Living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia is wonderful. And, having lived at the beach for years prior to this (I guess we like to live in places that people come to vacation), we have landed in the place that makes my heart happy.
I find our lives are much healthier and more active with our mountain-living versus coastal-living experiences. But that, perhaps, is because of what draws our family outside. Sure, at the beach we’d sit in the sand and watch the waves. But we’d SIT and CONSUME nature. Here, in the Blue Ridge, we are ACTIVE and ENGAGE with nature. It suits us. It means more time together and more family trips. It means more adventure for my Enneagram 7 soul. These things fill me up.
I was able to test this theory. Recently, during a staycation without the kids, Mr. Family Trip and I decided to hike Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park. This hike is both famous and infamous.
Shenandoah National Park has over 200,000 acres of land to explore. And Old Rag Mountain, at 3,284 ft, isn’t even the highest point in the Blue Ridge. (That honor belongs to Mt Mitchell.)
So what in the world brings hundreds of thousands to hike this trail each year? The Washington Post estimated way back in 1995 that 100,000 people hike Old Rag Mountain each year, with some fall weekend days seeing 900 hikers. I’ll wager it’s more than that now.
This hike brings the people, and it has been a constant challenge for Shenandoah National Park to determine how to handle the crowds. It also means that this is not the hike to take if you are searching for a solitary escape to nature.
So why the heck do people flock here? We decided to figure it out. One summer morning we laced up our rugged hiking boots and ENGAGED with nature via Old Rag Mountain.
Living locally, we had the ability to go mid-week. The crowds were considerably less and, unlike other visitor experiences we’ve seen on social media, we didn’t have to wait in lines to scale the rock formations.
Here is what I will say: this is not a “hike” as we would classify it. This is more like “bouldering” followed by a hike. And, quite frankly, given how challenging it was, I am shocked that so many people make it through this long circuit hike.
The Park website points out that they frequently have to rescue hikers. Originally, I scoffed at that. But now, I understand it.
Old Rag, the entire circuit, was over 10 miles for us. So please ignore any other websites saying it is 8 or under 8. If you want to do the whole thing, be prepared for 10 miles. (The Park just created a new parking lot and new paths through the woods that circumvent walking on the road. This adds some good mileage.)
Like all the websites say:
- Go early
- Pack a lot of water
- Take high protein snacks
- Do NOT take a large backpack (you have to squeeze through some tight rocks)
- Make sure you travel the circuit the proper way (scale the steep stuff first, not last)
- Plan for this to last all day (you don’t want to rush and you also want plenty of time to enjoy the view from the top)
- Wear good shoes
- Check the weather before you go
- Dress in layers
- Take a good trail map
But as an avid hiker and someone who lives in the shadow of the Shenandoah National Park, there are some other tips and thoughts I’d add when hiking Old Rag Mountain:
- Know your fitness level. Don’t get yourself into a situation that is dangerous or, additionally, you won’t enjoy. There are some moments where you must be able to haul yourself up a large rock wall with your arms (or have a friend pull you up).
- There are so many beautiful hikes in this area that don’t get the foot traffic this one does (try out Spy Rock, for example). So don’t feel obligated to make this hike your crowning achievement.
- This hike is not cheap! Shenandoah National Park, in general, is one of the more expensive National Parks to enter. You can visit the NPS page for up-to-date fees, but if it weren’t for our national parks pass, we would have paid over $30 for this day of hiking.
- I’d think hard about taking the kids. We plan to take our boys someday, but we need them to be able to go far, and also be a little stronger, before we feel like it will be successful. While they could likely make it, I am not sure it would be fun for them yet. (Note: Dogs are not allowed on this trail.)
- And, finally, be prepared for the hike back to the bottom if you do the whole loop. While the first part of the hike – scaling and climbing and bouldering – is a lot of fun, it is fairly early in the hike. The highest elevation is just before 4.5 miles out of the 10. The last part of this loop is around 4 miles on a fire road and it was so tedious and boring. We felt ready to be done at that point. Mentally prepare yourself for that.
In the end, I think I figured out why people do this: it’s got to be similar to why folks push themselves physically to conquer a mountain. Because it’s there, because it is a challenge, because we overcame it, and because it feels like such a personal feat to have made it. An “I actually did that?” feeling of internal high-fiving happens.
Plus, there are some bragging rights and a certain pride (as though you are now part of an elite club) that comes along with having hiked Old Rag Mountain.
Are those reasons enough to push yourself to do it? Meh. Likely not, especially if you are under- or un-prepared.
But when we got home that evening, we were weary in the best way possible. We had the bone-tired satisfaction and amazement that comes from pushing yourself farther than and harder than you thought you could do. You feel amazed with what nature brought out in you. Because you did it. You scaled it.
