My new favorite shelter. The Tom Jones shelter is within perfect proximity from the road: a good hike up, but a quick one too. I spent our Labor Day weekend there with my son and my dog, and as I'm the only adult, I had to carry up a tent, two sleeping bags, food for two days, etc. (I've tried having the dog carry some of the load; he once ran off and came back without his doggy pack, so that was the end of it.) Considering how much I had to lug, I've tried different solutions, but Tom Jones beat them all. We hiked up (fifteen minutes), dropped our stuff, and went back to the car (eight minutes down) for more. We took the blue trail up and then transferred to the red at the intersection, turning towards the arrow pointing up. It was a scramble, but so incredibly close!
Great views. The sunsets were breathtaking. And there were lots of people both nights, spaced out enough for privacy, but close enough that we could borrow a lighter when we used up all our matches and the fire had still not started. (yikes!) There are plenty of flat grassy areas with views of the mountains and some tucked under trees.
My dog is never happier than when on a hike, and it was fabulous at the shelter. There were two other dogs and everyone kept to their own little tent.
Best part: being visited by friends because it's close enough to the road. Such good times!
All USA
My new favorite shelter. The Tom Jones shelter is within perfect proximity from the road: a good hike up, but a quick one too. I spent our Labor Day weekend there with my son and my dog, and as I'm the only adult, I had to carry up a tent, two sleeping bags, food for two days, etc. (I've tried having the dog carry some of the load; he once ran off and came back without his doggy pack, so that was the end of it.) Considering how much I had to lug, I've tried different solutions, but Tom Jones beat them all. We hiked up (fifteen minutes), dropped our stuff, and went back to the car (eight minutes down) for more. We took the blue trail up and then transferred to the red at the intersection, turning towards the arrow pointing up. It was a scramble, but so incredibly close! Great views. The sunsets were breathtaking. And there were lots of people both nights, spaced out enough for privacy, but close enough that we could borrow a lighter when we used up all our matches and the fire had still not started. (yikes!) There are plenty of flat grassy areas with views of the mountains and some tucked under trees. My dog is never happier than when on a hike, and it was fabulous at the shelter. There were two other dogs and everyone kept to their own little tent. Best part: being visited by friends because it's close enough to the road. Such good times!