Appalachian Trail - shortish hikes with inns?

Five 50ish females are hoping to do a 3-day hike on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia in early October. Are there any sections where we could do 6-10 mile hikes and stay overnight at inns along the way? And could we find transportation back to our starting point, or would we need 2 vehicles?

thanks for any ideas/info -

Jenny

Appalachian Trail - shortish hikes with inns?

Sounds like great fun. I suggest you contact the Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club, www.tidewateratc.com/membership.htm, this page of their website has the club officers name and email. Contact them and pose your question, I sure they can provide direction. Happy trails.

Appalachian Trail - shortish hikes with inns?

Hi Jenhec,

I hiked the majority of the Appalachian Trail back in 2003 with my Dad. We absolutely loved it, especially several sections of the Virginia part. We both agree that one of the loveliest sections of the whole trail is the stretch through Shenandoah National Park. I%26#39;ve had a quick look back at my trail guide, and there%26#39;s a section where you could do 3 days with 2 nights in lodgings. The main difficulty with your plan is the fact that the AT does its best to avoid civilisation, and as such Inns are few and far between, so this section would probably be your best bet. There%26#39;s a lodge at Big Meadows (0.3 miles off the trail and has a diner - i remember getting a cracking cheeseburger there!), and 8 miles along the trail from there there%26#39;s another lodge at Skyland (also 0.3 miles off and with restaurant). Being a National Park, there%26#39;s many many road crossings along the trail, and though I couldn%26#39;t say for sure about parking regulations in the park, it%26#39;d probably be easier to do that 3-day hike there than other parts of the trail. (You could do a few miles to Big Meadows, next day 8 to Skyland, then the 3rd day a few more to your car). You would definitely need 2 vehicles though.

As I said before, my dad and I absolutely loved that stretch - the terrain was good, we saw much more wildlife there than any other part of the trail, the landscape was beautiful and we especially liked the opportunity for good greasy food (something also few and far between on the trail!!)

Hope this helps, if not, or if you%26#39;ve got a specific section of the trail in mind, let me know and I can have a look back at what we did and thought at the time. This was in 2003 though, so sorry if the info%26#39;s not completely up to date. There must be a website for the park though, if Shenandoah takes your interest.

Best wishes,

Thistle

Thanks, both of you. We are currently thinking about basing ourselves in Harpers Ferry, WV, and using a shuttle (I guess you can hire local people) to drop us off in Crampton Gap in Maryland for the first day%26#39;s hike - about 10 miles back to Harpers Ferry. Then the 2nd day we%26#39;d hike from HF to ? (somewhere in Virginia), get a shuttle to pick us up and take us to a nearby Bed %26amp; Breakfast. The 3rd day we%26#39;d hike somewhat farther into Virginia %26amp; then get shuttled back to our car in Harpers Ferry. Does this even sound do-able? And what would the weather be like the 2nd weekend in October?

Thanks!

I%26#39;m in agreement with Thistle0784.

The Shenandoah National Park central section of the AT is wonderful. My husband and I get a cabin at Lewis Mountain and do several day hikes, spending a week in the area. Using Big Meadows and Skyland lodges would allow you to do a ';thru'; hike without carrying all the gear to sleep and cook.

The only drawback to the AT hiking is that the best hikes (to view points, waterfalls, etc) are side trips, not on the AT.

You can do some wonderful 6-10 mile day hikes in Shenandoah, which definately gets you away from people, and return to your lodging with the use of one car.

We were there a week in Oct for 2005 and 2007. Lodging books up quick because this is prime fall foliage time, so make your plans soon. Weather is great. 2005 was quite cool, 2007 a bit warmer.

Regards