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Georgia to Maine

There are many ways to hike the AT -NOBO vs SOBO, flip flop or LASHing- but every hiker will spend a few nights under a roof, in a bed on the way. Dan and I managed about once a week to sleep inside with all the perks. Even if not officially a ‘hostel’ most places that welcome hikers offer at bare minimum shower & laundry. Most will also have loaner closets – spare, Clean clothes that hikers can wear while washing everything else. Sometimes, it’s just a campground that offers free or discounted camping for thru-hikers. Once memorable occasion, it was a drive-inn movie theatre. Each spot will have it’s own unique atmosphere based on the people who run it, do they cater only to AT hikers, and how close to the ‘bubble’ you are.

Here are the places we stayed, from south to north:

Above the Clouds, GA
Around the Bend, GA*
Gorgeous Stays, NC
Franklin Hotel, NC
Laughing Heart, TN
Uncle Johnnys, TN
Mountain Harbor,TN
Boots Off, TN
Broken Fiddle, VA
Merry Hiker, VA
Quarterway Inn, VA*
Wood Hole, VA
Angels Rest, VA*
Middlecreek Campground, VA
Devils Backbone Brewery Campground, VA
Stanimals Waynesboro, VA
Open Arms, VA
Mountain Home, VA*
Bears Den, VA
Towns Inn, WV
Zero Day, PA
South Mountain Hotel, PA
Ironmasters Mansion Hostel, PA*
Doyle Hotel, PA
Sunny Rest, PA
DWG, PA/NJ
Warwick Drive-In, NJ
Maria’s, CT
Catamount Inn, VT
Inn at the Long Trail, VT
Hikers Welcome, VT
The Notch, NH*
Libby’s House, NH
Ellis Pines, ME
Roadhouse of Maine, ME*
Hostel of Maine, ME
Shaws, ME

*My Favorite Hostels

Everybody has different taste when it comes to what you want from a hostel. On the AT the hostel vibes ran from quiet and sedate to full-on party places. Most had a balanced blend of the two, with a couple extremes. For Dan and I, we found our favorite’s tended to be clean with a good kitchen, close enough to town that we could wander or shuttle in to shop and have a meal. We also enjoyed places that had comfortable communal living space, where hikers could lounge on comfortable couches and talk, or catch up on the socials.

Roadhouse of Maine (ME): the epitome of a hikers hostel. Shuttle pick-ups and drop-off included with stay This was one of the few times we stayed in a dorm, and it was incredibly well designed-privacy curtains, charging ports, personal nightlights and fans with plenty of room to re-organize your pack. THe private rooms were small, and grouped along the hallway to the bathrooms. Downstairs was magnificent. Log cabing interior style, a huge kitchen with two fridges, tons of shelves for storage, and a massive stove, with two smaller ovens for pizzas. Living room with a TV & comfortable seating on couch for ten, and another seating area around a smaller coffee. There was also a corner bar with Another pizza oven, and a small drinks fridge (no beers on sale but the shuttles ran at hikers convenience until 8pm and would take you into town for whatever you needed). They also had a very well-stocked re-supply shop, at prices that weren’t too outrageous. Breakfast for additional fee.

Extra points: when you left in the morning, one of the ‘Jens’ would be sure to snap your polaroid and put it on the wall in the kitchen. It was really fun to find hikers we met who had already passed this way.

The Notch Hostel (NH): this hostel caters to both AT thru-hikers, and to people who are coming to New Hampshire to complete various other milestones, and casual hikers. It’s very comfortable with 4-6 bed rooms, multiple bathrooms and showers, a gorgeous dining room with good sized kitchen. There is a normal sized living room, and lots of outdoor seating, comfy hammock, and two balconies. All hiker gear is stored in a shed outback, so the inside is clean and uncrowded. It has the feeling of a well-organized BnB, with meticulous decor, and private rooms with comfortable beds. One of the private rooms has it’s own bathroom and balconey.

Extra points: You can slackpack here from Hikers Welcome which is just on the other side of Mt Moosilauke, and they offer a free slackpack when you stay two nights to help the AT hiker get over and through the Kinsman Notch, which is one of the most challenging 15 miles on the AT. They also have bikes you can take into town, which is about 15 minutes away.

Ironmasters Mansion Hostel (PA): just a few miles past the halfway point, this old mansion is a located in a state park, near the AT museum. It can sleep at least 30 people, and the private room here feels like something out of a museum with antique furniture, an enormous bed, and a private en suite bathroom. There is one caretaker running the whole thing, so self check-ins and making your own bed is part of the deal. It’s a historic building in it’s own right, and next door is a general store that has a grill which is open most of the day. It’s only a five minute walk to the lake for a swim where there is also a snack shack with limited food options. Kitchen facilities are minimal, but they do have frozen pizza and offer breakfast with coffee for a small fee.

Extra points: next door is the location of the ‘Half Gallon Challenge’ so it’s a fun spot to pass the afternoon, watching hikers coming in and eating themselves sick. There’s also a great long front porch that gives you a view of hiker’s coming into town.

Mountain Home BnB (VA): this BnB caters to thru-hikers and other tourists as well. It is less than a five minute walk off the trail, and has all the typical AT amenities – laundry, loaner clothes, showers, etc. We stayed in the shared cabin which sleeps two upstairs, two downstairs, has a shared bathroom and kitchen. The owners are a married couple and they bend over backwards to take their guests into and out of town, and give you a full tour of what Front Royal has to offer before dropping you off. The BnB itself is a beautiful, architecturally historic southern-style white building, that they have lovingly refurbished.

Bonus: when you first arrive you are welcomed with an incredibly refreshing beverage -homemade limeade or lemonade. The breakfast is here is also one of the best I had on trail. Visit the Beer Museum in town, and if you’re lucky, Kim will be working behind the bar (yes, at the museum!)

Angels Rest Hostel (VA): this is a traditional AT hostel. It used to be a caravan park, and has been given over completely to helping AT hikers. There is a very spacious bunkhouse, multiple shower and bathrooms (and a spare porta-potty or two). Down behind the bunkhouse is a hikers kitchen, with all the basics. There is also a double wide trailer that offers a private room with it’s own bathroom, a living room with couch and TV, and a full-service kitchen. Tables and hammocks are scattered around the yard, and a grocery store is a five minute walk away.

Bonus: the town of Pearisburg isn’t very big, but everything is in walking distance. This means the grocery store, the Mexican restaurant, fast food options, fantastic coffee cafe, CVS pharmacy and a decently stocked outfitters are all convenient. They offer a “Triple Zero” badge, as many hikers wind up staying an extra day or two.

Quarterway Inn (VA): this was probably my favorite hostel – the location, atmosphere and breakfast were all fantastic. The dorms upstairs can house about 15 hikers, with two ‘private rooms’ separated by a curtain from the main dorm. There is also a full private room with a bed and a door, next to the upstairs bathroom. Downstairs is a large living room full of gaes, books and musical instruments. The hiker kitchen has a pizza oven and microwave, just enough to feed hungry hikers. There is no nearby town, but they keep enough on hand at the in-house resupply store & fridge. It’s 3/4 of a mile off the trail, in a rural part of Southern Virginia. The owners are very welcoming, and breakfast is hearty and healthy. A beautiful front porch with rocking chairs, and an enormous sycamore with hammocks completes the relaxing vibe.

Bonus: Tina, the owner, is the creator of the famous Appalachian trail necklace. An excelelnt souvenuir of the trail.

Around the Bend (GA): for many hikers this is one of the first hostels they stay at. It is close to Clayton and Hiawassee, with free shuttles into town as well as pick-up and drop-off from the trail. Another family style hostel, the dorms here are 4-6 twin beds in a room. A separate building has two private rooms that share a shower. In the main house, there are two bathrooms and a full kitchen for hikers who head to town, rather than having a frozen pizza. A living room with enormous picture windows looks out over the property, and there is a large firepit in the back that the staff will light up every night.

Bonus: there is a very well-stocked resupply here, with wide variety of food as well as gear. Gordon the owner is knowledgable and passion about his products and doesn’t gouge the AT hiker the way some larger in-town outfitters do.

And there you have it. For short descriptions on the rest of the hostels we stayed at, follow this link: