Hawksbill Mountain, on the Madison-Page county line in Virginia, rises 4,050 feet as the highest point in Shenandoah National Park and in both counties. Its dramatic north face drops 2,500 feet into Timber Hollow, producing the park’s greatest elevation change. The summit is unusual for supporting balsam fir, a species more typical of northern New England and southeastern Canada than the central Appalachians. At the top are a National Park Service stone observation platform and Byrd’s Nest No. 2, part of the shelter system promoted by Senator Harry Byrd. Hawksbill is also linked to peregrine falcon restoration, and several trails, including one near the Appalachian Trail, reach the summit.