Old Rag

Ever since moving here, all of my friends have been telling me about Old Rag. Today I finally got around to hiking the 8.8 miles to the Old Rag Summit (3291 ft). I can see why it is a popular hike around here - all of the rock scrambling makes it pretty fun. It starts off with about an hour and a half or 2 of moderate climb up the mountain. Consider this your warm up. It's best to take this part at a leisurely pace since you'll want your muscles and energy for the rock climbing that follows for the next hour or so to the peak. It's not real rock climbing, and it's not difficult for agile people, but pieces of the rock scrambling is tricky. You do not want to do this hike on a wet day, and shoes with good traction is a must. You will also use your hands a lot. If you have gloves, might want to bring them.

On the way up to the summit on the Ridge Trail, there are many places where you can catch a great view. The 4.5 mile return trip from the summit to the parking lot via the Saddle Trail is a bit uneventful though. At least it's all downhill so it's a good way to cool off, tho not necessarily easy on your legs.

Old Rag is about 2 hours from where I live. You can get hiking maps for Old Rag and other Shenandoah hikes on the NPS website here.