Book Description

Top Trails: Shenandoah National Park saves readers the time and frustration of finding the perfect hikes to suit their desires. Not only are there hundreds of miles of trails running like veins down and along a narrow mountain spine, but with millions of guests annually, Shenandoah National Park is a heavily visited destination. This book was conceived to make the backcountry majesty of Shenandoah more accessible to visitors. This easy-access, reference type guide presents a variety of hikes from which to choose. The majority of the hikes steer you toward the most scenic areas, giving you the opportunity to enjoy your time on the trail instead of behind someone’s car. Most hikes seek solitude to maximize your Shenandoah experience. However, as the subtitle of this book suggests, there are some “must do” hikes that are popular. Consequently, a few hikes traverse popular and potentially crowded areas. Each hike has a “best times” that will help you manage the trails to your advantage. Day hiking is the best and most popular way to “break into” the Shenandoah wilderness. But for those with the inclination to see the mountain cycle from day to night and back again, many hikes in this book can be used by backpackers as well. Backpackers must follow park backcountry camping regulations and practice “leave no trace” wilderness-use etiquette. Backpackers can capture the changing moods of the mountains as day turns to night, as weather cycles with the sun, as the permanent park residents go about their business of surviving and reproducing. With the Top Trails winning formula of easy-to-follow maps for every hike, trail-feature charts, feature icons, "don't get lost" trail milestones, and GPS waypoints, readers can easily identify the right trail for their interests, abilities, and available time.