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What is it Like to Sleep in an Appalachian Trail Shelter?

West Carry Pond Shelter, Maine Appalachian Trail
West Carry Pond Shelter, Maine Appalachian Trail

What is an Appalachian Trail Shelter?

Appalachian Trail Shelters come in many different styles and sizes. Most are built-in a lean-to style with one wall open to the elements, but here are many different shelter designs in use up and down the trail. Some have covered porches where hikers can hang out, many have bunk beds, or even a second story loft. Normally, you can expect a roof and a wood floor to sleep on.

In addition there are usually water sources located near a shelter, such as a spring, a stream, or a river, but not always. Make sure to check your guide or maps beforehand. In addition, most have a privy where you can take a dump to minimize the impact of human feces on the trail and it’s surroundings. Toilet paper is rarely provided, so be sure to bring your own.

Bear boxes are usually located near shelters where there is a large bear population.  These are designed to store your food during the night. They should not be used as trash bins. People found doing this are usually eaten by non-vegetarian hikers.

Hexacube Shelter, New Hampshire Appalachian Trail
Hexacube Shelter, New Hampshire Appalachian Trail

What the inside of a shelter like?

The shelter of the top of the page is pretty typical of what you’ll find on the trail. There’s a flat floor inside and people line up their sleeping bags side by side with their feet pointed toward the door. There’s usually a broom inside so you can sweep the floor clean before you lay out your gear for the night and maybe before you leave the next day. There’s usually a shelf that has the trail register on it and it’s customary to read past entries and to write one about your hike or whatever else you feel like. There’s also usually a map of some kind on the inside of the shelter or arrows painted on the outside walls that point to the nearest water and the privy.

Lean-to style shelters like this one have a sloping ceiling inside and it’s very easy to bang your head against one of the shelter cross beams unless you are careful. Older shelters also often have leaks in the walls or leaks in the ceiling. I find that most ceiling leaks are in the middle of the shelter and not along the side walls, but your mileage may vary.

When I get arrive at a shelter where I plan to stay the night, I usually carry my gear to the water source first thing and tank up for the night, unless there’s someone there already who can watch my pack and food so animals don’t steal it. After that I unpack all of my gear and set up my sleeping pad and sleeping bag. Then I start preparing dinner, eat, clean up, and hang out until dark when everyone goes to sleep.

Why would you sleep in an AT shelter if you carry a tent?

People sleep in the shelters for all kinds of different reasons. I like to do it because I often get them to myself when I plan trips on weekdays and can avoid the thru-hiker pack. But there are other times when I want to be social, or I can’t bothered to set up my shelter in the pouring rain. If I’m hiking in a very  remote area, like up in Maine, sleeping in a shelter can also be comforting at night.

On any given trip, if I think I’m likely to camp in AT shelters, I tend to bring my lightest shelter possible, a 9 oz tarp. There’s no point in carrying anything heavier if you’re unlikely to use it.

Mouse-Proof Food Hangs at Moose Mountain Shelter, New Hampshire Appalachian Trail-
Mouse-Proof Food Hangs at Moose Mountain Shelter, New Hampshire Appalachian Trail

What do you do with your food at night?

If I’m alone in a shelter in bear country, I usually hang my food bag in a tree outside of the shelter, unless of course, there is a bear box nearby. If there are other hikers staying in the shelter, I’ll usually hang my food on one of the many strings that hang near the front of shelters and have tuna cans on them, to prevent mice from jumping from the string to your food bag and eating all of your food.

Where are the shelters located?

Shelters or designated campsites are usually located every 10-15 miles along the AT, but there are exceptions. When you need to camp someplace else, try to use Leave-No-Trace principles.

Wiley Shelter, New York Appalachian Trail
Wiley Shelter, New York Appalachian Trail

Is it safe to sleep in an Appalachian Trail Shelter?

By and large yes, but the chances of being disturbed by non-hikers staying at the shelter or staying up late increases the closer you are to a road. A lot of hikers avoid these shelters for this reason, but they can be fine during weekday nights.

How many people can a shelter hold?

AT Shelters can vary widely in size, but they can usually hold a minimum of 6 hikers. However, some are very large and can sleep up to two dozen hikers.

Where can I camp if you don’t want to sleep in the shelter, but want to be near people, water, or a privy?

There’s usually an area adjacent to shelters with spaces designated for tent sites.

Brinks Road Shelter, New Jersey Appalachian Trail
Brinks Road Shelter, New Jersey Appalachian Trail

What if the shelter is full?

If you arrive at a shelter and it’s full for the night, you can usually find a tent site outside for the night. I find it’s best to carry some alternate form of shelter, instead of relying on shelters, in the event they are full or you feel uncomfortable with the people sleeping in the shelter.

What if someone snores so loudly that you can’t sleep?

You can trying rolling them over or hitting them for a while, but if that fails, it’s probably best to set up your own shelter outside and sleep out of earshot. Staying awake and angry all night is not worth it. Loud snorers should avoid sleeping in shelters to be courteous to other hikers.

Is it ok to burn a fire at a shelter?

This really depends on the local regulations in the areas you’re hiking through. I’ve never had a fire at a shelter even if it had a fireplace, because it scars the ground. I just use my stove to cook with and go to sleep when the sun sets.

How bad are the mice in shelters?

I’ve only seen a few mice in my experience and they didn’t bother me. If you’re afraid of them, you can sleep under mosquito netting or skip the shelter and sleep in a test outside. I haven’t heard of a case of hantavirus in a shelter on the Appalachian Trail, but if it’s a concern, sleep elsewhere.

What else would you tell someone about shelters on the Appalachian Trail? Please leave a comment.

30 comments

  1. I would like to know of easy trails around Springer Mountain. My husband and I are beginners at hiking.We were thinking of hiking in the day and then go to the closest town for the nights
    How many trails would be around Springer Moubtain we could enjoy?
    Thank you

    • I have no idea. Suggest you google them.

    • The trail from the forest service road 42 parking lot to the start of the Appalachian Trail plaque on Springer Mountain is about 2 miles round trip. The trail is easy with tree roots and a few rocks showing. It’s well marked with AT blazes. I don’t think I’d try it in the snow if you are not an experienced hiker or don’t have snow equipment.

    • This is a little late to the game, but if you’re still wondering about easy trails, I’d suggest something around the Blood Mountain area instead of Springer. You can start with Vogel State Park which has trails varying from 3 to 12 miles or so, plenty of parking and other amenities. You can even rent a cabin there rather than heading to town for the night. But if you do go back to town, you’re only a few miles away from Blairsville or Blue Ridge.

      In that same area, you could try the Byron Reece Trail, Slaughter Creek Trail, Freeman Trail and several others around the Blood Mountain / Neel Gap area. Byron Reece has free parking, though it fills up on weekends.

      • Nobo 2018.
        Please please don’t take food or even crumbs into shelters .eat on the edge .porch or better outside ..the shelters are .mouseville for sure.and you don’t want a bear sat outside all night because he can smell your food ..it has happened …

    • You should go to Hot Springs, NC. The AT goes right through the town. You can pay a shuttle to take you to a specific distance you want to hike, then hike right back into town. Or hike from around Carvers Gap and Roan , NC, Near TN/NC border. Beautiful areas.

  2. Eustace Conway, the famous mountain man skills instructor, claims he hiked all the way through without resupplying. The concept and consideration demands for one to pause and ponder. Was he speaking the truth, and how might he have accomplished this feat?

    • is certainly speaking the truth. His thru-hike was long before the throngs of thousands and the softer, hike made it easier with technology took the edge of the trail and loneliness, etc. I’ve met Eustace and he is a man of passion and conviction. Ironically, I met him at Turtle Island near Boone while taking a zero during my own 1992 Thru-Hike in ‘92. He used what the land provided, ate everything from bugs to berries and the occasional dumpster dive in towns. YogiMaster – GA-ME ‘92

  3. The string hanging in the shelter is for your pack, not your food.

    • Actually, it really is for your food bag. The cans prevent the mice from climbing down the string onto the food bag.

      • So you’re saying that those are to hang your food IN the shelter? Seriously think about that. Those are for your pack once you have taken all the food out of it. You hang it there to keep it dry and away from mice. All of your food should be in a bear bag and hung outside the shelter. I’m really surprised that you wrote this and you’re saying those are for food. Definitely not.

        • You can use them for whatever you want, but most people who sleep in shelters, use them to hang food bags not packs. Unless there is a specific bear threat or a bear cable or bear pole hook system, people who sleep in shelters don’t hang their food outside. Does it make sense? No, but it’s the AT.

      • Mark you may not enjoy a thru hike if you ever partake in one. And if you have you were THAT guy weren’t you?

      • Uh….what? Those are for packs not food. If you think otherwise, everyone should be very skeptical of your “insights”.

    • You’re not hanging a 30 lb pack from a string. There are usually pegs for packs. Those are for food in areas where there is no threat of bears. See the lids, they keep the mice from climbing all the way down.

    • Not when I did the AT in 05. They were good bags

  4. Jesse Castonguay

    Drafty and full of mice . That’s about all you need to know

  5. Steve H Meizell

    I thru-hiked the trail in 1988. Late afternoon, at a shelter in The Smokies, I was foraging for firewood and saw a bear. I retreated and told the half dozen fellow hikers about her. We all came out to photograph and see. The bear advanced on us and we all backed into the shelter and closed the chain link gate of the shelter. The bear came all the way to the shelter and poked her nose through the gate for a bit before wandering off. To this day some 30+ years later I regret not separating from the crowd and taking the ultimate picture of a bear looking at people in a zoo…

  6. You should do the 8.9 mile approach to the AT from Amicolola Falls.

    • I did this exact hike at 45 with a day pack and two water bottles starting at 12 mid day. There was a light to heavy rain and I’m in decent shape hitting the gym 5 to 6 days a week. So I hiked 18 miles in and out getting back to my truck at 11pm. Mostly because of exploring and the darkness had me turned around trying to find where I parked. It was the most exciting thing I have done, as I was hiking in the dark in the rain. It was January, didn’t see one bear. It did seem like many hikers were spooked upon seeing another person. TRUST ME 18 MILES, 8 BOTTLES OF WATER FROM CREEKS, AND THE TERRAIN OF WET ROCK KICKED MY ASS. Springer mountain from Amicola falls, is like hiking a drainage ditch. It was an exhilarating New Years spur of the moment trip to honor the young lady who took her life on top of Springer mountain. Well worth it, with lots of changes in scenery.

  7. One of the first popular saying that YOU learn when hiking the Trail that is Not True, is “Quiet as a Mouse!” Mice are noisy as Heck! Especially when in a pack going for food.LOL

  8. Hi all!

    The “Appalachian Trail; thru-hiker s’ companion.”

    Tons of info about the trail and everything close by to the trail.

    Info on milage on the trail and miles to town, what’s in town, supplies, water, and lots of advice.

    It mentions bears also.

    The rule, in general, is logic and common sense.

    No food or any fragrant items like shampoo and toothpaste should be in your tent or shelter.

    Bears are very curious animals and go for fragrance.

    Bears aren’t the only animals to be aware of.

    I forgot I had a bag of rolls in my tent and before I realized it, about 20 racoons had the rolls all over the place.

    All sizes…

    Baby ones to really big ones.

    Cute but a real nuisance and they lingered.

    They didn’t want to leave.

    Happy Trails..Be safe…

  9. Looking for a good spot in NJ to drop in for a two day hike with my 14Yr old son. Novice hikers but loving it! Any info is much appreciated!

    Thank you in advance

  10. Youngblood, SoBo '96.

    As to “How many hikers will a shelter hold?”. On a rainy night the shelter is full when everyone is inside.

  11. I saw these last time we were in the U.S and talked about how fun it would be. The mice wouldn’t worry us but the bears are a different matter for us haha. Might have to rug up and go in winter I think. Thanks for a great article. Paul

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