Take a Hike Week: Old Rag Mountain

The Green Miles hadn't hiked Virginia's Old Rag Mountain since my first trip there back in 2008. Back then, my friend Dan & I took the relatively easy back route to the summit to reach the 3,291-foot peak's spectacular views.

This month, we took the front way up - much steeper and with a series of challenging rock scrambles. I'm not sure we'd have made it up if not for the church & scout groups that were hiking up around the same time - each had an experienced hiker with the group who explained the best way to tackle tough stretches & gave helping hands when needed.

Despite the tough hike, the trip was well worth it. The summit, composed of exposed billion-year-old granite, provided spectacular views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park:


If you're looking to reward yourself on the way home, stop by Pearmund Cellars in Broad Run.

TheGreenMiles.com's Take a Hike Week

Tuesday: Old Rag Mountain
Wednesday: Catoctin Mountain
Thursday: Scott's Run Nature Preserve
Friday: Virginia's Great Falls North

Did you know National Trails Day is Saturday, June 4th? DC, Maryland & Virginia are loaded with fantastic hikes just a short drive away. Find a NTD event near you at AmericanHiking.org, or explore local trails & climbs at HikingUpward.com.

The Green Miles Conquers Old Rag Mountain

The Green Miles climbed his first mountain this weekend. Yeah, I know, how could an avowed treehugger like me have avoided it for 30 years? I didn't really get into trail hiking until relatively recently. And Northern Virginia has so many great parks and trails to explore, I've always had an excuse to stay local and avoid the two hour drive to the closest mountains.

But my roommate loves hiking Shenandoah National Park, so this weekend we headed down Route 211 to Old Rag Mountain. We took the less-challenging back route up, skipping the rock scrambles of the main trail, but it was still five miles to the 3,291-foot peak and back. As you can see below, the view was well worth it.

Get much more information about hiking Old Rag at Hiking Upward.