Old rag loop hike

[Flaminghog2099]

Next Thursday/Friday I plan on doing this loop hike at old rag in Virginia: https://www.hikingupward.com/snp/oldrag/

Ideally I'd to arrive at the trailhead around 5pm on Thursday and set up a campsite to spend the night. This would make it perfect to wake up early Friday morning and start the hike and beat the crowds. Has anyone done what I'm planning to do, if so are there a lot of adequate spots to set up a campsite around the Old Rag trailhead on Nether's Road? Thanks in advance everybody



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[JDWalters]

Camping at the trailhead isn't a great option, in my opinion. The parking area is almost a mile from the trailhead, and the area in between appears to be privately owned. I suppose you could camp at the trailhead, but I think a better option would be to camp along the trail. The best campsites are mostly likely to be found along the Weakley Hollow Fire Road. The stream is nearby and it should be easier to find a good spot for a tent. You can also camp along the Ridge Trail, but finding a good spot may be tougher.

I would recommend camping along the Weakley Hollow Fire Road (you'll go down the road to the right, once you reach the trailhead), and then begin your hike from there on Friday. You can hike the circuit, and you'll end up back at your campsite.

I'm not sure if you have a trail map other than the Hiking Upward one, but you can see the NPS map here:
https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/upload/old_rag_area.pdf

 

[Flaminghog2099]

Camping at the trailhead isn't a great option, in my opinion. The parking area is almost a mile from the trailhead, and the area in between appears to be privately owned. I suppose you could camp at the trailhead, but I think a better option would be to camp along the trail. The best campsites are mostly likely to be found along the Weakley Hollow Fire Road. The stream is nearby and it should be easier to find a good spot for a tent. You can also camp along the Ridge Trail, but finding a good spot may be tougher.

I would recommend camping along the Weakley Hollow Fire Road (you'll go down the road to the right, once you reach the trailhead), and then begin your hike from there on Friday. You can hike the circuit, and you'll end up back at your campsite.

I'm not sure if you have a trail map other than the Hiking Upward one, but you can see the NPS map here:
https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/upload/old_rag_area.pdf

Oh okay, thank you for the pointer! The one thing I just wasn't sure about was doing the whole 9 mile loop with a full pack or not? How close would camping spots along Weakley Hollow Fire Road be the the trailhead? Less than a mile?


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[JDWalters]

Oh okay, thank you for the pointer! The one thing I just wasn't sure about was doing the whole 9 mile loop with a full pack or not? How close would camping spots along Weakley Hollow Fire Road be the the trailhead? Less than a mile?


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You should definitely be able to find a good camp site along the fire road within a mile of the trailhead. I would not want to carry a full backpack for the whole circuit hike. I'm sure you could do it, but it would make some of the tight squeezes in the rocks along the ridge a little less enjoyable. Are you hoping to camp and then take your stuff back to your car before starting the hike? I would not recommend that. Remember, you have to walk almost a mile from the parking area to the trailhead. I would just camp, and then leave your camp set up until you reach it at the end of your hike (assuming you ascend the mountain on the Ridge Trail and descend by way of Saddle/Weakley Hollow).

 

[Flaminghog2099]

You should definitely be able to find a good camp site along the fire road within a mile of the trailhead. I would not want to carry a full backpack for the whole circuit hike. I'm sure you could do it, but it would make some of the tight squeezes in the rocks along the ridge a little less enjoyable. Are you hoping to camp and then take your stuff back to your car before starting the hike? I would not recommend that. Remember, you have to walk almost a mile from the parking area to the trailhead. I would just camp, and then leave your camp set up until you reach it at the end of your hike (assuming you ascend the mountain on the Ridge Trail and descend by way of Saddle/Weakley Hollow).

Yea that is also what I was thinking (setting up camp and leaving it set up while doing the loop). Not sure how much trust I have in people not messing with my gear if they happened to find my campsite considering how popular this area is for hiking though.


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[JDWalters]

Yea that is also what I was thinking (setting up camp and leaving it set up while doing the loop). Not sure how much trust I have in people not messing with my gear if they happened to find my campsite considering how popular this area is for hiking though.


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You'd probably be okay, especially if you're starting early. Most everyone goes up the Ridge Trail first, so if you started early, there wouldn't be that many people passing your camping spot before you got back.

 

[possumt]

just updating this thread since I just completed the old rag loop this past week and had trouble finding accurate information on backcountry camping there before heading out.
i camped for two nights about a mile in (estimate - not measured) on from the old rag parking lot trail head on weakly hollow. It was the very first site you come to - you'll know it when you see it. Back country camping you shouldn't be clearing a brand new site if you can help it (think of the ecological disaster this would create with over 800 people a day visiting this hike in the summer...) and so you should ideally be looking for all the well worn pre-existing campsites from years of previous hikers. Honestly there are not many of these at all on this loop and i'm not sure how busy they get during the high season. I saw maybe 4 pre-existing sites on weakly (2 are partially connected and 2 were very tiny) one on ridge trail by the stream on your way up, and then there's the option to camp near (i think the rule is like 50 yards away from) old rag day-shelter on Saddle Trail.
I went the first weekend of June and we were the only folks camping anywhere on the loop both nights. We had our choice of sites but I can't recommend the first site on weakly hollow enough. perfect.
a black bear did come investigate our campsite but it was chill and turned around when we made noise. no problems.
I heard great things about Nicholson hollow being gorgeous for camping as well but we didn't have the time to add the additional miles to our hike.. We did walk a mile in just before leaving the park to take a peak and i can vouch that it was seriously beautiful and way less traffic than weakly- however we didn't encounter any campsites going just a mile in so they might be a ways down the path.

 

[Janice]

The last time we were at Old Rag was for a dayhike in spring 2021. It was very crowded, especially at the big rock parts. Maybe there were a lot of spring break crowds then. What was it like for you (not where you camped but in the other part)?

 

[possumt]

i think we got lucky and picked the perfect time to go - we hiked the loop on a monday that fell after spring break and before schools let out for the summer. We camped sunday and monday night with no one else backcountry camping and then for our hike it seemed like we were on the mountain with maaaybe 35 other people (counting only folks we passed along the way). We were at the top around 2pm with maybe 8-10 other people spread out across the highest points? Had lunch on a rock at the top all by ourselves.
These days they limit the loop to 800(!) hikers a day during prime season (regulated by a permit you pre-purchase and they check at the trailheads) so I imagine it can get insanely packed up there if they actually sell that many passes. We heard stories of long queues resembling a parade at the top in the summer, but happily experienced nothing anywhere close to that ourselves.

 

[Janice]

i think we got lucky and picked the perfect time to go - we hiked the loop on a monday that fell after spring break and before schools let out for the summer. We camped sunday and monday night with no one else backcountry camping and then for our hike it seemed like we were on the mountain with maaaybe 35 other people (counting only folks we passed along the way). We were at the top around 2pm with maybe 8-10 other people spread out across the highest points? Had lunch on a rock at the top all by ourselves.
These days they limit the loop to 800(!) hikers a day during prime season (regulated by a permit you pre-purchase and they check at the trailheads) so I imagine it can get insanely packed up there if they actually sell that many passes. We heard stories of long queues resembling a parade at the top in the summer, but happily experienced nothing anywhere close to that ourselves.

Glad it worked out so well for you. In 2021, we were in a long line of people waiting to get through the rocky part. COVID was raging, and even though we had beed vaxxed I did not like being so close to so many people. Amazing that they picked 800 as the max # of people - that is a LOT!