Indoor Shelter
Hiker Bunkhouse at AT Mile 496.5
Four heated bunks with personal electric, run by thru-hikers with 5,000+ miles between them. A warm clean bed, a hot shower and a shuttle back to the trail.
An Appalachian Trail hostel in the Grayson Highlands
Four bunks, heat, personal electric at each bed, and a door that shuts against the weather. That is most of what the bunkhouse is, and after a few days of walking it is usually enough. Forty dollars a night, by the bed.
We are at mile 496.5, which puts us in the stretch most people remember from this state — Mount Rogers, the Grayson Highlands balds, and the ponies. Thomas Knob, Wise, Old Orchard, Trimpi and Lost Mountain shelters are all in the neighbourhood; there's a rundown of them on our AT shelters guide. Jeff and the family have more than 5,000 miles on the trail between them, which mostly means nobody here needs a hiker's situation explained to them.
The things that actually matter to a hiker
An indoor heated shower. A rec room with a microwave, a coffee maker and somewhere to sit that isn't the ground. Starlink WiFi that is genuinely fast, which is not a given at this elevation. Gravity-fed spring water straight off the mountain. Laundry-adjacent sanity. Food on request, made with locally grown ingredients and our own maple syrup — tell us ahead of time so we can plan for it, and donations are how that works.
We hold mail drops, so a resupply box can be waiting for you. We run shuttles to Elk Garden, Massie Gap, Dickey Gap and Bear Tree Gap, which is how most people here walk a one-way section without shuffling cars. And we rent gear — full packs or single items — if something has failed on you or you're trying the whole thing out before committing to owning it.
When it fills
Spring, when the northbound bubble comes through, and late September into October, when leaf season and southbound hikers overlap. There are four beds. We take walk-ins when we have space and we genuinely try to find room for people who turn up wet, but we cannot promise it in those windows — if your dates are fixed, book.
Prefer your own walls? The yurt and the glamping tent are private, and tent pads are fifteen dollars if you're carrying a shelter already.
What you get
Every stay includes the heated shower, Starlink WiFi, rec room, party deck and spring water — see the full amenities list.
Other ways to stay
See all campground & lodging options
$100/night
$60/night
$15/night
Bunkhouse questions
Is it a private room or shared bunks?
Shared. There are four individual bunks in one heated room, booked by the bed, so unless the four of you arrive together you may have company. That is the hostel bargain — forty dollars for a real bed indoors instead of a hundred for a space to yourself.
Can I book the whole bunkhouse?
Yes. Book all four beds and the room is yours. Groups doing a section together usually do exactly that. If the booking page gives you any trouble with it, call us and we'll sort it out on our end.
Is bedding provided?
There is a mattress on each bunk. Bring your sleeping bag or quilt — most hikers are carrying one anyway, and it is what we assume. If you have arrived without one, ask; we rent sleeping bags and bed rolls.
Is it heated in the shoulder season?
Yes. The bunkhouse is heated and each bunk has personal electric, which is the main reason people move indoors here in October and again in March. At roughly 2,900 feet the nights get cold well before the valleys do.
Can you hold a resupply box for me?
Yes, we hold mail drops for hikers. Get in touch before you send it so we know it is coming and whose trail name it is under.