water source at Laurel Gap shelter?

[ATL Backpacker]

Planning a stay there in mid-July and wondering where the nearest water source is and if it's reliable during dry spells. Finding conflicting information on the internet.

thanks!

[TNhiker]

there is a spring if you go out the front of the shelter down the hill a little....

and by front----you'll see what i mean when you get up there as the back of the shelter is on the trail side..........

go down the path out front (it should be obvious) and you'll run into it...


however------when i stayed there a few years ago at the beginning of july-------there wasnt anything flowing.......

and with the lack of rain we've had the last week or so, who knows how its running right now.....


so-----an alternative source is go up to the intersection with mount sterling ridge trail and go on that for a little bit and there's a spring that crosses the trail up there...

i think this is the same spring that eventually runs down to the first spot i told ya about, but not exactly sure...

i think the walk from shelter to water on mount sterling ridge trail is under 0.2.......

its been a long while since ive been up in those parts so not sure how springs are running and there also could be another spring somewheres but i know about these two......

[HooKooDooKu]

Looking at Google Earth combined with having stayed at the shelter on a couple of occations):
The water source is about 500' from the shelter along a well established path. When you get to the first drainage, if you don't see much flow, walk up and over the next little rise.
If the water source is dry, the park service will likely have a notice about it (last I saw, they did have a warning that CS26 was currently dry). But from the looks of what is uphill from the water source, I think it will take a prolonged period of no rainfall for the flow to go dry.

And yes, from the looks of Google Earth, the water source TNHiker is talking about is the head-water of the 1st drainage. But the 2nd drainage usually has more flow.

[ATL Backpacker]

Yep now I see the drainage on Google Earth. thx for the help