We left our campsite at 4:30am in order to make it to the Old Rag Mountain trailhead before it got too hot and busy.
Old Rag Mountain
“Located in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, Old Rag Mountain is famous for its grueling 10 mile circuit hike and 360-degree summit views. The iconic trail features a challenging 1-mile boulder scramble requiring class-3 climbing. The area is notoriously demanding and requires a specialized day-use permit.
Key Hike Details
- Elevation: 3,284 feet (1,001 m)
- Distance: ~10 mile circuit loop
- Difficulty: Extremely strenuous (requires upper-body strength and navigating steep crevices)”
The goal of our camping road trips is to show the kids highlights of each province and state… and a highlight of Virginia and Shenandoah National Park is hiking Old Rag!
Isla’s review of the Old Rag Mountain Hike: “It was so much fun with all of the rock scrambles we got to climb up. It was really nice that we started early because there wasn’t very many people. The temperature was really nice. On our way out we saw a bunch of people coming in and we couldn’t help but think they were going to overheat and they were starting too late. Overall it was a very fun hike with all the rock scrambles. The view at the top was amazing.”
Caleb’s review of the Old Rag Mountain Hike: “It was really cool and windy at the summit. It was a fun hike. I loved the rock scrambles. It was really long hike. It was a nice temperature. I enjoyed how difficult it was.”
Joel’s review of the Old Rag Mountain Hike: “It was a very fun hike. The rock scrambling was a fun challenge. There was a lot of walking before and after the fun parts.”
Tracy’s review of the Old Rag Mountain Hike: “It was a gorgeous view at the summit. The trail, especially the rock scramble, was very well marked which I appreciated. The whole hike was always doable – I never felt scared but I felt exhausted most of the time because of the heat, elevation gain, and length of the trail. 16.3km mountain hike completed before lunch is a lot. Am I happy we did it? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I do it again? No – once is enough.”
We planned on spending two nights in Shenandoah but after our hike, lunch, and a nap we decided we’ve seen and experienced everything we wanted in Shenandoah. We packed up and headed north back home.
We boondocked in a Cracker Barrel north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.