Byrds Nest #3 picnic shelter converted to overnight hut 10/2008

[Awol2003]

This info via Laurie Potteiger, ATC & John Hedrick, PATC.

Byrds Nest #3 picnic area in the Shenandoah NP (926.7 mi. from Springer) will be converted to an overnight hut in October of 2008.

Byrds Nest #3 Hut with a reliable spring located .2 mile East from the shelter on a marked forest road. The hut was constructed in 1964 and sleeps 8. A privy is nearby along with designated campsites.

*** please note: not ready until Oct 2008 ***

[minnesotasmith]

This info via Laurie Potteiger, ATC & John Hedrick, PATC.

Byrds Nest #3 picnic area in the Shenandoah NP (926.7 mi. from Springer) will be converted to an overnight hut in October of 2008.

Byrds Nest #3 Hut with a reliable spring located .2 mile East from the shelter on a marked forest road. The hut was constructed in 1964 and sleeps 8. A privy is nearby along with designated campsites.

*** please note: not ready until Oct 2008 ***

I had a park ranger tell me the day-use-only shelters got VERY little use BC of the restriction. This will spread out the hikers at night, and give them more options re daily mileage.

[the goat]

i slept in one overnight in Oct 2001 due to an ice storm, ranger came by the next morning & said he didn't blame us as the storm was pretty bad.

[Blissful]

It would be nice to have the shelters used for something.

[Pedaling Fool]

I never understood why they are designated for day-use only? They look like any other shelter.

[jlb2012]

I wonder if they will leave the fireplace intact or if they will brick it up like they have done elsewhere

[CherrypieScout]

the water source there is very good. A piped "river" of water that is 4 tenths of a mile down hill for 200 feet. It was running strong in late July. I'm glad the shelter will be used for over night. It will break up the long, rocky miles between pass mtn and rock mtn shelters.

[Groucho]

This info via Laurie Potteiger, ATC & John Hedrick, PATC.

Byrds Nest #3 picnic area in the Shenandoah NP (926.7 mi. from Springer) will be converted to an overnight hut in October of 2008.

Byrds Nest #3 Hut with a reliable spring located .2 mile East from the shelter on a marked forest road. The hut was constructed in 1964 and sleeps 8. A privy is nearby along with designated campsites.

*** please note: not ready until Oct 2008 ***

These shelters were originally meant to be used as hiker overnight shelters.

1962 Time article about Harry Byrd mentions the shelters:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...0011-7,00.html

[Sleepy the Arab]

Slept there in 2001. Kind of mousey.

[jlb2012]

yeah that's what I remember too - dang mice were really bold

[mikec]

Did you know that there are at least 7 shelters in SNP that were torn down for various reasons in the 60's and 70's. They include:

Elkwallow Shelter near MP24
Shaver Hollow Shelter near MP 35
Hawksbill Gap Shelter near MP45
Lewis Spring Shelter near MP 51
Big Run Shelter near MP82
Riprap Shelter near MP91
Sawmill Run Shelter near MP95

Also, they banned overnight camping at all shelters in SNP in the early 70's. I guess pressure from the trail community must have overturned this. I have a PATC book 'Circuit Hikes in Shenandoah Park' dated 1976 that states all of this. I plan to do some research on this subject and see what led to these shelters being torn down.

[jlb2012]

three things contributed to the shelter removal:

1. wilderness act - some of these shelters were in areas designated as wilderness and were removed for that reason (Big Run and Rip Rap Shelters I think fall into this grouping)

2. Party sites - Elkwallow, Hawksbill Gap, Shaver Hollow and probably Lewis Spring I think are in this grouping

3. Money - by removing the shelters they no longer had to patrol them or clean them up thus fewer calls on park resources

[Nicksaari]

where exactly is this particular byrds nest? is this the one at the summit of hawks bill?
thanks everybody!!

[Press]

Byrd's Nest 3 is the one about a mile or so south of Mary's Rock. It's right on the trail. Beautiful view of lights of Luray from there at night.

[Nicksaari]

thanks Press. why do they call you Press?

[Press]

I'm a newspaper man.

[NICKTHEGREEK]

Did you know that there are at least 7 shelters in SNP that were torn down for various reasons in the 60's and 70's. They include:

Elkwallow Shelter near MP24
Shaver Hollow Shelter near MP 35
Hawksbill Gap Shelter near MP45
Lewis Spring Shelter near MP 51
Big Run Shelter near MP82
Riprap Shelter near MP91
Sawmill Run Shelter near MP95

Also, they banned overnight camping at all shelters in SNP in the early 70's. I guess pressure from the trail community must have overturned this. I have a PATC book 'Circuit Hikes in Shenandoah Park' dated 1976 that states all of this. I plan to do some research on this subject and see what led to these shelters being torn down.

That was a great start too bad the move lost steam.

[veteran]

where exactly is this particular byrds nest? is this the one at the summit of hawks bill?
thanks everybody!!

Byrds Nest #3 Map

[Peaks]

I never understood why they are designated for day-use only? They look like any other shelter.

They weren't. Originally they were overnight shelters with bunks in them. However, in the early 1970's SNP banned overnight use at all shelters in an attempt to spread out the impact. Now, it looks like they are reverting to concentrating the impact at shelter areas.

[Shiraz-mataz]

Here's a photo we took of Byrd's Nest #3 a couple months ago during a section hike: