Austin and Furnace Mountain Circuit-13.5 Miles-20th Anniversary
Details
Starting Point - Park Boundary at end of Brown Gap Road
Ending Point - Park Boundary at end of Brown Gap Road
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
Hike Highlights - Madison Run Fire Road, Austin Mountain Trail, Rockytop Trail, Big Run Loop Trail, Appalachian Trail, 360 degree view from Blackrock Summit, Trayfoot Mountain Trail, Furnace Mountain Trail, Views from Furnace Mountain, Madison Run
Hike Details - On President's Day weekend 2005, I moved to Virginia to work in the outdoors at a wilderness boarding school. At the time, the plan was to stay one year only. Twenty years later, I now call Virginia home. To celebrate, we are going to be hiking the Austin and Furnace Mountain Circuit Hike. This hike is one of my favorite hikes in the South District of Shenandoah National Park. This hike features the stunning vistas from Blackrock Summit and the summit of Furnace Mountain. We are going to start the hike from the park boundary. We will climb the Austin Mountain Trail to the junction with the Rockytop Trail. We will turn right onto the Rockytop Trail and continue to the Big Run Loop Trail and eventually the junction with the Appalachian Trail. We will turn right onto the Appalachian Trail and hike the Appalachian Trail southbound to the 360 degree views that is Blackrock Summit. From Blackrock Summit, we will hike the Trayfoot Mountain Trail to the Furnace Mountain Trail. We will descend to the spur trail that will take us to the summit of Furnace Mountain. After soaking in the views of Furnace Mountain, we will complete the circuit to the park boundary. There will be a 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