960’s to early 1970’s. Trail tools are stored there and trail maintenance crews camp there. It’s not on the front of PATC Map 10 2008 Edition but if you flip it over and look at the South River (Map Grid J24) inset you will see it shown there.
Lewis Spring Shelter, SNP, VA- 921 miles from Springer; Built in 1936; Torn down in 1977; This shelter was located above Lewis Spring Falls on a dirt road right before mile post 51 on Skyline Drive. It was torn down in 1977 by the Park Service to avoid the possibility of contaminating the water supply for Big Meadows Lodge, campground, restaurant and visitors center (Denton, 1976).
Hawksbill Gap Shelter, SNP, VA- 930 miles from Springer; Built in 1940; Tear down date unknown; This shelter was along the Cedar Run Trail at mile post 45.5 and very close to Skyline Drive. The water source for the shelter was the initial spring for Cedar Run. When this author visited the site in 2007 the area was open and one could see depressions in the grassy area where this shelter might have been.
Shavers Hollow Shelter, SNP, VA- 935 miles from Springer; Built in 1940; Tear down date unknown; This shelter was very close to a parking area just north of mile post 37. When the author visited this site around 2007, there was no evidence of this shelter ever being here. The only clues were the evidence of a draw in the area and the name Shavers Hollow associated with that draw on PATC Map 10. 12/09/2023 Update: I did some more research on this shelter. This shelter is not shown on the 2016 USGS Topo map for the Old Rag Area. However, I did come across a You Tube Video made by a gentleman in 2019 that documented him bushwhacking to and finding the remains of this shelter along with the spring near it which still had the concrete post next to it that said “Spring”. So the remains of this shelter have been found.
Sexton Shelter, SNP, VA- 938 miles from Springer; Built in the early 1930’s; Tear down date unknown; This shelter was donated by a Dr. Lyman Sexton and Thomas Hickman. The Sexton Shelter was located in the Price lands within SNP, which is also called The Pinnacle. It was intended to be a closed shelter similar to the huts within the White Mountains. No information could be found on whether or not this closed shelter was successful or why it was torn down.
Meadow Springs Shelter, SNP, VA- 939.5 miles from Springer; Built in 1930; Torn down in 1939; A web article states that this was technically a cabin that was built as a PATC base camp. It was torn down in 1939 and a larger cabin built in its place. The bigger cabin burned down in 1946. The Meadow Springs Trail is just north of SNP mile post 34.
Elk Wallow Shelter, SNP, VA- 951 miles from Springer; Built in 1941; Tear down date unknown; The site of this former shelter is directly behind the current day Elkwallow Wayside near SNP milepost 24. You can still see the concrete post where the water source for the shelter was. Lots of bears in this area. The park historian told me that this one was torn down because of the ‘ice chest crowd’.
Indian Run Shelter, SNP, VA- 964 miles from Springer; Built in 1941; This is a beautiful stone shelter that has a nice spring. Sometime in the late 1960’s to early 1970’s the Park service wanted to tear down numerous shelters in SNP for various reasons such as too near a road, in the recently established Wilderness Area, to reduce patrolling costs or due to instances of squatting. This one was slated to be torn down. So the PATC requested that it become a maintenance hut. It is locked, tools are stored there and trail crews spend the night there. That is one reason why they built the Tom Floyd Wayside further north at 967 miles from Springer. There are No Camping signs at Indian Run Shelter.
Mosby Shelter, VA- 972 miles from Springer. Build date unknown. Tear down date: N/A; This shelter was built from chestnut logs. These logs were very valuable after the chestnut blight of the 1930’s. The shelter just disappeared in winter, 1980 (Lillard, 2002). Rumor has it that the shelter was dismantled and stolen for the prized logs. Today it is a campsite.
Dicks Dome Shelter, VA- 985 miles from Springer. Built in 1985, this oddly shaped shelter only slept 4 people. It was replaced by the Whiskey Hollow Shelter close by. I did not see this shelter when I visited the area in May, 2023.
Yellow Rose Shelter, VA- 986 miles from Springer; Built in 1955; Tear down date 1967; This shelter was about 4 miles south of US50 Ashby Gap along a former more westernly route of the AT (Potomac Appalachian, August, 2017).
Unnamed Shelter, VA- 988 miles from Springer; Built in 1933; Tear down date unknown; This shelter was about 2 miles south of US50 Ashby Gap along a former more westerly route of the AT (Potomac Appalachian, August, 2017).
Ashby Gap Shelter, VA- 988 miles from Springer; Built in 1941; Tear down date 1955; This shelter was about 2 miles south of US50 Ashby Gap along a former more easternly route of the AT (Potomac Appalachian, August, 2017).
Three Springs Shelter, VA- 994 miles from Springer; Built in 1940. Tear down date unknown; According to Avery’s article, this shelter appears to have been somewhere between Snickers Gap and Ashby Gap, VA. The scanned log book on the AT Museum web site from the late 1970’s for this shelter places it at a spring about a mile south of the present day Sam Moore Shelter.
Wilsons Gap Shelter, VA- 1,008 miles from Springer; Build date 1940; Tear down date unknown; This shelter was a party place and was torn down at some point. It may have been when Blackburn Trail Center at 1,011 miles from Springer was acquired and then renovated sometime between 1979 and 2001. Blackburn has a bunkhouse for hikers.
Keys Gap Shelter, WV- 1.017 miles from Springer; Built in 1940; Tear down date unknown but assumed to be some time before 1990 as the material from this shelter was used to build the Sam Moore Shelter at 1,000 miles from Springer (Sylvester, 2014). This one was also near a road (WV 9) so that may have contributed to its demise.
Weverton Shelter, MD- 1,027 miles from Springer; Build date 1951; Tear down date 1983; According to AT Guide Books of 1966 and 1979, this shelter was about 80 yards off of the C&O Canal Tow Path and near Weverton, MD. It was formerly a bath house, converted to a shelter by PATC in 1964 and had a fireplace, two tables, toilet, and double-decked bunks for six. Thanks to Marty Dominy and the AT Museum for this information. This shelter is listed in the log book for the Three Springs Shelter listed above.
Wolfe Shelter, MD- 1.054 miles from Springer; Build date 1940; Tear down date 1971. Mentioned in the Avery article, this shelter was destroyed by a landowner that blocked access to the AT through his property. Thanks to the late Tom Johnson, past PATC president and the AT Museum for this information. This shelter may have been located near MD17 Wolfsville RD near Wolfsville, MD.
Hemlock Hill Shelter, MD- 1,057 miles from Springer; Build date 1971; Tear down date 1999; This replaced the Wolfe Shelter and was the first trail shelter that this author slept at on the AT back in 1995; It was replaced by the Ensign Cowall Shelter across the street in 1999; The Hemlock Hill shelter was moved to the Tuscarora Trail in PA and later became the Wagon Wheel Shelter. Thanks to the late Tom Johnson, past PATC president and the AT Museum for this information.
Devil’s Racecourse Shelter, MD- 1,059 miles from Springer; Built in 1940; This CCC era shelter was replaced by the Raven Rock Shelter in 2010 and torn down that same year.
Have you ever wondered why there are 2 small shelters at some AT locations in PA and only 1 in others? The dual shelters, called the Michaux Shelters, were first built as picnic shelters within Pine Grove Furnace State Park in the 1930’s. This design was then utilized at five other locations. They were later adopted as overnight trail shelters. Towards the end of that decade, a single wider shelter design, called the Mount Alto Shelter, was built at 6 other locations. This design became the standard AT shelter design in the region (Avery, 1942).
Tumbling Run Shelters, PA- 1,065 miles from Springer; Built in 1936; These shelters were originally along Red Creek near the MD-PA line but were moved to their present location 1,072 miles from Springer around 1940 when PA16 was realigned.
Mackie Run Shelter, PA- 1,067 miles from Springer.; Built in 1936; Tear down date not known; Reason for teardown not known. This shelter was near a road so that may be the reason. If one hikes this area today, it is wide open and appears that something was once here; Mackie Run is the first stream that one crosses after crossing the Mason-Dixon line northbound on the present day AT.
Raccoon Run Shelters, PA- 1,080 miles from Springer; Built in 1934. Tear down date not known; Raccoon Run lies due east of the present day Rocky Mountain Dual Shelters, which were built in 1989 (Sylvester, 2014); It is unknown if parts from these shelters were used to build the Rocky Mountain Shelters.
Roaring Run Shelters, PA– 1095.2 miles from Springer; Build date unknown; Tear down date unknown; One shelter replaced 2 in early 2000’s. I believe that the Birch Run Shelter replaced them. We were at the dedication ceremony for this shelter in 2003.
Tagg Run Shelters, PA- 1,106 miles from Springer; Built in 1936; Dual shelters that had a fireplace and hinged bunks; Replaced by James Fry Shelter in 1998; They were probably torn down after the new shelter was built.
Whiskey Springs Shelter, PA– 1,117 miles from Springer; Built in 1939; Tear down date between 1962 and 1965; Two small trail shelters were built at Whiskey Springs, PA along the AT. Not much is written about these shelters. They were possibly located on the east side of Whiskey Springs RD. (Avery, 1942) Thanks to Jim Tomlin, president of PATC for additional information, 2017
Thelma Marks Shelter, PA- 1,143 miles from Springer; Built in 1949; Tear down date 2000; A couple was murdered at this shelter in 1990. The strange vibes from this event may have caused the ATC to tear this shelter down and build the new Cove Mountain Shelter close by. It is alleged that Earl Schaffer assisted in or built this shelter originally. I stayed at Cove Mountain Shelter in 2006. And it was a weird feeling staying here. I’m glad that the shelter was full.
Earl Schaeffer Shelter, PA- 1,161 miles from Springer; Built in the early 1960’s; Tear down date 2008; This is a shelter that Earl Schaeffer built. It is said that he wanted his name removed from the shelter when he discovered that some trail crew had added a wooden floor to it. This author saw the Earl Schaffer Shelter near the Peters Mountain Shelter when I stayed there in 2006. This shelter now rests within the AT Museum on the grounds of Caledonia State Park, PA.
Caughnawaga Shelter, VT– 1,633 miles from Springer; Built in 1931, was officially dismantled in 2008. It was a pile of logs when I sectioned that area in 2006. It was probably replaced by the nearby Kid Gore Shelter.
Lost Pond Shelter, VT– 1,674 miles from Springer; Burned down twice and was rebuilt.
Shelter on an island on Little Rock Pond, VT– 1,680 miles from Springer; I’m not sure where I read about this but there used to be a trail shelter in the middle of Little Rock Pond on an island and had a bridge that led to it.
Churchill Scott Shelter, VT– 1,707 miles from Springer; Burned down and rebuilt.
Ore Hill Shelter, NH– 1,791 miles from Springer; Burned down and NOT rebuilt.
Avery, Myron, Article in a 1942 Potomac Appalachian Newsletter.
Denton, James, Circuit Hikes in Shenandoah National Park, 1976, Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, Vienna, VA, p. 51.
Lillard, David, Appalachian Trail Names, 2002, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, p. ?
Malloy, Johnny, 5 Star Trails- Roanoke & the New River Valley, 2014, Menasha Ridge Press, Birmingham, AL, p. 146.
Sylvester, Robert, Appalachian Trail Thru Hikers Companion 2014, 2013, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Harpers Ferry, WV, p. 10.
