List of All Appalachian Trail Shelters (With Map)

CC BY-SA 3.0 | David Benbennick

What are Appalachian Trail shelters?

Appalachian Trail shelters are simple wooden structures scattered along the length of the trail for hikers to sleep in. They, most commonly, have three wooden walls (the fourth wall being exposed) and are elevated a couple feet off the ground. The shelters often have a slanted roof like a "lean-to" and are tall enough to stand up inside. They can also look like log cabins, small barns or primitive custom-houses.

Where are the shelters located? 

There are about 260 shelters scattered along the entire length of the 2,190 mile trail. Therefore, on average, there is a shelter located every 8.5 miles. Sometimes they might be closer together (maybe 5 miles), while other times they might be farther apart (maybe 15 miles). 

Most shelters are physically located directly on the trail, or within a stone's throw away. Occasionally, they might be located 0.1 to 0.5 miles off a smaller side trail.

*Info is to our best knowledge and not guaranteed to be 100% accurate.
*Data provided by Whiteblaze, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, TNlandforums.

How do you sleep in them?

They vary in size and dimensions. Most shelters are designed to sleep a capacity of 8 people though. Hikers lay out their pads and sleeping bags like sardines in a line next to one another on the floor. Some more luxurious ones have segmented sleeping bunks. 

What amenities do shelters have?

It's pretty basic. Think of them more like permanent tents or enlarged dog houses... rather than any kind of "housing". No electricity, no running water, etc. Inside the shelter might be one shelf containing a log book and pen...  a broom will usually be tucked away in the corner to sweep out dirt.

AT shelters typically have a picnic table outside to cook on, write in your journal, play cards, layout clothes, etc. There is also usually a fire pit, a water source nearby (stream, pipe in the ground, etc) and a privy. Privies are like backcountry outhouses located about 50 yards from the shelter. In areas with high bear-density, there are bear boxes or bear cables to stores your scented items.

Do I need a reservation?

The short answer is no - you do not need a reservation to sleep in the shelters. These are public facilities that are, well, open to the public. Anyone and everyone can hike out on the Appalachian Trail and go sleep in a shelter without a reservation and without payment.

That being said, there are a few small sections (notably The Great Smoky Mountains in TN/NC and The Whites in NH) that require some planning. You must get a permit for the Smokys and, unless you are a thruhiker, you must reserve and pay for a 'hut' in the Whites. See more from the ATC on permits here.

Shelter Etiquette.

1) First Come, First Serve. If the weather is bad, make room. I have seen 14 people cram into an 8 person shelter. You can always put someone at your feet or squeeze in a little bit more. Be considerate before sprawling out all of your gear and becoming a shelter hog. 

2) Be Quiet After Dark. Most hikers sleep with the sun. Therefore, ‘hiker midnight’ is early, just after the sun goes down. Some people snore like gods of thunder so bring ear plugs. On that note, be considerate if you come in late at night in case some people are already asleep.

3) Cook Outside. For fear of burning down the wooden shelter, you are not supposed to cook in the shelter. Admittedly, on some particularly cold nights, I did not want to leave my sleeping bag and opted to cook inside. Be careful if you do. Otherwise, cook outside on the forest floor nearby, on the fire pit, etc.

4) Keep it Clean. Your crumbs can attract all sorts of wildlife and be a major pain for the next hiker. Sweep up if you make a mess. And always, Leave No Trace.

5) No Graffiti. Your expressions, drawings, carvings, names and phrases are not appreciated on the walls. Don't be a jerk. Some are historical landmarks nearly 100 years old and have been, and continue to be, maintained by dedicated volunteers. 

Should I sleep in the AT shelters or my tent?

Thru-hikers should plan to sleep in both the shelters and their own personal tents. Most try to sleep in the shelters as much as possible though. Why?

AT Shelter Pros.

• No Rain. If it rains during the night, you won’t have to pack up a wet tent the next morning. Packing up while it is actually raining is even worse. Everything gets wet. The shelter is a nice dry station to get ready in.

• Space. You can stand up. That is a huge luxury. Your tent can be a tiny, claustrophobic space to change clothes and pack up in. If the weather is bad for a long period of time, your tent can turn into a miserable coffin.

• Social. People congregate by the shelters. It is where they sleep and hang out. Half of the fun on the AT is meeting good people.

• Easy. No setting up your tent at night AND no packing it up in the morning.

• Amenities. As mentioned, there is usually water, picnic table and a ‘bathroom’ which is more than any kind of plain tent site or random stealth site.

AT Shelter Cons.

• Inflexible Location. The structures are permanent. Therefore, your hiking mileage revolves around their location. Let’s say you wake up sluggish and only feel like hiking 10 miles. You are probably limited to two options - a shelter 5 miles away or one 15 miles away. Not ideal. You could also encounter nasty weather and need to set up pronto way before reaching the shelter. What if you cross over a beautiful mountain with a nice perch and want to camp out there?

• No Capacity. Even as a SOBO, I encountered a few packed out shelters. NOBO overcrowding is very common and can be a real problem. As my SOBO bubble collided with the NOBO bubble, it was not uncommon for a 10 man shelter to have 20 thru-hikers show up at night. The later half would need to sleep in their tents or hammocks.

• Extra Miles. As mentioned, sometimes shelters are located half a mile off trail. You might rather set up camp than hike the extra half mile each way.

I slept in the shelters probably 80% of the time and in my tent the other 20%. I HIGHLY recommend bringing your own shelter as a backup option (tent, hammock, tarp, bivy). The AT shelters are a great Plan A, but due to their inflexible location and potential for overcrowding, you want your own Plan B.

© Matt Berger (@sheriff_woody_pct)

A Note About Mice.

Extremely common in (some) shelters. A lot of people have slept in the shelters before you and, unfortunately, have trained the mice to know food opportunities await. There are mouse lines to hang your food from inside. These are strings dangling from the shelter ceiling rafters and have some sort of ‘stopper’ or block midline to prevent a mouse from crawling down and accessing your hanging food bag.

There were times I went hundreds of miles without seeing or even hearing a mouse. In the most overrun shelters though, mice scurried across my sleeping bag at night and chewed so loud in the corners, I could hardly sleep.

One night, after a long day of hiking in the rain, I hung my rain shell up on a nail in the shelter to dry out. The next morning I realized there was a hole big enough for my finger to poke through in the left chest pocket. I had forgotten about an empty granola bar wrapper in there. A mouse had somehow smelled the crumbs, climbed up the wall, and gnawed through my pocket. Lesson learned; hang EVERYTHING edible on the mouse lines. Other than that one incident, the only ‘break-ins’ occurred when I left my food bag on the floor unattended.

Full List of Appalachian Trail Shelters.

*Data provided by Whiteblaze, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, TNlandforums.