Old Rag Mountain

Went on a Wednesday in mid-​December. There were not a lot of people on the trail, but more than I would have expected — seemed like a good number of them were college-​aged students out of school for the winter break. Did my hike solo — arrived at 11am and headed up to the trailhead (¾-​mile up the road from the parking lot) at 11:15am. Arrived at the summit in about 2 hours at a moderate pace up the main rock scrambling trail with a few breaks. Spent an hour at the summit. 1:45 to get down the longer fire road trail with no stops.
I could see how it could take longer on a crowded weekend, as I had to wait for a few parties to get through some tight sections of the scramble even on a less-​crowded day. Some reviews caution not to do this hike solo — I’d say that if you can climb a 6-​ft fence, then you can hike this trail, but wear some good hiking boots or trail shoes and be prepared to use your upper body to pull yourself over some rocks and lower yourself down into some deep crevices. If hiking with a friend or two, just about anyone can get over some of the tough obstacles with help.
This was a spectacular hike — worth the time and effort. You park just outside of Shenandoah NP, so the $ 20/​car fee does not apply, but it’s $ 10/​person to hike in (rates as of Dec 2015).

Totally worth the long hours of hiking! Breathtaking view throughout the entire hike :) make sure you wear the right shoes, take plenty of water and snacks, stay hydrated!!! Please check out my boyfriend’s «Old Rag Mountain» vlog video that he put together via YouTube! It portrays our awesome experience from here :)

Me and a group of friends hiked Old Rag in April 2014. In my opinion, it was the perfect time of the year as it was not too cold nor crowded. Make sure to get there early to secure a spot in the main lot. We parked at the bottom of the mountain and had to walk about 15 – 20 minutes to even get to the trail. It’s a little over 9 miles to do the whole hike.
I’m a beginner, and this hike was strenuous. But all in all, it wasn’t too bad. I mean that night my legs felt like jelly. But boy was it worth it. The views at the top were amazing and once you’re at the top, going down was easy! The rock scrambles were pretty hard but I had a friend who was stronger and bigger than me and he helped me through those areas.
I would recommend this hike!

My boyfriend and I hiked Old Rag last month on a late Saturday in October. As a lot of other reviews have stated this is a popular hike and it gets really crowded. There was a line to get in the parking lot and we probably got one of the last spots in the main lot (we arrived a little before 8:30 am). Definitely get there early!
After getting our pass, we walked to get the trailhead — the apple guy was giving out apples to everyone for free which was awesome! The first part of the hike are switchbacks — at times the trail was congested with those of us going up and those coming back down. Even for those that don’t hike a lot or are slightly out of shape, I wouldn’t say this part of the Old Rag hike was strenuous. The hard part is the rock scrambling. I definitely had to think about hand and foot placement, and it definitely takes good upper body strength to maneuver some of the scrambles. I highly recommend a good pair of hiking shoes for this hike — you can do it in sneakers, but the grip on hiking shoes will really help with the rock scrambles.
At times the scrambles got really congested and we had to wait in line for our turn. Everyone though was really nice and patient, and we enjoyed chatting with a group of girls in front of us. The hike down was less congested as people took their time at the summit and false summits. The views were incredible especially with the colorful fall foliage dotting the landscape. Pack snacks, water, a good camera, and layers! There was a noticeable decrease in temperature between the trailhead and at the summit. We took about seven hours for the hike which includes hiking, waiting in line for rock scrambles, stopping for pictures, and a lunch/​snack break.
This is a great hike and one that I would highly recommend.

Pretty strenuous. We kept thinking we were at the top, but were fooled by several «false summits». The hike itself wasn’t too hard, but the rock scrambles had some tricky spots. I wouldn’t have been able to do a couple of them without a hand from my husband, even though I am in pretty good condition and hike a lot.
We went on a Monday in lae October, didn’t get there until 1:30, and it was not very crowded at all.
Highly recommended!

Great hike and definitely the most strenuous I’ve found in the vicinity of the DC area. Few things:
Level of difficulty: The other reviews here exaggerate a little — it wasn’t killer by any means if you’ve done any real hiking… I would say though, don’t bring your kids or someone who has health issues. I honestly don’t know how a little kid would get through all the scrambles safely (saw a 4 yr old or so during the ascent, struggling to keep up), and later saw a gaggle of 10 – 13 yr olds run around unsupervised and very close to some rock edges, which was terrifying. I would urge parents with a large group of minors to not do this hike if they can’t ensure supervision at all times.
Footwear: I wore my running shoes and they were fine for everything except the scrambles. You need good grip. As it were, a ton of other people were around to give me a boost but if they hadn’t been, lack of grip would have been an issue.
Other people: are everywhere. Try to be on the trail as the sun is rising — we arrived at 8:30, got one of the last parking spots, and the ascent was a shitshow. Literally a line of people going up, which made the experience a lot less like a getaway and more like a tourist trap.
And finally: Bring cash to buy apples on the way out. These are really really good apples and dirt cheap compared to the rackets at DC area farmers market. And the Apple vendor is really a great guy — he makes very sturdy and beautiful walking stick as well!
Enjoy!

The only negative thing about this hike was probably the amount of people in the trail at 7:00 on a Saturday morning. Everyone warned us to come as early as possible, I seriously think people started hiking Old Rag Mountain way earlier than 7:00 am. Seriously. Half way to our 1.00 hike to the trailhead there were people who were finishing the trail. It took us 4.5 hours to do the whole 10.5 mile hike, so do the math… That’s damn early.
As for the hike itself, it was WONDERFUL. I had such a blast. Like all the other reviews say, the hike can be little challenging (if you are not in shape) but if you workout or are a runner you should have no problem hiking up this awesome mountain. The views are just breathtaking. I didn’t want it to end. My favorite part was climbing over the boulders (so much fun), I literally cannot wait to go back, my fiancé on the other hand, rather die than climb this mountain again (LOL) BEST HIKE EVER!!! I salute you, Old Rag Mountain!

One of the best hikes we’ve ever done. Wish we would’ve come more prepared with water and snacks as we didn’t realize it was 9.2miles not counting the .8mile walk to the car! Absolutely breathtaking views. The rock scramble was fun. Recommend taking the Ridge Trail up to the Rock Scrambler then the Weasely Fire Escape down, and it was more fun doing it as a pair we think. Enjoy!

I think it’s time for an update. I’ve been on this particular hike several times, and in all weather conditions. Snow, rain, fog, ice, you name it, I’ve done it. Except, in brutal heat, because I refuse to go in the summer. This trail is CROWDED.
Be aware the temps can drop 10 degrees on the mountain. It can also be windier than the trail head.
Great hike. Awesome views (if you can see them). So my recommendations, come when the leaves change but not too late so you have to step/​slip on all the fallen leaves. Bring FOOD. Take your trash with you. Enjoy the views. Take lots of pics. Come back often.
Most recently I went with fog. This was not ideal. It rained for the majority of the time on the rock scramble. NO views what so ever. We were sorely disappointed. We also decided to go the «regular» way– clockwise, but as I suspected, the last couple miles on the gravel part (fire road?) of the trail was BORING. Super boring.
The most dangerous time is probably the snow. Be careful and if it snowed a couple days before, just don’t go. I really regret going the day I did when there was snow. It was super dangerous and we were suffering.

Challenging, but it’s a lot of fun and pretty exciting, especially if you choose to do the rock scramble. The rocks can be a little tricky and it definitely helps to have a little bit of upper body strength (or a strong person to hoist you up). By the time you reach the summit, you’re going to be exhausted, but the sense of accomplishment and the view will definitely give you the boost you need for the decent!

Beautiful views. Get up there on a weekday if you can — way less people and more private at the top. I wish I had more time to hang out there!
The hike itself is difficult. A lot of elevation quick and very rocky in some parts. If you’ve hiked before, you can do it. Just keep in mind you’ll need a little extra time.
Wish I lived closer so I could come more often!

Put on a good pair of hiking shoes, fill a back pack with a liter of water, snacks, and bug spray, and get going! My boyfriend and I hiked old rag for the first time and it was a fun challenge! I consider myself in pretty good shape and this definitely challenged me. I wore my Polar Fit & heart monitor and the results were awesome! From bottom to top and down again it took us 4.5 hours, and I burned over 1800 calories! Boom! Can’t wait to do this again!

Favorite hike in the area. Has a good mix of trail, switchbacks, scrambling, and climbing… and of course, great views!
I just wish instead of having to take the fire road down, there was one of those awesome concrete bobsled things or a slide down to the bottom. Generally, about halfway down the fire road I just want to be back at the car.
Don’t forget to pack a sandwich for the top of the mountain. I recommend a Shnack wrap from Sheetz. Breaded chicken, tomatoes, onions, bbq sauce, cheddar cheese. Optional… but it tastes great at the top let me tell you.

Absolutely my favorite hike since I’ve been in the DC area. Decent workout and incredible views.
Things you should know:
No cell reception for about a 25 mile radius around Old Rag.
Most of the hike is in the shade. Even a good portion of the rock scramble is in the shade. Only the last bit of the scramble is in the sun.
Hike is 8 miles, although it’s probably another half mile or so from the parking lot to the actual trail.
Speaking of the parking lot, it’s small and fills up quickly. It’s monitored by park rangers. The lady who lives next door runs a racket charging $ 10 to park your car in her yard if the lot is full. Good for her and at least we were able to park instead of waiting for a spot.
Recommend not doing the hike backwards as it would make the rock scramble incredibly difficult.
This hike can be done alone, although you will get down and dirty on some of the rock scrambles. I was also kind of grateful to watch how other people did the climb before I tried it myself.
Finally, this is a very popular hike. Prepare for a little bit of waiting at the narrow parts, and lots of folks at the top. It’s ok though because there’s plenty of room for everyone.

One of the best hiking trails EVER! (Especially near DC)
I think this hike can be too strenuous for kids and elders. Maybe too strenuous even for middle-​age adults, if you’re out of shape…
Tips:
1. Pack lunch (i usually get a wegmans sub on my way to the mountain)
2. Wear hiking boots
3. Cut your toenails the night before (the first time I did this hike a couple years ago, 2 of my toenails fell out after the hike!!!)
4. Definitely take gloves for the rock scramble near the top of the mountain
5. Take plenty of water (duh!)
6. Wear pants long enough to cover your knees or if wearing shorts, take light knee pads
7. Pack a hat /​visor
8. Pack toilet paper (especially women; there’s a portable john at the parking lot and only 1 outhouse on the way down the mountain
9. Pack hiking poles, if you have them
10. Pack small hand sanitizer

Came with a group of friends at the end of March on a Sunday. I was a bit worried about the hiking condition because it snowed on Friday. We got there around 930 and left around 4. It was not crowded at all.
I’m in my 20s, very active and in pretty good shape, but I find this hike somewhat challenging. We took the Ridge Trail (the one with rock scramble) up and the Saddle Trail/​Weakley Hollow Fire road (no rock scramble) down. The trail was not icy as expected, but it was very muddy and could be slippery. Took us about 6.5 hours or so with lunch and breaks in between. Definitely not for small children. We were completely exhausted at the end of the hike.
Going up the rock scramble is the best part, in my opinion. If it’s kind of cold out, you may find gloves helpful. My hands were pretty scratched up from climbing up and down the rocks. The view was okay, but the hike itself was very rewarding. The walk down the mountain might be the most challenging for me as I have runners knee already. The downhill walk could be very hard on your knees, so you’ll want to take that into consideration when planning the trip. Knee braces or walking sticks may help.
Also, bathrooms are only available at the parking lot and at the byrd nest shelter (half way on the weakley hollow fire road. The bathroom by Byrd Nest shelter could be… unpleasant. So beware.
I’ll probably come back another time just because the I love the rock scramble and it’s a good workout!

My friend and I hiked Old Rag a couple of days ago on November 25^th, 2014. The weather was perfect: partly sunny and in the 50’s. Not quite sure what to expect, we powered our way up the Ridge Trail (huffing and puffing but determined to keep our pace). At the top, the views were incredible. We also went off the trail (shh) and climbed some boulders to get the full 360 degree view.
When we started at 9 AM, we saw a two smaller groups of 2 and 3 people and a larger group of about 5 people. There were about 10 cars in the parking lot. When we got back to the lot at 12:45 AM, there were about 30 cars in the lot, and we saw about 5 more groups on our way down the trail. Overall, I truly enjoyed this hike. The trails were very clearly marked, challenging but very doable, and the panoramas were amazing, especially since the fall foliage made the closer mountains glow red. I am still shocked that we were back at the car in 3 hours and 45 minutes, including time spent off the trail and eating lunch. I can’t wait to bring the rest of my friends and family to do this hike!

Old Rag, Old Rag; you are a force to be reckoned with!
My friend had told me about this hike many times. Old Rag Mountain is located in the Shenandoah National Park. The trail /​circuit is 9.1 miles and when you add in the walking to get to the trail and when you finish the trail; it’s a bit more.
Here is some background. I love hiking. Just love it; really got into it when I moved here. This is the most DIFFICULT hike that I have ever done; EVER! So I had been to Harpers Ferry and thought it was challenging. Harpers Ferry is no comparison to this beast!
What you should expect? Beautiful views, wondering why you decided to hike this long long trail, tough rock scrambles, fear of jumping between large gaping, jagged rocks, strong craving for amazing food later & day dreaming of the car. :)
What to bring? Two large water bottles, trail mix with nuts and dried fruit, a darn good filling lunch, other snacks, 4 – 6 friends (you need the group to help maneuver through the hard spots), layered clothing if it’s cold out, gym gloves, good hiking boots or sneakers with ankle support, and enthusiasm.
Oh and there is no cell phone service out here so my dream of calling the park service to get me because my legs were sore did not happen.
The entire hike took about 7 hours. I can check this off of my list of hikes to do. I thought I was in good shape; but this made me realize I need to step it up!
I hugged the car when we were done.
Final note: I have knee problems and my knees were super sore. I wore my knee brace & iced my knee. Definitely consult a doctor if you have knee issues before taking this hike!
All joking aside; you will feel pretty amazing for accomplishing this hike.
See you next year Old Rag! I’m going back to get my photo of those stairs we crawled through!

This hike took us 5.5 hours to complete. Make sure you bring plenty of water! And snack! We went in the middle of October and this hike gets really crowded! We probably spent ½ hour just waiting for people to get through!
Also when you park you should definitely try to park at the parking lot for the hike and not the private lot. Save your self extra 10 $! The private lot might tell you the Park’s lot is full so they would like you to park at their lot. Do your self a favor and drive down another second to confirm for your self anyway (you can always swing back to the private lot!)

I love hiking and I never really questioned my hiking abilities. The Billy Goat trail on the Maryland side of Great Falls is hailed as pretty difficult and strenuous but it had never been an issue for me – and I’ve completed it many times. When my friends invited me to go hiking at Old Rag with them, it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, especially since I had never been to one of Virginia’s most popular mountains. But boy, was I in for a surprise! Old Rag was by far the most difficult hike I’ve ever been on, given I was with three guys and we were moving at a really fast pace. When we got to the rock scramble, I could barely keep up with my 5’3″ short body, unable to jump from rock to rock like they could!
We got to the park on a Saturday morning and started our hike at 10:30AM. There was a nice overcast to keep us from dying in the sunshine, but the weather was pretty humid – you will sweat like crazy! The first half of the hike consists of 9 switch backs through woody areas, which provides a nice shade.
Next is the rock scramble. You’ll have to shimmy through weird crevices and pull your body up onto huge rocks to get through all of them. The rocks on the marked path are really worn down and if you’re not wearing the right shoes, it’s easy to slip off of them. Often times, we’d look for our own shortcuts off the path and those rocks provided a lot more friction, which was helpful since I was wearing a normal pair of tennis shoes.
After a ton of fake summits (ugh) and many near death moments, we reached the beautiful summit! We arrived at approximately 1:00PM, 2.5 hours later. Although we came on a pretty busy day, I never felt like the other hiking parties got in our way or slowed us down that much. We found a nice place to sit on the summit and ate the lunches we packed – pizza lunchables to be precise – and it felt like the best meal I had ever eaten. We stayed there for an hour just to rest, rehydrate, and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Although you can climb down the mountain back through the rock scramble, we were way too tired to. We took the carved out path/​fire trail down the mountain and got back to our car around 4:00PM. The hike comes out to a little bit more than 9 miles. I was sore the whole next day – I don’t think I’ve ever worked out my body that hard for that long!
Tips:
–Pack a ton of water – it may weigh down your backpack a little bit but you’ll definitely get light headed and dehydrated if you don’t drink enough water.
–Pack a good lunch – the hike really does take all day and you’ll need to re-​energize at some point.
–Wear good shoes – I was wearing a pair of Nike Free Runs – thin, flexible soles good for running but TERRIBLE for hiking. If you don’t have a pair of hiking shoes, I would recommend any kind of tennis shoe that has a thick sole.
–Leave your phone in your car – you’re not going to get any signal, so it’s not worth bringing unless you want to take pictures, and even then, only one person in your hiking party really only needs to.
–If you have room, pack an extra change of clothes – the high was only in the low 80’s the day we went hiking so it was somewhat breezy and cool, but we still sweat through all our clothes and it would’ve been nice to be able to change into something clean and dry when we got to the summit or back to the car
–Wear and bring bug spray — aside from the rock scramble, the whole hike is through the forest and you’ll encounter a lot of bugs. I recommend spraying down before hand and bringing the bottle with you to reapply throughout the day. We didn’t have any major issues with bugs, but surprisingly we encountered a handful of bumblebees.