 President James Madison is a descendant of that family.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.A significant portion of western Madison County is within Shenandoah National Park, including Hawksbill Mountain, the highest point in both the park and in Madison County, Old Rag Mountain, one of the park's most popular tourist destinations, and Rapidan Camp, the presidential retreat built by Herbert Hoover.