Rock Spring Cabin

In late November, for Thanksgiving, (and right before my maternity leave ended) we ventured into the woods to stay at Rock Spring Cabin. Owned by the PATC, and rented for an astoundingly low rate of $35 / night, the cabin is a moderate .72 mile hike in (posts and signage read .8). This is a steal for any family (cabin sleeps 8) or couple.

The Cabin

Nestled into the mountainside, the cabin has captivating views of Page Valley, Stanley, and Luray. On our arrival, we spotted the cabin just below the Appalachian Trail shelter. The exterior has a classic log cabin appearance with a stone chimney.

Over the next few days, we got a taste of what it would have been like to live here. One of the reasons, I presume, these cabins are so inexpensive is because they are maintained by both the nonprofit organization and the people who rent them. If you’re not interested in throwing in a little bit, this is not the cabin for you. Especially in the winter, you need to leave enough firewood for one night’s stay for the next person. You do have to cut and split your own wood while you’re here.

Inside the cabin, there are 4 bunks, mattresses, linens, plenty of cookware (don’t haul in your own as we did) wash bins, utensils, cups, plates, etc. There is a dinner table, a mini library of books, flashlights, and candles. The windows have storm shutters. You are able to open these shutters once inside by unscrewing the wing nut and pulling out the rod. I recommend doing this on arrival so you don’t oversleep like we did (the cabin is a dark cave otherwise). Only bring in what you want to pack out.

While heating and cooking wasn’t necessarily a full-time job, splitting wood and cooking breakfast did take up a lot of the morning. I hadn’t cooked on a wood stove like this before and needless to say my skills were lacking. Open fire cooking I have on-lock. But cooking on the stove it took me a little bit of getting used to. Eventually, and after far too long, I figured out it’s not all that different from open-fire cooking. Just remove the burner plate and let the pan sit over the open flame.

On cold nights get the fire roaring early both for cooking and for comfort. Get cozy and warm and then step onto the front porch in the bitter cold to enjoy a fantastic night view of Page Valley.

The setting here is absolute magic, especially in the cold, crisp winter air, stepping out onto the front porch in the dead silence of winter. If you’ve experienced it before, you know what I’m talking about. That very specific type of silence that you feel in every layer of your existence down to your bones. It’s both peaceful and invigorating.

On the porch, as you take this in, to the left as you look out is an outdoor fireplace that uses the same chimney as the indoor wood stove. Use this area for both comfort and open-fire cooking. The porch has a picnic table as well.

Rock Spring Cabin has its own outhouse, in addition to the public outhouse next to the shelter. The padlock on the cabin door and the outhouse match, so just take the key with you up to the outhouse. Just below the outhouse is the ash pit (as one may have guessed this is for ashes) and there’s a saw horse out in front of the cabin to help you with long chopping and splitting. There are also tools for splitting and chopping wood inside the cabin (axe, sledgehammer, ect).

The cabin is the absolute perfect distance from the spring, supplying you with plenty of fresh water for your stay. There are a few jugs for carrying water back and forth from the spring to the cabin on the counter in the kitchen. They recommend filtering or boiling the water before consumption.

The description of this cabin said not to expect privacy due to its proximity to the Appalachian Trail. And truthfully, we did run into at least two sets of hikers coming down strictly to see the cabin. It didn’t bother us at all though, they were just as intrigued as we would have been having seen someone rent a cabin in the middle of the woods. Its proximity to the Appalachian Trail makes for great access to Hawksbill Summit as well as a few other landmarks on Skyline Drive.

Big Meadows

Big Meadows is a moderate hike from the cabin or a quick drive down the road. It’s a rare day, even in the winter, to go to Big Meadows near sunset and NOT see a photographer and their clients. And there’s good reason for that, the scenery is absolutely lovely but the backdrop for formal photography, for those photographers out there, makes for some wonderful bokeh, especially at sunset. I didn’t have the “good” lenses with me this time, but Big Meadows is always worth a visit.

Big Meadows, despite it’s beauty, does get a little swampy in some areas, so be aware of that. There’s no real formal trail through the Meadow, just a lot of trails wildlife has mashed down, so it’s kind of make your own path here (it’s encouraged).

Hawksbill Summit

In the opposite direction, the hike to Hawksbill Summit from the cabin is about the perfect length. Especially if you want to go up for sunset.

Go up as early as you’d like, wait for sunset, and use that 20 minutes of civil twilight to get back down to the cabin. About 1.32 miles from camp via the Appalachian Trail, then turning onto Salamander Trail, you get a bargain of a view at the highest peak in Shenandoah National Park.

Other attractions and notes

This cabin is also a really short drive (or hike if you desire) to a couple of other locations; Crescent Rock, White Oak Canyon, Skyland, Stoney Man, etc.

It’s also worth noting that Rock Spring Cabin has it’s own little parking lot (for 5 cars) right off Skyline Drive next to Spitler Knoll Overlook. A number of lovely assholes tried to park there for the overlook, which would have been fine if they didn’t take up two spaces for one car, but the lot is indeed specifically for the cabin.

This cabin was hands down one of the most unique experiences my family has ever had the pleasure of enjoying and is a must see for any Shenandoah Valley nature-and-serenity seeker.