Parking
Start at Doyles River Parking Area on Skyline Drive at mile 81.1. The circuit returns near the same milepost and crosses Skyline Drive to reach the vehicle. Jones Run Parking at mile 84.1 is for the separate waterfall walk, not this loop.
Overview
About Jones Run, Furnace Mountain, and Big Run Circuit
Why go
- Three waterfall landmarks across the first two days.
- A rare four-day circuit through Doyles River, Furnace Mountain and Big Run.
Heads up
- It is an experienced four-day commitment with campsite-dependent mileage.
- Repeated Big Run Portal crossings can rise high after rain.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Shenandoah map
Full mapElevation1,391–3,120 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Shenandoah alerts
- ClosureOld Rag Trailhead main lot closedThe Old Rag Trailhead main parking lot is closed to vehicles and pedestrians for infrastructure improvements; use the existing overflow lots. - Work is expected to be completed by November 2026.Official details
- ClosureBackcountry camping and zone closuresBackcountry camping is prohibited on the Appalachian Trail from Lewis Mountain to Big Meadows, and the Naked Creek backcountry zone is closed.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Shenandoah Tour Guide
Your drive to Jones Run, Furnace Mountain, and Big Run Circuit, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Shenandoah National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Shenandoah audio tourRecorded for this area
Doyles River Falls: Make Time for Both0:00 / 0:24
“Doyles River's trailhead is coming up, with a hike to two waterfalls stepping down dark rock ledges.”
Plays near this trailhead in the Parkwolf Shenandoah Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Doyles River Overlook: Browns Cove and Mount Fair
- Loft Mountain Campground: Nights on Big Flat Mountain
- Loft Mountain Wayside: Milkshakes and a Short Hike
- Browns Gap: The Long Walk to Lewis Peak
- 146 audio storiesacross Shenandoah’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Bald Eagle, White-tailed Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 163 trails, 142 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Jones Run, Furnace Mountain, and Big Run Circuit
The full commitmentThis is a 21.9-mile, four-day loop from Doyles River Parking Area on Skyline Drive at mile 81.1.
This is a 21.9-mile, four-day loop from Doyles River Parking Area on Skyline Drive at mile 81.1. It follows Doyles River, Jones Run, the Appalachian Trail, Furnace Mountain, Austin Mountain and Big Run before crossing the road back to the vehicle. The official itinerary gives 19–27 miles as campsite choices change. The saved line uses a representative campsite point 2.25 miles up Big Run Portal, then retraces that leg; the optional Furnace-area camp also changes the Madison Run mileage. This is an experienced backcountry trip, not a day hike.
Doyles River to Furnace MountainDay one descends about 2.
Day one descends about 2.2 miles on Doyles River Trail to camp downstream from the Doyles River–Jones Run confluence, passing the upper and lower Doyles River falls. On day two, climb upstream for 2.5 miles along Jones Run to the AT, passing the 42-foot Jones Run Falls. The route then follows the AT, Blackrock Spur and Trayfoot Mountain Trail before climbing Furnace Mountain to a backcountry campsite.
From Furnace to Big RunFrom Furnace Mountain, follow Madison Run Fire Road and the short mapped connector to Austin…
From Furnace Mountain, follow Madison Run Fire Road and the short mapped connector to Austin Mountain Trail. Continue on Austin Mountain and Rockytop to Big Run Loop, then turn onto Big Run Portal to camp. On day four, retrace the Portal section and follow Big Run Loop back to Skyline Drive. For a photo at Jones Run Falls, frame the full cascade with some of the boulder-strewn streambed; the foreground helps show the scale of the rock face.
Crossings, permits and dogsExpect repeated stream crossings on Big Run Portal.
Expect repeated stream crossings on Big Run Portal. Water can rise high in spring and after heavy rain, so conditions may change the difficulty of the final two days. A backcountry camping permit is required, and groups are limited to ten. Campfires are prohibited at ordinary backcountry campsites; use is limited to park-built fireplaces at AT huts and day-use shelters. Dogs are allowed on this route on a physical leash no longer than six feet.
If you only want the waterfallThe separate Jones Run Falls walk from Jones Run Parking at mile 84.1 is about 3.
The separate Jones Run Falls walk from Jones Run Parking at mile 84.1 is about 3.2 miles round trip. It reaches the same falls but is not part of this circuit and starts at a different trailhead.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Shenandoah
325 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
21 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
1,036 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
167 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
93 sightingsTimber RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
24 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Shenandoah. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
