Rufus Morgan Shelter
Nantahala National Forest
Cheoah District, Route 1, Box 16A
Robbinsville, NC 28771
828-479-6431
The Nantahala National Forest is the largest of the four national forests in North Carolina and is the the second wettest region in the country – after the Pacific Northwest. The word “Nantahala” is a Cherokee word meaning “Land of the Noonday Sun.” In some spots, the sun only reaches the floors of the deep gorges in the middle of the day. The National Forest has 531,270 acres with elevation ranging from 5,800 feet at Lone Bald in Jackson County to 1,200 feet in Cherokee County along the Hiwassee River.
This short hike starts at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) at Wesser, NC and climbs 500 feet heading southbound on the Appalachian Trail to the Rufus Morgan Shelter. For the most part, it is a steep grade of switchbacks until the last few hundred yards before the shelter. The structure sits about 50 yards off the trail to the east and looks to sleep roughly 6-8 people.
- click for a trip report from this hike to Rufus Morgan Shelter: January 1, 2008 (password required)
- click to purchase the Trails Illustrated Nantahala and Cullasaja Gorges map for this hike
- click for an ATC topographical map from Cold Springs Shelter to NOC (password required)
- click for an ATC profile map from Burningtown Gap to the NOC (password required)
- click for a list of our hikes over the New Years holiday starting in December 2004 (password required)
- click for a trail map of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee (password required)
- click for more information on the Appalachian Trail
- click for Appalachian Trail hiking and backpacking books
- click to access the guidebook Appalachian Trail: Georgia-North Carolina which has details on this destination
- click for other North Carolina hiking and backpacking books
