31 Bearfence Mountain Rock Scramble
41 Austin Mountain and Madison Run Loop
44 Furnace Mountain via Blackrock
46 Big Branch Falls via Moormans River
Using Top Trails
Organization of Top Trails
Top Trails is designed to make identifying the perfect trail easy and enjoyable, and to make every outing a success and a pleasure. With this book you’ll find it’s a snap to find the right trail, whether you’re planning a major hike or just a sociable stroll with friends.
The Region
Each Top Trails guide begins with the overview map, displaying the entire area covered by this guide and providing an overview of the geography. The map is clearly marked to show which area is covered by each chapter.
After the overview map comes the master trails table, which lists every trail covered in the guide. Here you’ll find a concise description, basic information, and highlighted features, all indispensable when planning an outing. A quick reading of the regional map and trails table will give you a good overview of the entire region covered by the book.
The Areas
The region covered in each book is divided into areas, with each chapter corresponding to one area in the region. Each area chapter introduction starts with information to help you choose and enjoy a trail every time out. Use the table of contents or the regional map to identify an area of interest, and then turn to the area chapter to find the following:
• An overview of the area, including park and permit information
• An area map showing all trail locations
• A trail features table providing trail-by-trail details
• Trail summaries highlighting each trail’s specific features
The Trails
The basic building block of the Top Trails guide is the trail entry. Each one is laid out to make finding and following the trail as simple as possible, with all pertinent information presented in this easy-to-follow format:
• A detailed trail map
• Trail descriptors covering difficulty, length, and other essential data
• A written trail description
• Trail milestones providing easy-to-follow, turn-by-turn trail directions
Some trail descriptions offer additional information:
• An elevation profile
• Trail options
• Trail highlights
In the margins of the trail entries, keep your eyes open for graphic icons that signal features mentioned in the text.
Choosing a Trail
Top Trails provides several different ways of choosing a trail, all presented in easy-to-read tables, charts, and maps.
Location
If you know in general where you want to go, Top Trails makes it easy to find the right trail in the right place. Each chapter begins with a large-scale map showing the starting point of every trail in that area.
Features
This guide describes the Top Trails of Shenandoah National Park, and each trail is chosen because it offers one or more features that make it appealing. Using the trail descriptions, summaries, and tables, you can quickly examine all the trails for the features they offer or seek a particular feature among the list of trails.
Best Time
Time of year and current conditions can be important factors in selecting the best trail. For example, an exposed low-elevation trail may be a riot of color in early spring but an oven-baked taste