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| Springer Mountain Shelter, from a previous visit to the mountain of the same name. This is the only picture of a shelter I have. |
Of the eleven National Scenic Trails in the United States, the Appalachian Trail is unique in its system of shelters. In general, these structures are placed between 6-10 miles apart from each other, which makes them accessible by a day's hike for all but slowest hikers. No two shelters are alike, as they have different capacities, were built at different times, and use different designs and materials. Some are well built, protect from the wind, and have easily accessible water. Others are barely better than no shelter, are more shelters for mice than hikers, and seem to be built to funnel the wind into the shelter area.
During the first section of my hike (Amicalola Falls to Dicks Creek Gap), I ran into most of the shelters in Georgia. Three of them I slept in, and the rest I camped around, and/or had a meal there. While none of them were terrible, some were certainly better than others. As such, I thought I'd share my rankings of Georgia's shelters.
For each of the shelters, I came up with five categories to judge them on:
- Cleanliness: Is the shelter well maintained, and has it been swept recently? Is there noticeable evidence of mice (and other animals) around the shelter? Is garbage strewn around the shelter, the grounds around it, and the privy?
- Shelter design and quality: Is there something unique about it? Does it use space well, and does it keep rain and wind out? Is it in good shape, or is it on the verge of falling apart?
- Access to water: Is there water at the shelter? Is it easily accessible, or do you have to walk down a cliff face to get to it? Is it a nice stream or piped spring, or do you have to scrape it out of a barely perceptible stream out of a glorified mud puddle?
- Scenery: Can you see anything from the shelter (or its vicinity)? Or is it just a view of some trees, and maybe the privy?
- Amenities: Is the fire ring a great place to congregate? Is there a picnic table and prep stations, or are you on your own? Are the bear cables in good shape?
Every shelter I visited had a privy, and each one I visited was in good shape and of high quality. They range from excellent (i.e. with a roof) to very good (without a roof, but spacious with a modicum of privacy). As such, this somewhat important category is pretty irrelevant, so I won't include it.
Without further ado, here's the list, from worst to best.
No Ranking: Blood Mountain, Woods Hole, Whitley Gap, Plumorchard Gap
I did not visit or stay at these four shelters, so I can't include them in my rankings. I didn't check out Blood Mountain because of our ill-fated trip along the Freeman Trail bypass, and didn't get to see Plumorchard Gap because it was after Dicks Creek Gap. The other two shelters are 0.5 and 1.2 miles off the trail. Whitley Gap is so far off the trail because of a significant reroute of the AT, which used to be much closer to the shelter.
#9: Hawk Mountain
Cleanliness: 3/5
Quality: 3/5
Water: 3/5
Scenery: 2/5
Amenities: 2/5
It's quite possible Hawk Mountain is a decent enough shelter, and that the less than great feelings I have for it is its association with a crazy long day Erin and I hiked on day 3. On the other hand, it just didn't strike me as too enjoyable of a place to spend a night, although it was perfectly adequate for a lunch break. It has space for 12 hikers thanks to a loft, but I imagine that 12 is quite tight. The only step up into it is a log that moves easily, and trying to step up without using the log is quite high. There was somewhat of a view from the shelter area, but I imagine this will mostly go away once the leaves come in around the shelter. There is water, and it's relatively easy to get, although the trail down to it is a bit long and steep in places. This is the only shelter that I visited that I didn't check out the privy, so I can't speak to it.
#8: Tray Mountain
Cleanliness: 3/5
Quality: 3/5
Water: 3/5
Scenery: 2/5
Amenities: 2/5
Again, this shelter is perhaps better than my experience involving it, as I spent a very miserable night soaked to the bone in my tent outside of this shelter. Still, it's a very low frills shelter, with its strongest quality being that it means you can stop after two tough climbs up Rocky and Tray Mountains.
The water is down a relatively long, but not steep, trail behind the shelter, and was pretty easy to get what I needed. There's not much to see from the shelter, which is on a relatively flat spur about a half mile down from the summit of Tray Mountain. The campsites around the shelter are of a good size and look well maintained. This is good, because Tray Mountain shelter is one of the smaller ones with a capacity of seven. There are prep stations and pegs to hold packs, but no picnic table. The bear cables appeared to be in decent shape, but there weren't very many of them. As I camped outside the shelter, I can't speak to any problems with mice, although it looks like they could be a problem for the shelter dwellers.
#7: Deep Gap
Cleanliness: 3/5
Quality: 3/5
Water: 3/5
Scenery: 2/5
Amenities: 3/5
Of all the shelters I stayed at or visited, Deep Gap was the farthest off the trail, being about 0.3 miles from where the blue blazed trail meets the white blazes. The connector trail isn't too steep, but it is narrow in places, which can be a bit annoying after coming down from the brutal climb up Kelly Knob. The water is easily accessible, and is on the way to and from the shelter. The privy is relatively close, but not so close as to be unpleasant or too public, and the trail to it isn't so steep as to cause you concern for late night emergencies. It has a pretty decent fire ring and sitting area, and a nice picnic table. The shelter is in pretty decent shape, but it doesn't seem like the space is used very well, at least in the first level (I didn't check out the loft). There were certainly mice in the shelter, as I heard them skittering around during the night. However, the shelter looked like it was kept fairly clean. Unlike some of the shelters, this one appears to have been built in the 90s, which makes it one of the newer shelters along the trail.
#6: Black Mountain
Cleanliness: 4/5
Quality: 3/5
Water: 2/5
Scenery 2/5
Amenities: 3/5
This shelter technically is not an AT shelter, as it is on the approach trail about 1.5 miles from Springer. However, I've included it on this list nonetheless, as it was one of the shelter's I stayed at. It was a generally clean shelter, although somebody had abandoned a ton of food and equipment, possibly because they decided to bail on the hike there (or at least when they reached Springer). However, this was gathered up in bags and didn't affect the stay in the shelter for the most part. The shelter was pretty simple, but well built and dry. The picnic table was in pretty good shape, and made a good step up into the shelter. The privy was pretty nice, with a roof and everything. The water source was hard to reach, as it was down a very steep trail. There were plenty of camping sites around the shelter, and the bear cables were in pretty good shape. All in all it's a decent place to stop for a meal or a night before pushing up Springer to begin the actual trail.
#5: Low Gap
Cleanliness: 3/5
Quality: 3/5
Water: 5/5
Scenery: 2/5
Amenities: 2/5
If Hawk Mountain and Tray Mountain were penalized because of miserable experiences, Low Gap falls into the opposite camp of getting bonus points for an enjoyable experience. It was a wonderful night as I had to hike by headlamp for the last few tenths of a mile down to the campsites around the shelter. Part of the hike I was able to zero in on a fire being maintained by some fellow hikers at the campsite where my sister had set up and saved me a place. It was the end of a day that started hellish (rocks down to Tesnatee Gap, and a rough climb back up Wildcat Mountain), but ended pretty darn good. It holds a dear place in my memories of the trail in Georgia, even if the next morning was rainy and not so nice. Beyond that great memory, and a very convenient water source that is right in front of the shelter, there's not much else to the shelter. It had a picnic table, but as it was out in the rain, it wasn't very useful. The shelter itself is pretty simple and there were tales of rampant mouse activity. The privy was fairly accessible, although there were a couple steps up to it that would be a bit slippery in very muddy conditions. There were plenty of bear cables for the campers and shelter dwellers. Like most of the shelters in gaps, there isn't much to see other than the hillsides going up from the gap.
#4: Blue Mountain
Cleanliness: 3/5
Quality: 3/5
Water: 2/5
Scenery: 5/5
Amenities: 3/5
Blue Mountain shelter is a great place to spend a night before taking a nero (near zero miles) hike down to Unicoi Gap to head into Hiawassee or Helen. It also has the best scenery of any of the shelters in Georgia, as it sits pretty close to the top of Blue Mountain. Even though it was pretty rainy as I headed up there, the rain stopped just as the sun was setting, which was pretty beautiful. Unfortunately, that nice view also means that at times winds will blow right into the shelter, making it less than comfortable for the shelter dwellers. There is no picnic table, although there is a row of benches and a covered prep area in front of the sleeping area in the shelter. There are ample camp sites (a family of 15 that was through hiking was able to camp there, as well as many other hikers), and the privy is easily accessible. The water is less than ideal, about 1/10 of a mile SOBO on the AT, and is a bit of hassle to fill up, as it was a trickle of a stream.
#3: Springer Mountain
Cleanliness: 3/5
Quality: 3/5
Water: 4/5
Scenery: 2/5
Amenities: 3/5
The first shelter for NOBO hikers that is actually along the trail, Springer Mountain is one of the largest shelter compounds in Georgia. There are many campsites around it, and it's the only one to have two separate privy's, which is probably also because of Springer's propensity to attract day hikers (and the intrepid few who are heading NOBO on the Benton Mackaye Trail. The shelter itself is built in a way that should prevent wind from causing too many issues, but also means it can be claustrophobic and very easy to collect dust (and mouse droppings). The water is fairly close to the shelter and pretty easy to fill up with, and bear cables are available for both shelter dwellers and campers alike. Above all, this shelter has something none of the others have, which is the southern terminus of the trail.
#2: Gooch Mountain
Cleanliness: 4/4
Quality: 4/4
Water: 3/4
Scenery: 2/4
Amenities: 3/4
I only had lunch at Gooch Mountain, but it also looks like it would be a decent place to spend a night. However, it also looks like it could be a very busy place, given that it's relatively close to a major gap (Woody Gap), and really close to another easily accessible gap (Gooch Gap). When we stopped there, a Boy Scouts troop had set up camp there and were learning how to build a fire. The shelter had a covered prep area, complete with a picnic table, which is always welcome. The shelter itself looked pretty clean, and the loft and sleeping area looked like it would be a good place to spend some time. I didn't visit the privy or the water source, having filled up at a good stream not too far from the shelter. There appeared to be several campsites and ample bear cables. While not in a formal gap, the shelter is in a low spot, so there isn't much to see. If I were to do a quick in and out one night trip to a shelter that I've encountered along the trail, this (and the #1 shelter) would be tops on that list.
#1: Stover Creek
Cleanliness: 5/5
Quality: 5/5
Water: 3/5
Scenery: 2/5
Amenities: 4/5
The winner is a shelter that many hikers probably either skip entirely, or only visit to have a quick meal. Located less than 3 miles from Springer Mountain, Stover Creek is a real gem of the trail. It's very well designed, with a nice loft area and the lower sleeping zones can be reached without stepping up. There's a big covered area in front of the sleeping quarters, big enough to have a picnic table and some additional benches along the perimeter of the shelter. It was pretty clean, and I don't recall any mice during the night. It's in a low place along the trail, so there isn't much to see (outside of the trees and stars), and the water is either a short jaunt back to a creek, or a very steep trail behind the shelter. The privy is easily accessible, and has a roof. There are a nice amount of campsites, and the ever present bear cables can be found here as well. If only every shelter along the trail was like this.
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