Top Trails Shenandoah National Park ― 50 Must-do Hikes for Everyone

Top Trails: Shenandoah National Park by acclaimed outdoors writer Johnny Molloy saves readers the time and frustration of finding the perfect hikes to suit their desires. With hundreds of miles of trails running like veins down and along a narrow mountain spine, Shenandoah National Park is a heavily visited destination with millions of guests each year. This book makes 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.

Johnny Molloy is a writer and adventurer based in Johnson City, Tennessee. His outdoor passion was ignited on a backpacking trip in Great Smoky Mountains National Park while attending the University of Tennessee. That first foray unleashed a love of the outdoors that led Johnny to spend more than 4,000 nights backpacking, canoe camping, and tent camping throughout the country over the past three decades. If you put the days of camping all together, that is nearly 11 straight years of camping out.

Friends enjoyed his outdoor adventure stories; one even suggested he write a book. He pursued his friend’s idea and soon parlayed his love of the outdoors into an occupation. The results of his efforts are more than 60 books and guides. His writings include hiking guidebooks, camping guidebooks, paddling guidebooks, comprehensive guidebooks about a specific area, and true outdoor adventure books covering all or parts of 26 states.

Though primarily involved with book publications, Johnny also writes for magazines and websites. Furthermore, he is an outdoors columnist and feature writer for his local paper, the Johnson City Press. He continues writing and traveling extensively throughout the United States, endeavoring in a variety of outdoor pursuits.

Johnny is an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Johnson City, Tennessee. He is also a Gideon. His non-outdoor interests include reading, Christian studies, and University of Tennessee sports. For the latest on Johnny, please visit www.johnnymolloy.com.