i will lay out some basic info on getting to wise shelter. check & make sure i have it right.
hwy 58 in VA. will take you to the entrance to greyson highlands state park.
http://www.dcr.state.va.us/parks/graysonh.htm
when you enter the park, it's all up hill & for a good ways.
1st you will come to the check-in booth which will be un-attended this time of year.
there's a fee for overnight parking & you'll find envelopes there to put your cash or check in. it has a tear-off to put on your mirror or dash w/ a number that matches the number on your payment envelope.
this just lets the rangers know that you paid the parking fee for that vehechcial. you don't have to put the info about arrival/departure date, & destination if you don't want.
i'll call to confirm the amount & if it's required this time of year, but i believe the cost is $3.00 per vehicle, per day.
that means $6 for a one night stay & $9 for a two night stay (per vehicle).
as you continue up the park road you will pass the enterance to the picknic area on the right. a little ways farther, you will turn into the paved road leading to the camp ground. these are easy to see because of the normal, brown park signs.
as soon as you turn onto the campground road, you will see the gravel parking area for overnight packpacking on the left, but unless you plan to hike in by a longer route, keep going on the camp ground road.
as you begin to enter the campground, you will see a small building (divided by a breezeway) on the right, w/ a sign that says "country store".
strait across, on the left, is the parking area that will get you closest to wise shelter.
last time i was there, they had a port-a-john in that little parking area, but i don't know if they leave those out all year or not.
at the back-side of the parking lot, you'll see a wide, gated, multi-use trail (like a forest service road) that you'll follow by foot.
there are a couple trails that go off of that trail, but the main trai is obvious & you just stay on that.
you will cross two creeks that are not deep but just wide enough that they could make it a challenge to keep your feet dry... depends on the water flow & if there is snow or ice on the rocks.
after 20-30 minutes, the AT will cross the trail/road that you have been walking.
take a left on the AT. you'll soon cross a creek on a wooden foot bridge (w/ hand rails) & a couple minutes later be at wise shelter.
the whole walk took me about 40 minutes.
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