Know your limits and do not overestimate your physical abilities. The rock scrambling at Old Rag require knees, elbows, hands and feet. Again, this hike is not for everyone. Read on for what you need to know to complete the Old Rag Mountain hike. Instead of just one lot, there are now three lots. The National Park Service opened second and third parking lots in June The trailhead is now located at the front of the second parking lot. Lot one is now for horse trailers and RVs.
Lot two lower lot is the current primary lot. Lot three upper lot is the overflow lot. It will make sense when you drive along Nethers Road en route to the parking lots. The trailhead is to the left of the lot two ranger station. Walk past the trail kiosk and over a footbridge to begin your hike along the forested Old Rag Trail.
This switchback-laden trail skirts on and off private property for. From here, stay left to take the blue-blazed Ridge Trail to the rock scramble that leads to the top of Old Rag. Since this is a loop hike , however, you can turn right to skip the rock scramble counter-clockwise. This makes for a longer out-and-back hike, but this allows you to bypass the more strenuous rock scramble section.
Back to the clockwise route. The far-reaching views are fantastic. The rock scramble begins in earnest at the 2. Several times I stood and stared at the next rocky section, wondering how in the heck I was going to proceed to make it to the summit. This particular section causes a lot of pause and hesitation among hikers. On warm sunny days, the wait time to get through this passage can be 60 to 90 minutes.
Since I hiked Old Rag on an ice-cold January day, there was thankfully no wait to complete this harrowing section of the rock scramble. At the 3. Climb up on to the rocks atop Old Rag. Re-trace your steps to the trail sign. Turn right to complete the loop. An out-and-back hike would be shorter, of course, but no thank you to scramble back down. At the 4. This is a day-use shelter with a picnic table.
In less than one mile, at the 5. This is another day-use shelter with a picnic table. There is also a vault toilet. From here, turn right onto the Weakley Hollow Trail.
This is a wide dirt hiking trail. At the 6. But, this fire road has a few surprises. At the 7. Several spurs allow you to get close to the water. But even better is that much of the standard route to the summit is across open rock, giving about as close to an above-timberline feel as one is going to find in the Southeast. Factor in that parts of the standard route involve some Class 3 scrambling, and hiking Old Rag becomes an adventure, especially to novice hikers and to people unversed with the wonders of truly alpine mountains.
In fact, one's first hike of Old Rag might inspire a mountaineering lust that may consume great sums of money, time, and family members' patience-- you have been warned.
Although it is not very high, not even among the ten highest peaks in Shenandoah National Park, where the highest summit is only ', Old Rag Mountain is nevertheless arguably the most impressive mountain in Virginia and in all the Southeast, vying for that honor with North Carolina notables such as Devils Courthouse , Grandfather Mountain , and Looking Glass Rock.
All the exposed rock makes it stand out, and its position east of the main Blue Ridge, rising straight from the flatlands on all but its western side, makes it seem higher than it really is. From almost any point from which it is visible, Old Rag dominates the scene. Old Rag's assets are also its liabilities, as it is a heavily used mountain. Supposedly, over , people visit the peak each year. Old Rag's proximity to a major metropolitan area about a 2-hour drive from Washington, D.
C contributes to the crowds that frequent the mountain, but any exceptional mountain accessible by paved roads and day hikes is bound to attract attention no matter where it is. The mountain gets more popular each year, and some long-time SNP lovers now avoid the mountain or only visit it at "slow" times such as winter weekdays.
But do not let this deter you from going if you have never hiked the mountain before; just start nice and early, and go on a weekday if you can. Old Rag also has excellent, very uncrowded technical climbing. Please see Section 4 for information on the climbing areas and options. For hikers, this is the best way to go; it is also the most popular way.
It is an 8. Ascending via the Ridge Trail is recommended because the scrambling involved on that route is easier and more enjoyable done uphill. Highlights of the trail include a "cave" one must pass through, a natural staircase formed by columnar jointing of basalt, and some Class 3 scrambling sections. Please see the attached route page for more details.
This is the favored route for those heading for the climbing crags on the mountain, as the trailhead is higher and the approach is shorter than from Weakley Hollow.
The distance to the summit is 2. A few tough souls brave this route, which is around 15 miles RT and involves significantly more total elevation gain than either of the other two routes does. Follow the Old Rag Fire Road as it descends into Berry Hollow, losing about ' of elevation, and then take the Saddle Trail to the summit, picking up nearly ' en route.
Then descend to Weakley Hollow and start heading back via the Weakley Hollow Fire Road see the attached route page for more details. This hike can be shortened, and the total elevation gain lessened, by returning from the summit via the approach route. Children refers to the set of objects that logically fall under a given object. Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports.
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By JerryL. This section will introduce just three of the crags, chosen for their proximity to the main trails, year-round ease of access several of the Old Rag crags are anywhere from hard to nightmarish to approach late spring through early fall due to undergrowth , and abundance of routes: Sunset Walls , the Summit Area Crags , and Skyline Wall.
Highly recommended by my guidebook, though not detailed here there are attached mountain pages for these and other crags , are God's Area and Reflector Oven , crags that are hard to reach during the hotter months due to brush-choked access trails and can also be hard to locate but which offer some outstanding climbs. Sunset Walls The Sunset Walls crags are located about 0. The spur trail to the cliffs is about 2.
I would recommend avoiding bringing hiking poles unless they collapse enough to go in your pack because it would definitely be a hassle trying to climb over the rocks while carrying them.
Really beautiful views and lots of room at the top! For those with bad knees or who just want to avoid too much steep rock scrambling, I would absolutely recommend taking the longer 5ish mile way up to the top instead.
I read a previous review that said to go counterclockwise. Would go again but in a clockwise loop. This is a "MUST" hike and experience!
High points and observations: 1. Old Rag isn't for the faint hearted or unprepared. Arrive early in order to beat the crowd! We arrived just before 8am and the upper parking lot was already full. Challenging yet accomplishable, and you do not need any additional equipment. Trail is well marked and maintained.
In addition to the summit, the trail provides plenty of scenic outlooks and private settings with phenomenal views. Dress and pack in accordance with the weather forecast and your level of comfort. Definitely busy trail with lots of people and the usual rock scramble bottlenecks. Fall colors were spectacular with a slight haze over the valley.
Love the scramble and views at the top but too much of an interminable slog down the fire road and switchbacks for 5 stars. Still a great hike, especially with the foliage popping! Super fun hike. Would not consider strenuous. There is a rock summit near the peak with is very fun with a few thin spots you need to squeeze through.
If you go on a weekend be prepared for a very long wait near the summit. Perfect Monday in November! Arrived at parking lot at 10 am- maybe 30 cars already there, plenty of spots but not desolate. No waiting at the scrambles, numerous groups lounging at the summit. Definitely some tight crevices, threw pack pack up or down a time or two. Kids and shorties will need help at certain places. Very fun! Nothing ledgy for those afraid of heights to be scared of.
Coming down sorta a drag but still beautiful on a 65 degree November day! It's a popular trail so going through the rock scramble was a challenge. There was a whole line which slow us down for more than hour. If going on weekends plan ahead to include extra time in your hike. Overall this hike is brutally beautiful.
The views once you get the summit is worth it! Once you going back down every muscle on your body sure feels it. It's best to do this hike counter clock wise. We got there around am and the overflow parking was already full but the ranger was kind enough to let us in. Arrive early if you want to find parking. Amazing hike as usual. This hike was incredible and so much fun! My boyfriend did have to help me in a few spots like the ten foot straight drop down at the beginning of the scramble.
I also froze a bit at the top right before the summit when you have to jump between boulders. Other than that I had a blast! We got there a little before 9am on the first Saturday of November and had to park in the overfill lot which still had a good amount of spots open.
The foliage was beautiful, the scramble was fun and the summits had incredible views. Great trail. Great views. Great scrambles. Long lines at rock scrambles on the weekends. It was fantastic. Get there at 7am sharp, maybe a.
I went November 6, and the weather was amazing. The way down was very tedious, first two miles down was okay and sort of scenic but the last three miles just kept going and going and going.
Definitely worth the trouble though. What an all-around awesome hike! The hike up to the summit is a great workout. Very leisurely after the summit. Some of the rocks were slippery, so definitely wear your best boots. Beautiful views! Highly recommend for intermediate and advanced hikers. Great trail, rock scrambles are so fun, full loop is pretty time intensive. This hike definitely lived up to the hype. The rock scrambles were challenging but fun.
The views along the way and at the summit were spectacular. We went clockwise and ended along the fire road. You can either walk along a paved road to get back to the parking lot or take the access trail to go back along Ridge trail, which does have an uphill. One of my favorite hikes for sure! Great workout up the mountain to the rock scramble very well marked.
We went on a Wednesday in the first week of November. Leaves turning! Trail was not crowded. We got up to the top around 2pm. Most ice was melted. A little windy at the top but gorgeous! Extremely windy on top, but beautiful sunset.
Saw a rattlesnake on the way up and a two deer on the way down. Absolutely stunning hike. I started at am to catch sunrise at the false summit. I highly recommend for anyone comfortable with night hiking. The scrambling was a bit wet in places but super fun and the summit is amazing.
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