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Explore Range View Cabin, one of the six cabins operated by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club in Shenandoah National Park. Built in 1932 in the North District, Range View Cabin is available to rent year-round.
Ways to Explore
Tour Transcript with Photo Descriptions
Trailhead map at Piney River.
Two PATC members marking the location of a future trail near the Range View cabin. A dirt road runs through the area. Beyond the clearing, brush and dead trees are visible.
The cabin was named after the stunning view it provided to visitors. Although the forest as reclaimed much of that view, some of the magic remains. When the leaves fall in the Autumn and Winter the view opens up and you can see across the Blue Ridge to the south, with the top of Old Rag Mountain visible in the distance.
Two hikers lounge in the grass in front of the stone cabin while two others walk toward the entrance. Photo from 1944.
View from the Range View Overlook, above the cabin on Skyline Drive. Layers of blue mountains stretch out in the distance with a blue sky above. Photo from 1960.
Since 1933, Range View, and the other cabins in and around Shenandoah National Park, have been maintained by PATC. Their main mission, however, is to maintain the Appalachian Trail from Pine Grove Furnace in Pennsylvania to Rockfish Gap at the southern end of Shenandoah National Park. Additionally, club members maintain hundreds of miles of trail in Pennsylvania, Maryland, D.C. West Virginia, and Virginia. When you're out hiking in the park, don't be surprised when you run into PATC members working to preserve hiking trails for current and future visitors. Learn more about the Club here: PATC Who We Are A wooden walking stick leaning against an cement trail post with the Appalachian TRail (AT) logo.
In 1932, Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) members Myron Avery, Frank Schairer, Al Jackman, and Otis Gates began overseeing construction on the Range View cabin. Like the other structures in the Park, materials had to be carried in on foot, on horseback, or by car when possible.
Range View Cabin surrounded by a wooden fence that no longer exists.
The stonework was done by Charlie Sisk, who lived in the Skyland area and was well-known for his work as a mason. He and his brother Perry, a carpenter, contributed to many of PATC's early construction projects, using stone and lumber from the surrounding areas. Part of the cabin construction crew in a row in front of Range View Cabin. From left to right: Charlie Sisk, Perry Sisk, Grover Sisk, unknown, Daniel Woodward, unknown. One man is also unknown but may be a member of the CCC. The left side of the cabin porch roof is unfinished, and the stone porch floor was not yet completed. Use of this photograph is restricted. We thank James Lillard for his generosity in allowing our use of this photo.
A close up view of the stone signature on the fron of Range View cabin. The signature reads "SISK 1933."
Although the cabin is owned by PATC, it sits on federal land. As a result, the Club has a concessioner agreement with SNP to maintain and operate their facilities within the park. The attached letter, from John Hess, Chairman of the Shelters Committe for PATC, to Superintendent Freeland in 1947 demonstrates the cooperation between NPS and PATC in preserving these resources. Take special note of the postscript. Notice that the cabin still has wood floors, as was suggested by members of the Shelter Committee. The cabin's wood-burning stove and cast-iron cookware are reminiscent of the way that the cabin's earliest visitors prepared their meals. Visitors can enjoy delicious meals with all the provided equipment, but anything you bring with you must be packed out with you when you leave, especially trash. Although PATC continues to replace amenities and tools as needed, the character and functionality of cabin kitchens remain roughly the same as in their earliest years. Members of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club posing beneath a "Leave No Trace" banner at Range View Cabin.
Rusty wood-burning stove surrounded by kitchen utensils, pots, pans, and an ashcan. Kitchen in the cabin's interior. Photograph from 2009.
At this cabin, fires are only permitted in the wood stove and the outdoor fireplace. At all PATC cabins, fire are only permitted in approved, existing fireplaces, fire rings, and stoves. As the only source of heat, firewood is a very important part of a PATC cabin stay, especially in the winter. Be courteous to future campers and leave at least a 2-day supply of wood when you check out. As you move into the cabin, you'll notice it is equipped with basic tools, including bow saws, splitting mauls, and a saw buck, in order to facilitate firewood collection. This is the case at all PATC cabins. Cutting of standing timber or removing limbs from standing trees or shrubs is strictly prohibited, regardless of whether the tree is dead or alive. Range View cabin nearly 70 years after its construction. Photo from 2000.
The outdoor privy is also located a few hundred feet along this trail.
Sign explaining how the moldering privy functions, with instructions how to use.
A spring box is located just beyond this point. Most PATC cabins are located a short walk from such springs.
The Piney River Area was once home to a CCC Camp, known as Camp Red Bird, or NP-12. The Civilian Conservation Corps was authorized with the passage of the Federal Unemployment Relief Act on March 31st, 1933, and established by executive order. The Corps arrived in this area of the Blue Ridge on May 15th, 1933. Even before it was officially authorized, Shenandoah was the first National Park to benefit from FDR's New Deal.
CCC "boys" in uniform loaded into a work truck.
CCC crew clearing dead chestnut trees. One CCC "boy" on a bulldozer knocks over a standing tree.
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Last updated: February 16, 2024