"Conquering Old Rag with Some Old Friends"
FNO Takes you to the state of: Virginia
Where are you (park, forest, etc.)- Shenandoah Valley State Park, Old Rag Mountain
Nearest town (s)- Luray (VA), Sperryville (VA)
How long is this hike- About a day
Miles- 9 (not including distance from the parking lot to trail entrance – an additional 1+ miles)
On your toughness scale (1 easiest, 10 toughest): For one day, 9. Gets pretty technical at the top. Don’t bring your dog!
Tell us about it
Where are you (park, forest, etc.)- Shenandoah Valley State Park, Old Rag Mountain
Nearest town (s)- Luray (VA), Sperryville (VA)
How long is this hike- About a day
Miles- 9 (not including distance from the parking lot to trail entrance – an additional 1+ miles)
On your toughness scale (1 easiest, 10 toughest): For one day, 9. Gets pretty technical at the top. Don’t bring your dog!
Tell us about it
We made sure to bring our FNO Gear.
The hike took my friends and I about 5 hours overall. It’s 3.6 miles up the mountain, and another 5.4 on the way back. However, the way up is a lot steeper. While the views are pretty amazing, the trail can unfortunately get very crowded during the fall, with lines forming behind some of the more technical areas.
We chose to visit the park on a Saturday in October (bad move), which tends to be the peak for crowds due to the leaves changing. If we go again, we’ll definitely be looking for a weekday in the fall. That way the views will still be there but the swarms of people coming in from DC and Northern Virginia won’t be. Also, the park offers a service that allows you to call ahead and check in on how the leaves are looking for that particular week.
If you can avoid the crowds, the trail offers some pretty spectacular views.
We chose to visit the park on a Saturday in October (bad move), which tends to be the peak for crowds due to the leaves changing. If we go again, we’ll definitely be looking for a weekday in the fall. That way the views will still be there but the swarms of people coming in from DC and Northern Virginia won’t be. Also, the park offers a service that allows you to call ahead and check in on how the leaves are looking for that particular week.
If you can avoid the crowds, the trail offers some pretty spectacular views.
See any wildlife?: None.
Would you recommend? (Yes or no) Yes, but try going on a weekday if possible. Give it a 7, pretty sweet.
Tell us a little about yourself
Scott Smith- Maryland native. Have spent a lot of time hunting/hiking/biking trails throughout PA, MD, WV, VA, and NC. I’m also currently training for the JFK 50 Mile run through the Appalachian Trail (regrettably).
Trail Tuesdays is a new weekly segment of Father Nature Outdoors. We realized that we have friends and colleagues all across the country so why not take advantage of their knowledge, and hear some fun stories in the process. If you would like to contribute to Trail Tuesdays yourself just go to the “Contact Us” page and let us know. In return we will reward you with a free FNO microfiber headband. We get to hear some awesome stories and in return we’re rewarding you just to go get some fresh air! That’s a win-win in our book.
Would you recommend? (Yes or no) Yes, but try going on a weekday if possible. Give it a 7, pretty sweet.
Tell us a little about yourself
Scott Smith- Maryland native. Have spent a lot of time hunting/hiking/biking trails throughout PA, MD, WV, VA, and NC. I’m also currently training for the JFK 50 Mile run through the Appalachian Trail (regrettably).
Trail Tuesdays is a new weekly segment of Father Nature Outdoors. We realized that we have friends and colleagues all across the country so why not take advantage of their knowledge, and hear some fun stories in the process. If you would like to contribute to Trail Tuesdays yourself just go to the “Contact Us” page and let us know. In return we will reward you with a free FNO microfiber headband. We get to hear some awesome stories and in return we’re rewarding you just to go get some fresh air! That’s a win-win in our book.
RSS Feed
