Old Rag Mountain Loop Hike

Day 2 of Shenandoah National Park Get-Away

Link to AllTrails website for Old Rag Mountain loop hike

Date of hike: 03/19/2021

Difficulty level: strenuous

Distance: 9.5 miles round trip

Elevation: 3,284 feet

Elevation gain: 2,683 feet

Location: Shenandoah National Park, Madison, VA

Old Rag Mountain is located in Shenadoah National Park, VA. It is named for the Old Rag Granite that underlies it.  If hiking this monster of a mountain, you need to be prepared for extremely strenuous and dangerous rock scrambles.  It seemed relatively easy in the beginning but boy oh boy were in for a rock scrambling surprise at the end.  This was Lemon Squeeze hike on steroids.  This was definitely our most challenging hike so far. 

Hiking sticks can be a pain in the butt on rock scramble portion because you need your arms so we were passing the sticks back and forth to each other or just dropping them.   If you manage to reach the top, however, you will be rewarded with spectacular 360 degree panoramic views.

Hiking sticks can be a pain in the butt on rock scramble portion because you need your arms so we were passing the sticks back and forth to each other or just dropping them.   If you manage to reach the top, however, you will be rewarded with spectacular 360 degree panoramic views.

I was afraid to eat on this mountain to avoid stomach pain. 

For more information about Old Rag, please visit the National Parks website.

We are experienced hikers!