Doyles River & Furnace Mountain Backpacking !!

OVERVIEW

Hey loves,

Lately I’ve been sick and tired of being surrounded by cement buildings and artfully planted trees. To combat this, I need mountain time. So join me on this epic backpacking trip!!

The Doyles River/Furnace Mtn loop is ~17 miles on the south side of the park. According to the Shenandoah National Park Backpacking Guide, there are “spectacular mountains, three popular waterfalls, and geology.” So if any of those sound intriguing to you, sign up! I listed this trip as intermediate because it’s a two night backpacking trip, but I’m not planning on setting a grueling pace because we are there to ~slow down~ and simplify.

Here’s the a link to the specific route: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/upload/SHEN_BCTrip-Doyles_River_and_Furnace_Mountain_E053-508.pdf

Here’s the link to the AllTrails (the Alltrails is longer/has more elevation gain because it starts at a different spot, so keep that in mind!): https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/virginia/furnace-mountain-jones-and-doyles-rivers-loop?mobileMap=false&ref=sidebar-static-map

*I NEED A DRIVER* Also someone with a park pass would be awesome, but no worries if not!

Trip details:
April 28th:
-leave UVA at 4:30pm and head up to Shenandoah; park at Doyles River Parking (Mp 81, about an hour away from UVA)
-Start hiking at 5:30-6ish
-Hike 2.3 miles until we find a place to stealth camp off Doyles River Trail
April 29th:
-8-9 miles
-Stealth camp off Furnace Mtn Trail
April 30th:
-6 miles
-Hike back to Doyles River Parking and feel fulfilled/refreshed as we drive back to UVA
-Get back to UVA around 12ish

What to bring:
-Sleeping bag/sleeping pad
-Backpack
-Hiking shoes
-Two pairs of socks + bandaids/moleskin
-Other clothes (I’m gonna pack 2 pairs of underwear, rain jacket, one pair of shorts, two shirts, and one warm sweater)
-Toiletries (i.e deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, period stuff if that applies to you)
-2 water bottles that hold 32 oz each
-Two dinners; two lunches/snacks; two breakfasts (some good and light examples are PBJs in flour tortillas, tuna pouches, instant mashed potatoes, trail mix, apples, carrots, granola bars, etc)
-Jetboil/lighter if you want to heat water for ramen or oatmeal (I’m going to pack food that I don’t have to cook!)
-Headlamp
-Trash bag for backpack protection in case it rains
-Book/journal/cards for entertainment

What I’m bringing:
-Tent
-Backcountry permit
-Bear bag + rope
-Trash bag
-Water filtration system
-Extra moleskin
-First aid kit
-Toilet paper
-Paper map
-Anything else I forgot to add that’s important

If you have any questions or concerns, shoot me a text! My number is 434-270-4230

-Shannon