Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast
Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast – May 2016
5
MAY, 2016
Anyone contemplating a hike in the Roan Highlands section of the Appalachian Trail needs to know about the Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast in Roan Mountain, Tennessee. It sits right at the bottom of the descent off Hump Mountain and is the perfect place to start (via parked car and shuttle) and finish a 50-mile section hike of the Roan Highlands. Mountain Harbour is also the place known as having ‘The Best Breakfast on the AT’ which, by itself, is well worth a visit.
How I found out about Mountain Harbour
I had heard about the Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast from thru-hiker books I’d read and DVDs I’d watched. Many hikers who documented their hikes mentioned Mountain Harbour, primarily because of their legendary breakfast. When planning my 2016 Roan Highlands hike, basing my hike out of Mountain Harbour was my top priority.
“What a jewel right off the AT.
They have a hostel for hikers that is a charm and their bedrooms in the main house are wonderful. Their shuttle service and all around accommodation are excellent. Best breakfast on the Appalachian Trail!“ – Guest Review
Background on my stay
Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast is a bit of an ‘oasis’ in a desert of sorts. It sits in a pretty remote area of far northeast Tennessee and right on top of the Appalachian Trail at the northern end of the Roan Highlands section. South of where the trail intersects the short road walk to Mountain Harbour, there aren’t any services for hikers for many miles, and north of that roadway intersection, the situation is the same. Mountain Harbour is pretty much all there is. As a result, it gets a ton of hiker traffic.
My 2016 AT hike and video plan was to emphasize the interactions with the thru-hikers, and I deliberately planned my hike for early May, knowing that the thru-hiker ‘bubble’ (greatest concentration of hikers) would be passing through that area exactly when I was there. It made sense to use Mountain Harbour as my ‘base’ because I knew I would get maximum hiker interaction there and because I wanted to try that legendary breakfast.
Two aspects of the business – B&B / hostel and shuttle service
There are two completely different parts of the Mountain Harbour business: (1) the Bed and Breakfast, which is run out of the owner’s home and is quite ‘fancy,’ and (2) the hiker hostel and ‘grocery,’ which is run out of a nearby converted barn, and is anything but fancy! In addition to the B&B and hostel operations, Mountain Harbour also provides a solid fee-based shuttle operation for rides anywhere in the nearby area (the further the distance, the more it costs). I planned to get to Mountain Harbour the morning of my hike, do a few videos with hikers, catch my shuttle to Erwin, TN, early in the morning, hike on the AT back to the B&B, spend the night after my hike in the hostel, and enjoy the breakfast in the morning.
Options for lodging at Mountain Harbour
When I stayed in the hiker hostel in 2016, there were multiple options for where you would sleep. There was a bunk room with multiple bunk beds for $15 or $20 per bed per night, and then two (or three?) other bedrooms with two double beds in each ($25 per bed per night). There were no solo, private room options, which was ok with me. I could have opted for a much more luxurious and private night in the B&B proper at $125-$150 per night, but I was looking for maximum hiker interaction, not luxury. But I also knew even the hiker hostel would feel luxurious after four days on the trail. They also had a new ‘treehouse’ option, which seemed weird, but it looked pretty cool.
Description of my 2016 Roan Highlands AT hike
The shuttle dropped me off at Indian Gap for my hike, a few miles north of Erwin. I hiked over Beauty Spot, Unaka Mountain, and down to Cherry Gap shelter for night #1. The second day took me over to the base of Roan Mountain. Then halfway up the climb to the Ash Gap campsite for night #2. On the third day, over Roan Mountain, down to Carver Gap, and on to Overmountain Shelter for a pleasant night #3. I hiked the nasty climb out of Overmountain and then over Little Hump Mountain on the last day. Finally, I climbed over Hump Mountain before the long descent to Mountain Harbour. I loved the hike and the area. The weather was perfect the entire hike. Near the end, the skies got cloudy and then downright gloomy. Just as I got to the B&B, the rain started.
I was happy to have successfully completed my hike, I was excited to spend the night dry in the hostel talking with thru hikers, and I was REALLY excited for breakfast. But the other hikers, who had to continue the next few days in the rain, were a bit down. I did my best to cheer them up by giving shuttle rides into the nearby town on Roan Highlands.
Night in the Hiker Hostel and ‘Best Breakfast on the AT’
The rain kept going all night, but it was a pleasant evening in the hostel. Everyone gathered in the common area sharing their stories. As is the norm with chronically tired thru-hikers, everyone went to bed pretty early. I slept well, with the constant sound of rain on the barn roof serving as a comforting ‘white noise.’ The following day was what I had been looking forward to since arriving at Mountain Harbour five days earlier – breakfast time! That breakfast was everything it was advertised as, and then some. All the dishes were scratch-made that morning or the evening before.
There were egg casseroles, scrambled eggs, puff pastry dishes, bacon, sausage, croissants, pastries, cinnamon rolls, pies, grits, and many other dishes. Oh, and endless cups of excellent fresh-brewed coffee. It was insanely delicious. How they manage to pull that off day in and day out is beyond my comprehension. The amount of work that goes into pulling off each breakfast is staggering, and they do it every day. Whether you’re hiking there or not, do yourself a favor one time in your life and experience that breakfast.
Conclusion – Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast
The Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast is an Appalachian Trail ‘experience’, not just a place to stay for the night. The owners were extremely friendly and giving. Prices for everything were reasonable, and the accommodations were clean. I loved everything about the time I spent with them and my stay there. From my shuttle ride, to the night in the hostel, and finally that amazing breakfast. If you’re ever hiking in the Roan Highlands area it would be a disservice not to tie in Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast in some way. In all the reading I have done of hikers relating their experience, it is one of those stops along the Appalachian Trail that rises to the top of the list of places you remember the most. It is also a place that I highly recommend.
I am a ‘content creator’ with a passion for backpacking, creating videos, photography, and writing – with a healthy dose of all things outdoors on the side!
