The Appalachian Trail in VA is entirely with the Shenandoah National Park which is NPS land.
The laws of each state apply within their borders to all NPS, national parks, so OC or CC w/CHP. You can thank VCDL for that.
Note not allowed to carry in any facility/building that regularly houses NPS employees - must be signage to that effect.
http://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/parkmgmt/lawsandpolicies.htm
This is a good time to mention the good VCDL has done. That change was fought to the end and VCDL continued to push and find a way. The change in the law was carried on a credit card reform bill if I remember right.
The Trail is NPS land; but if you look at the map, in a lot of places, it is surrounded by National Forest Land, which in VA requires a CHP to carry and only allows CC unless hunting (4VAC15-40-60). You have to be careful since only a few feet from the trail you'd be in violation, and this means that in many places you have to access the trail while concealing. If you don't have a CHP, then you have to get onto the trail in an area outside the National Forest lands....
For those of us that grew up in the NF, I'd say don't worry about it....but sine that's a board violation:uhoh:, take a pistol rug and when you enter the NF, unload and put it in the rug. When you leave, load and carry. You're legal then.
It's inconvenient but keeps you in good standing.
So we CAN O.C. on the AT? Just not the woodland area? Is this correct. I plan on backpacking alot this year so this info is very useful for me
So we CAN O.C. on the AT? Just not the woodland area? Is this correct. I plan on backpacking alot this year so this info is very useful for me
Just a quick added question here, but can anyone offer an opinion (or better yet fact) regarding the scenic overlook points/peaks along the Appalachian Trail? Are those areas generally considered part of the App Trail or are they part of the surrounding NF land? I'm hiking Big Rocky Row near Glasgow with some friends tomorrow, and I want to make sure I stay legal. http://www.hikingupward.com/GWNF/BigRockyRow/ I obviously would prefer to OC when I can, but I'll CC if and when I must.
Recommend a phone call to NPS or local senior ranger as your most practical solution. If you are referring to the scenic overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway in VA then those are part of NPS lands.
Otherwise an extremely good GPS and topo map w/mets and bounds might be required. :uhoh:
Thanks for the advice, GS.
Only recently has it clearly come to my attention how convoluted may of the boundaries are for NP, NF, and WMA and how nuanced the different regulations are for each. Given that there are such large sections of Virginia that are encompassed by these lands and their regulation, it sure would be nice to have some consistency in all of them with the rest of the state's carry laws. It just isn't right that you should have to worry about crossing an unmarked line in the woods and going from perfectly legal to in violation.
I have a question on this. You say you cannot OC in the NF in VA? but you can CC? To my western mind, this does not compute. That you may be required to have a concealed license, or a hunting license, I might understand, kind of sounds like game law stuff, but if you have a concealed permit, you are required to conceal in a NF in VA???? Who's rules? state?
Sorry, that just does not compute in my mind...really?
The whole thing stinks of "guilty unless proven innocent" and every person with a handgun is a jack lighter and poacher.
I know, we have the unlawful to posses a loaded long gun in a vehicle here to (yes, game regulations) but at least you can have your unlicensed OC pistol for SD anywhere in the wild (and even the city, parks, the state capitol buldings, the county commisioners office, restaurants that serve,,,only over 21 bars are restricted). NP, NF, DNR land, BLM anywhere and eveywhere (except the Indian res, then you have to ask for extra permission from the tribe if off road)