Austin and Furnace Mountain Circuit-13.5 Miles-Strenuous
Details
Starting Point - Brown Gap
Ending Point - Brown Gap
Hike Distance/Rating - 13.5 Miles/Strenuous
PLEASE NOTE - Since this hike is rated as a strenuous hike, all hikers are going to start on the wait list for this hike until I can verify the hiking experience of all hikers on the wait list. Those who have not hiked a strenuous hike with me have 3 days to answer the following vetting questions.
- How often do you hike?
- What strenuous hikes have you done?
- When and what was the last strenuous hike that you completed?
Failure to answer the vetting questions within 3 days will move those hikers to NOT GOING. The answers to the above questions need to be emailed to me patrickcory@hotmail.com.
Trailhead GPS Coordinates - 38.257584, -78.771969
Backup Hike - Since this hike originates from Skyline Drive, there is the possibility that this hike could be changed due to bad weather on Skyline Drive. If Skyline Drive is closed, we will do this hike from the Park Boundary.
Hike Highlights - Brown Gap, Rockytop Trail, Big Run Loop Trail, Austin Mountain Trail, Madison Run Fire Road, Furnace Mountain Trail, Furnace Mountain Viewpoint, Trayfoot Mountain Trail, Blackrock Summit, Appalachian Trail
Hike Details - After all the calories that we will have consumed for Christmas and New Years, it makes sense to burn some of those calories with one of the hardest day hikes in Shenandoah National Park. We are going to start from the Brown Gap Parking Area. We are going to climb the Appalachian Trail to the junction with the Big Run Loop Trail. We will turn left and hike to the junction with the Austin Mountain Trail. We will turn left on the Austin Mountain Trail descend down to the Madison Run Fire Road. We will walk the Madison Fire Road to the junction of the Furnace Mountain Trail. We will start the climb up to the Furnace Mountain Spur Trail. We will have a half-mile hike to the summit of Furnace Mountain and the incredible views from Furnace Mountain. We will retrace our steps back to the Furnace Mountain Trail and continue to the Trayfoot Mountain Trail. We will continue onto the boulder field that is Blackrock Summit and the Appalachian Trail. After soaking in the views, we will continue back to Brown Gap and complete this challenging circuit hike. There will be an optional post hike at a local brewery following the hike.
What to Bring - Broken in Hiking Boots, Trekking Poles, Lunch/Snacks, 3 to 5 Liters of Water, First Aid Kit, Good Day Pack, Camera, Tick Repellent, Money for Your Driver, Layers of Clothing for colder fall and winter hiking, Beanies/Gloves, Traction/Microspikes