My first hostel. It was pretty unavoidable, considering the Appalachian Trail runs right through it. The staff were all very nice, and very helpful. All of mountain crossing staff are thru hikers, giving you loads of experience to draw from when considering to purchase or send home gear. This is a huge plus, because for a fee, they will mail unnecessary gear home (something that I ended up taking them up on).
The hostel itself is very pragmatic. Everything in the hostel has a purpose; very basic, but it’s everything you need. Fans and a heater to dry out gear, 20 bunk beds, private showers, sink, counter, and microwave. They even have hundreds of VHS tapes, a TV, and chess games if you’re interested.
Unfortunately, there is only one shower for hikers, which can be very frustrating and time consuming if you have a schedule to keep. The other issue is that the building runs on well water, so if it’s been a dry week, you might not be able to use many of the amenities. I was there during a dry week and I couldn’t use the inside toilet, I had to use the porter potty outside. I also couldn’t use the sink or do laundry. In the right circumstances, this hostel could go from a nice stay, to a horrible one.
The attached outfitter was really great, they have loads of essential gear in stock with a large selection of AT memorabilia. And if you are looking for a day or two’s worth of resupply, this place has it. They also have cold beverages and frozen foods you can heat up in a microwave. They’ll even cook you a frozen pizza in their oven.
Overall, this is a good, simple place to stay with some helpful advice always handy. Just consider the weather when coming here, or you’ll regret it.
Pros:
- If you need to resupply or get new gear, they’ll most likely have what you’re looking for.
- All the staff are past thru hikers bringing you quality advice.
Cons:
- There is only one shower for the entire hostel.
- The hostel runs on well water, so it could run out.
Rating Scale 1-10
- Weighing out the pros and cons brings me to give a rating of 6.5 Not being able to use the sink, do laundry, or got to the bathroom was not fun.
A video from my YouTube Channel TheWildGreenYonder of the inside of Mountain Crossing.
The Wild Green Yonder 