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Explore Pocosin Cabin, one of the six cabins operated by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club in Shenandoah National Park. Built in 1936 in the Central District, Pocosin Cabin is available to rent year-round.
Ways to Explore
Tour Transcript with Photo Descriptions From Skyline Drive, you can access Pocosin Cabin by turning onto the Pocosin Fire Road at Mile 59.5. After parking in the parking area, the cabin is .2 mile down the fire road.
Pocosin Cabin from a distance. The stone chimney and wood wood cabin are barely visible abpve the tall grass. A short connector trail from Pocosin Fire Road brings visitors to the front porch.
The southern part of the Park's central district is home to some of the most stunning views in the Park. Just 2 miles north of Pocosin Fire Road at Mile 56.8 is the Bearfence Trailhead. This 1.4 mile loop hike offers visitors the chance to scrambled up and over large boulders, and rewards them with a 360 degree view. Just South of Pocosin at mile 62.7, visitors can access the South River Picnic Grounds. This provides easy access to the Appalachian Trail heading north or south, but it also marks the beginning of the South River Falls trail. This 2.6 or 3.3 mile trail can be done as a loop or by retracing your steps, offering several possibilities in terms of difficulty and distance. South River offers two stunning views of the falls, one from an observation point facing the top of the falls, and one from the base of the falls. When it was constructed, the cabin was named after the area where it stood. Less than a mile from the cabin are the remains of an episcopal mission. The mission once stood alongside a schoolhouse and housing for missionaries. Built in 1902 by Reverend Frederick Neve, the mission was named Pocosin (sometimes spelled Pocosan), after an indigenous word, possibly from the Algonquian language, that means something like "swamp on a hill." These are just a few of the many buildings that remain in ruins within the Park boundaries. Over several centuries, thousands of residents built farms, churches, homes, and livelihoods, hints of which remain to this day. Remains of a wooden building near Pocosin Mission. The building is missing doors, windows, and some uprigt boards. Left side of the structure is visibly leaning.
The remains of a stone chimney stand a few feet high in 2023. A fallen log partially blocks the view.
Pocosin Cabin was built by the CCC Camp NP-3 (Baldface) during the winter of 1936. According to PATC founding member Frank Schairer, "Logs were hauled to the various CCC Camps and squared up at the sawmills, and then they roughed up with axes to look hand hewn, and the whole shelter was cut and fitted- prefabricated- and then hauled to its site where it was erected." After the construction was complete, PATC entered into a concessioner agreement in order to operate the cabins within Park boundaries. This agreement continues to the present, and PATC continues to operate Pocosin and 5 other cabins. Quote: "The Shelter Train and How it Grew," from an Interview with Frank Schairer, by Ralph L. Magee and Thelma A. Dries, printed in PATC Bulletin Vol. XXI No. 4 p. 118. View from the back of Pocosin cabin. CCC "boys" during the construction of Pocosin Cabin. Several are seated on the partially completed roof, while others stand at the base and top of a ladder to the left of the stone chimney. A large stack of flat boards sits to the left of the cabin.
On November 22nd 1927, the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) holds its first meeting, with Myron Avery as its President. By February of the next year, the club will be out on their first work trip, cutting trail from Ashby Gap to Manassas Gap. These volunteers and outdoor enthusiasts, led by Avery, played a huge role in the completion of the Appalachian Trail, which in turn helped to shape the early history of the Appalachian Trail (AT). In an interview with Dorothy Martin, which was printed in the PATC club bulletin Vol XXII No. 1, Benton MacKaye, AT founder, said, "I considered the birth of PATC marked the birth also of the Appalachian Trail." PATC members on a work trip in 1928. Skyland proprietor George Pollock holding a bugle. Frank Schairer holding loppers smoking a pipe. Myron Avery with his signature measuring wheel on the right.
Like other PATC cabins, Pocosin is equipped with bunk beds, a stove, a first aid kit, kitchen utensils, and even board games. This is an ideal place to rest and relax after a long day of hiking. On October 24th 1937, the cabin opened for visitors. On the inaugural PATC members signed the book saying, "It is hereby recorded that quantities of pots, pans, blankets, eating tools, and miscellaneous equipment and appurtenances were on this date installed with ceremonies suitable to the occasion. The mattresses have been shipped to Elkton, Va. When these are transported hitherto by the National Park Service, Pocosin Shelter will be ready for occupancy." Quote: Pocosin Shelter Register, page 1. October 27 1937 to November 11 1939. Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Archives, Vienna Virginia. Cover of Pocosin Logbook, Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Archives, Vienna, Virginia.
Along this short connector trail, cabin campers can access the locked privy.
Did you know that the six cabins that PATC operates in Shenandoah National Park are just one small part of a much larger chain? In addition to these 6 cabins, PATC maintains 41 other rental cabins in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Map of locations of PATC cabins. Credit: Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, https://www.patc.net/PATC/Cabins/Where_They_Are.aspx?hkey=2f63a576-c18c-4600-9471-4111050834b7
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Last updated: February 29, 2024