Click "Read More", below, to review all of the rental policies and procedures, related to the rental of PATC cabins.

All public cabins and most member-only cabins are primitive. Renters must fetch and purify water from unprotected springs or streams. The toilets are outhouses. Furnished equipment in the cabins includes bunks, mattresses, blankets, cooking utensils, cutlery, and dishes for the listed capacity of each cabin. The total number of people is not to exceed the cabin's capacity. Stoves are wood burning and the occupants must provide or replenish the wood supply by foraging in the surrounding woods and chopping with the tools provided. No standing timber whether dead or alive may be cut in any area especially the Shenandoah National Park and US National Forests. Each cabin has a saw and splitting maul. Most of the cabins have either indoor or outdoor fireplaces; all have stoves.

The cabins do not have trash service, so renters must carry out all trash including disposable diapers. They may burn paper waste, but may not bury any refuse or leave any items of any type. This type of "donation" is not desired. The outhouse is for human waste and TP only.  Pets are not allowed at Blackburn Trail Center, Catoctin Cottage, Glass House, Olive Green, Highacre, Little Orleans, Gypsy Spring, Cliff's House, or Vining Cabin.

Because all cabins are in primitive environments, renters should be prepared to encounter some animals and insects including ticks, mosquitoes, flies, gnats, wasps, hornets, bees, snakes, mice, bats, raccoons, skunks, and bears. Fortunately at this time, PATC cabins do not have issues with woolly mammoths.

Cabin Arrival Time: DO NOT IMPOSE UPON THE PREVIOUS RENTERS BY ARRIVING EARLY. Please plan to arrive at your cabin at least one hour before sunset, so that you will not have to negotiate an unfamiliar trail at night, and so that you can unlock the cabin, light your lanterns, and locate the spring and outhouse before dark.

RESERVATION PERIODS

Reservations begin at 3:00 p.m. of the first night reserved and end at 3:00 p.m. of the day after the last night reserved. Renters wishing to use the cabins earlier in the day should reserve and pay for the previous night. Rentals for Saturday night should not be assumed that a cabin will be available Saturday morning unless you have reserved it for Friday night also. You need not request Sunday night if you plan to leave Sunday afternoon. DO NOT IMPOSE UPON THE PREVIOUS RENTERS BY ARRIVING EARLY!

REQUIREMENTS FOR RENTING A PATC CABIN

Responsible Individual: The person in whose name the cabin is reserved must be at least 21 years old and must accompany the party for the entire period of occupancy. This person is responsible for leaving the cabin in good condition for the next occupant. Reservations are not made in the name of a group or organization.

TIMING OF RESERVATION REQUESTS

All reservations are taken on first come first served basis and only by telephone or on a walk-in basis. These cabins are very popular, especially in the spring and fall seasons. Rental requests for weekends often cannot be satisfied; cabins are more likely to be available during the week. When calling about a cabin reservation, please have a calendar, this information sheet, and a copy of the PATC Cabins booklet available, and your Visa or MasterCard number with expiration date so that the choice of cabin and date can be discussed quickly and accurately with the Headquarters volunteer (see "Cabin Rates"). To see which cabins are available prior to calling for a reservation, see the Cabins Availability page.

Members as well as Non-members may reserve any public cabin up to two calendar months prior to the first night of the reservation desired.

Members may reserve members-only cabins up to two calendar months prior to the first night of the reservation desired.

Members who are PATC volunteers may reserve ANY cabin up to two calendar months plus seven days prior to the first night of the reservation desired, once per calendar year, and must have done PATC volunteer work within the past twelve months of the time of the call. Please indicate in what capacity the volunteer work was in, under whose supervision, and when.

After Hours: If the Cabins Reservations Desk is not open on the earliest eligible date, the reservation may only be made during the next available date when the Cabins Reservations Desk is open for business (Mon ­ Thu, 7p.m. to 9p.m. or Thu and Fri, 12p.m. to 2p.m.).

Length of Reservations: Reservations can be made for one night or up to seven nights. No more than one cabin may be reserved for a particular night. Renters can make up to two separate reservations within the two calendar month timeframe. Each reservation is considered as a separate reservation including the processing fee. A member may use the "volunteer" reservation for only one of the reservations.

Special Use Advance Reservations: Reservations by overseers of PATC maintained cabins or trails or leaders of Club Excursions may make advance reservations for worktrip or excursion use. Reservations for worktrips or excursions do not count against a member's quota reservation, his/her holding reservations for personal use under the seven-night period, or being on the waiting list.

WAITING LIST

If a cabin of choice is not available, the caller may have his/her name put on the waiting list. The caller may request to be put on the waiting list for any cabin(s) that the caller could reserve if available at the moment of the call. The request must meet the requirements for the timing-of-reservations requests. In the event that a cabin becomes available, a waiting list request takes precedence over a phone-in or walk-in request. A subsequent reservation made from the waiting list removes the caller from all positions on the waiting list, because a person may not be on the waiting list while holding a reservation at any stage, including return of key due.

WEEKEND/WEEKDAY RATE PERIODS

Weekday Rate: A reservation made for any Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday night.

Weekend Rate: A reservation made for any Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night.

AFTER A RESERVATION IS MADE

Prepayment is required at the time of making the reservation. Payment must be made by VISA/MasterCard credit card including expiration date. Personal checks or cash will only be accepted in person at the PATC headquarters in Vienna. A non-refundable $5.00 processing fee is charged with every reservation made.

Key and Information Packet: A Key and forms (including driving directions) will be mailed first class approximately fifteen days before the reservation date. Please read all forms immediately upon receipt and verify that the information is correct. Call PATC Headquarters if your key has not arrived five days prior to your reservation date to leave sufficient time to correct the situation. There is no one at the Headquarters to take your call on the weekends.

Headquarters Key Pick-Up: If your reservation starts less than seven days after it is made, your key may not reach you in time if it is sent to you by mail. In that case, your key will be held for you to pick up in person at PATC Headquarters in Vienna, VA. If that is not possible due to distance constraints, then you will be charged the appropriate fees needed for USPS Priority Mail or Express Mail services.

AFTER YOUR STAY

After staying at the cabin, the key and all forms must be mailed back to us within one week after the reservation date. A return envelope is supplied with the initial packet. If the key has not been returned within ten days after the last night of the reservation, an automatic charge of $25 will be charged to the renters credit card.

A renter can hold up to two separate reservations at a time. Therefore, subsequent reservations will not be authorized until we have received the key and forms due in the PATC headquarters office for at least one previous reservation.

CANCELLATION POLICIES

• Full refund, less $5.00 processing fee, is available if the reservation is cancelled 15 or more days prior to the first night of the reservation.
  
• 50% of the rental fee, less $5.00 processing fee, will be refunded if the reservation is cancelled 8 to 14 days prior to the first night of the reservation.
  
• No refund will be made if the reservation is cancelled 7 or fewer days prior to the firs night of the reservation.
  
• Part of a reservation cannot be canceled. The whole reservation must be canceled and the processing fee forfeited. The renter must then wait at least 24 hours to make another reservation.

WAIVER OF FEES

Reservation fees will only be waived at the discretion of the Chairman of Cabin Reservations. NO FAULT WINTER POLICY: From December 1 to April 1 renters are able to cancel reservations in the event of hazardous road conditions for a $5 processing fee and be reimbursed for the remaining rental fee ONLY if the renter chooses not to go, immediately calls and leaves a message to that affect on any voice mailbox at PATC and mails the key and a written request for a refund and return of the cabin key within seven business days of the first date of the reservation. The renter is responsible for checking the roads and weather conditions in the area where the cabin is located. The volunteer overseer or volunteer reservationists would not know this information.

LOST OR UNRETURNED KEYS

Cabin renters will be charged twenty-five dollars ($25) for lost or unreturned keys within 10 days from the last date of the reservation. A cabin renter who does not return a key will lose privileges to rent cabins until the key is returned or the lost-key fee is paid or waived. If the account is not otherwise delinquent, privileges will be reinstated immediately if the key is returned and no other fees are due; but if the lost-key fee is submitted in lieu of the key, privileges will remain suspended for 1 calendar month following receipt of the lost-key fee. If a key is lost on the second occasion, the renter will lose all cabin rental privileges.

WINTER WEATHER WARNING

Snow or ice frequently causes or threatens to cause the closing of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. Some cabins in the Park will be inaccessible if the drive is closed, unless you are prepared to endure the elements and hike in from outside the Park boundaries. Please call SNP (540/999-3500) to check Skyline Drive closure before you leave home if inclement weather is expected. Also be aware that the entrance gates to SNP close at 5 p.m. and reopen at 8 a.m. when hunting season comes into play. Plan to be through the gates prior to 5 p.m. on the first night of your reservation. Park Service officials will not open the gates for you.

Main roads near PATC cabins in Michaux State Forest are less often closed than is Skyline Drive, but it is advisable to request local road conditions from the district forester in that area at 717/352-2211.