Insights

First time hiking here for Chris and I. Directly across the road from the store is SR 643. Old Rag Mountain is seen as less of a hike in the area, and more of a right of passage. The popular hike can be crowded on weekends, so hike on weekdays if possible. Every experienced hiker in Northern Virginia has conquered Old Rag at least once. Which Rim of the Grand Canyon is the Best? No pets allowed. Old Rag's assets are also its liabilities, as it is a heavily used mountain. [scutt-uh-bout] Short for scuttlebutt gadabout. Most importantly…have fun! 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. Old Rag Mountain is underlain by Old Rag Granite, named for its ubiquitous exposure on the mountain, formed during the Grenville Orogeny about a billion years ago. Note: You’ll find details about this hike including a trail map at the end of the post. After about 10 miles along 231, you reach a tiny town called Etlan. Parking’s not a worry and the trail is way less crowded. This is a difficult loop trail to Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park. The popular hike can be crowded on weekends, so hike on weekdays if possible. However you must pay an entrance fee to enter Shenandoah National Park. Follow this road for about 4 miles until you reach a stop sign. (2 ), A Hiker's Guide to the Geology of Old Rag Mtn, View The National Park Service provides additional tips and safety precautions for hiking Old Rag Mountain. (95), Climber's Log Entries I’ve met plenty of first-time/beginner hikers at the top. So I was huffing it to the top where I’d hopefully run into a bunch of satisfied customers. Look on the east side of the road for a small convenience store. Stony Man Lookout via AT / Stony Man and Stony Man, Upper Whiteoak Falls Loop via Whiteoak Canyon Trail, Upper Whiteoak Falls via Whiteoak Canyon Trail, Stony Man Lookout Loop via Passamaquoddy Trail, Upper Whiteoak Falls Loop via Cedar Run Trail, Old Rag Mountain via Saddle Trail and Berry Hollow Tr. The park also is home to ticks and snakes, and black bears roam the area. ★ The shorter, most common way is from a parking area in Nethers near the end of Madison County's SR 601, off Virginia State Route 231, at the base of the mountain. Fire Road is a much more comfortable 8/10. Cell service is spotty around the mountain, so don’t depend on having access to directions if you get lost. ★ A part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the peak is located within Shenandoah National Park and is the most popular hiking destination within the park.[3]. 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. If you get a good rundown beforehand you’ll know when to expect the tricky sections and you’ll know what landmarks to watch out for. 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. The National Park Service maintains a fee station located in the parking lot. ★ An alternative is to both ascend and descend via the traditional return route along Weakley Hollow Fire Road and Saddle Trail, which can be walked up without scrambling. 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. I’ve been to Old Rag several times, but today was on assignment for work and I didn’t have a lot of time to make it to the summit and back down. The highlight of the trip was a bright and early alpine start for an Old Rag sunrise hike to watch the sun come up from the summit. This well-loved Shenandoah classic is a difficult, yet doable trek. Supposedly, over 100,000 people visit the peak each year. This is a difficult loop trail to Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park. I love packing a lunch and eating at the top, it’s a bit of a celebration for making it to the summit. Turn right (a sign for Whiteoak Canyon should confirm this). Reports of two bears on trail but we didn't see them ourselves. If you can, do the hike on a weekday. 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. For anyone for whom traversing the boulders may be difficult or undesirable, including those with small children, going both up and back along the traditional return route is a viable option. About 400 million years after the Grenville orogeny during the Catoctin Formation, deposition of basaltic magma occurred during the formation of the Iapetus Ocean, forming a layer of greenstone over the granite. (NOTE: As of June 2019, the Park Service began construction on a new parking lot that is about a quarter mile closer to the Ridge Trail trailhead.). Our pace included lots of breaks to enjoy the views and almost an hour at the top. Its large granite exposures offer rock climbers an experience similar to that provided by the granite rocks of the Sierra Nevada, Yosemite, North Carolina, and New Hampshire. The first two thirds of the ascent up Ridge Trail is on a well-defined forest path that gains about 800 ft/mi. Afterward you will be on the fire trail for the remainder of the hike. There's portable bathrooms near the lot before you start on your hike. The spur trail leads to Lower Sunset Wall (LSW); Middle Sunset Wall (MSW) is accessible via Class 4 scrambling from LSW, and Upper Sunset Wall (USW) is accessible via Class 4 scrambling from MSW. "A Hiker's Guide to the Geology of Old Rag Mountain, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia", http://www.mountainproject.com/v/old-rag/105894489, "Climber's Guide to Old Rag Mountain - SNP, Virginia", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Old_Rag_Mountain&oldid=981364677, Tourist attractions in Madison County, Virginia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 1 October 2020, at 21:25. 9.4-mile circuit 7.5-hours hiking time Very Strenuous 2,348-foot elevation gain. Old Rag is a unique destination for rock climbing in the mid-Atlantic region. A 9-mile (14.5 km) circuit hike[3] or a 5.4-mile (8.7 km) out-and-back hike to the summit can be made.

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