Shenandoah National Park and Old Rag Trail: a sojourn with overlooks, rock scrambles and sweeping vistas

Part I: Why go east?

During my adult gap year I prioritized special events that would bring me together with friends and family. Graduations, plays, sporting events, reunions, concerts - these planned dates and destinations helped to give structure to my year of travel.

In May of 2023 my niece, Grace, received her Masters in Public Policy from Duke University. As Duke is located in Durham, North Carolina, her graduation was the event that anchored my visit to the southeastern and eastern United States.

Durham was not my "typical" sojourn at all. There was no hiking or kayaking or car camping. Instead, I parked my Subaru Outback, shared a hotel room with my nieces, and tagged along with everything my oldest brother, Tim, and his family were doing to celebrate Grace and her classmates. This sojourn included fine dining, house parties, tours of campus, family card games, and, of course, the commencement ceremony itself. What a blast!

L-R: Charlotte, Tim, Maddie, Grace, Matt, Ruth & Aunt Jenny.

The whole wonderful crew! Affectionately known as "The Alexandria Brightbills"

Part II: The inspiration

While out to dinner in Durham one night, we began swapping stories of outdoor adventures. It turns out that a universal favorite memory for all of the Alexandria Brightbills was a family hike to Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park. Their stories convinced me that Old Rag needed to be added to my southeast car camping agenda.

Alexandria Brightbills at the summit of Old Rag Mountain in 2017.  L-R: Ruth, Maddie, Tim, Grace, and Charlotte

Part III: My Sojourn

After the festivities in Durham, I headed to the coast for a few days to check out the wild horses of Shackleford Banks, North Carolina. (Story coming soon.) Then I turned my car north towards Shenandoah, purchased an Old Rag Mountain day-use permit, and started to research the park.

Shenandoah National Park was established in 1935. It is a long, narrow ribbon of land located in northern Virginia, and follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The park stretches over about 200,000 acres, with 80,000 acres designated as wilderness. It boasts over 500 miles of hiking trails and many unique geological features.

On May 17, 2023, at 6:00AM, I entered Shenandoah National Park from the Rockfish Gap (South) Entrance Station near Waynesboro, VA. The sky was blue with wispy clouds, and the air was crisp but quickly warming. I drove slowly along Skyline Drive, and stopped at every overlook along the way.

I sipped coffee at one overlook and ate a banana at another - savoring the views at each stop. Every single one of the overlooks provided the opportunity for stunning vistas of the Blue Ridge mountains and the Shenandoah River Valley.

I admit that after about an hour of driving and stopping at scenic overlooks I was over it. I know that sounds awful! But simply enjoying a pretty view wasn't satisfying. I was glad to be heading to a hike where I could get out of the car and start exploring on foot.

Old Rag Mountain is near the north/south midpoint of the park. As I drove towards it on Skyline Drive, I listened to a podcast about the hike ahead (my new favorite way to do research.)

Upon arriving at Old Rag Parking, I ate a quick breakfast of sausage and eggs cooked on the camp stove, used the facilities, and checked in at the ranger station.

My plan was to follow the most commonly used route: Hike the Ridge Trail up to the summit, then the Saddle Trail down, and the Weakley Hollow Fire Road to return to the parking lot - a clockwise loop, 9.4 miles in total. This circuit is listed on the Shenandoah hiking difficulty scale as "very strenuous", and is estimated to take anywhere from 5.5 - 8 hours to complete.

I started on the Ridge Trail at 10:20AM, carrying a lightweight backpack with lots of water, a first aid kit, and plenty of snacks. For the first hour the trail climbs on switchbacks through a dense forest.

After about an hour, the trees thin out and the terrain changes to exposed Old Rag Granite. The rock scramble begins! From here to the summit there are huge boulders and crevasses that require hikers to climb up, tunnel through, drop down, or pull themselves up.

I appreciated how well marked the trail was. Rectangles of blue paint on the rocks showed the way. I also appreciated that I had some climbing experience in childhood - climbing Donald's Rock in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. This was similar - except on a much larger scale.

The views along the way were gorgeous! Each time I'd scramble up another rocky outcropping, or peek over another cliff, the view would get better and better.

Though my pictures don't reflect it - there were a lot of other people on the trail. Hikers respected spacing, but there were a few areas of congestion, especially in the more difficult climbing areas.

After nearly four hours, I reached Old Rag summit at 2PM. Elevation at the summit is 3,291 feet. I had definitely earned my views - and a chance to rest - along with my fellow hikers.

I lingered at the summit to enjoy the breeze and majestic scenery. I stayed for an hour - making sure to take in the views in every direction.

Exhilarated from the summit, I began my hike back down the mountain. For a while it was fine, but then it got monotonous. To start with, hiking downhill is always tougher on my knees and feet. Then with all the fun parts behind me, it felt like time stretched out forever. I swung around on the Weakley Hollow Fire Road and trudged on for more than an hour, stopping frequently to rest and hydrate and snack. By the time I made it back to the parking lot it was around 4:30pm. In the future I want to try the same loop, but counter-clockwise, to see how that changes the experience.

Overall, Old Rag is one of the best hikes I took during my entire adult gap year. I highly recommend it, and I'm thankful for the tip from my family. I hope to return the favor someday, and guide them to an equally exhilarating adventure.

SOJOURN ON!

P.S.

If you enjoyed reading about this sojourn, please check out my other blog posts. Start on the TIMELINE page if your brain works best chronologically, or click below to explore blog posts about specific geographic areas. Thanks!

• South-Southwest U.S.

• Southeast U.S.

• Lake Superior

• Northeast U.S.

• Northwest U.S.