Furnace Mountain

Furnace Mountain is a rocky summit in Shenandoah National Park's South District, reached by a half-mile spur from Furnace Mountain Trail. The flat ledge opens across the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah Valley, with Skyline Drive visible along the ridge beyond. It is a rewarding stop if you want a substantial hike for an open rock-top view. For a photo, keep the ledge in the foreground and the valley beyond it.

The shorter approach starts at the end of Browns Gap Road, where roadside parking is just before the gated Madison Run Fire Road. From there, expect about 4.4 miles round trip and more than 1,300 feet of climbing, mostly uphill to the summit. The half-mile spur is the final climb. The Skyline Drive approach starts at the Blackrock Summit lot and is about 6.9 miles round trip with 1,798 feet of gain. It rolls up and down, but adds the open rock field at Blackrock and views toward Massanutten along the Trayfoot Mountain Trail.

From Browns Gap, walk in past the gate, turn onto Furnace Mountain Trail, then cross Madison Run on stepping stones before climbing through a boulder field. The trail is marked with light-blue blazes. Stones can be underwater after high water, so do not count on that crossing being dry. The trees thin and the vegetation gets shorter as the Shenandoah Valley opens behind you; at the summit marker, take the uphill spur to the ledge.

There are no services along the trail, and phone reception is limited. The creek is not potable without filtering or purification. Bring the water and food you will need before leaving the trailhead; do not expect a shop or restroom on the route.

Mount Vernon Furnace was built at the mountain's base in 1830 to smelt iron ore. It was destroyed during the Civil War, rebuilt, and used briefly as iron production shifted elsewhere. Madison Run carries a separate local history: it was named for John Madison, an early Augusta County court clerk and uncle of James Madison.