I have been day hiking in the Shenandoah National Park for a couple of years now, and aside from the natural wonders that it reveals every time I go, there are some more practical aspects about the place that still surprise me.  Despite being so close to Washington DC that you can drive there without ever having to change the radio station, it is amazingly easy to spend the entire day there without seeing another human being.  And I am not talking about some remote corner of the park that’s a three hour haul from downtown Leesburg or that requires a backcountry menu suitable for Bear Gyrlls. 

A perfect example is Old Rag Mountain.  Every year helpful magazines like the Washingtonian recommends it as the perfect outing for a beautiful fall day.  Pack a lunch, bring some wine and cheeses, they glibly suggest.  Look at the leaves.  Maybe bring along that lute you’ve been dying to show off to your friends.  Let me tell you that it’s mostly true.  It is a great hike, the views are inspiring, and once at the top, you will not believe how far away it can seem from the real world.  But in addition, the trails can be crowded and the top filled with people that have little concern about how far their voices carry when they are on their cell phones.  And to be honest, I never really meet a truly accomplished lute player. 

So basically, for about two month’s out of the year, Old Rag becomes a stylish destination, but at a significant cost.  However, with a little planning, you or your own little group can have it all to yourself.  It’s something that I strongly recommend everyone try at least once.  To make this happen, I have two simple suggestions:  first, go when it’s not the fall.  Surprisingly, parts of the park can be completely deserted for great chucks of the year.  The Shenandoah offers something new and different every season, and it seems such a waste not to take advantage of it.  Second, if you really want the run of the place, go during a weekday.  It’s a far better use of a day off than getting the oil changed in the car.  You just have to get used to the weird stares when you tell people at work why you won’t be in on Wednesday.

Recently, I have been making a special effort to visit Old Rag during the winter.  The trip take on a whole new dimension when you are hiking on snow covered trials with no footprints but the ones you make. The deer, and most of the other animals, certainly don’t seem to be trying as hard as they do during the peak of tourist season.  They go right on with their business, making you feel less like a visitor and more like a part of the family.  The thrill of crossing ice-cold streams takes on a new, exciting, and potentially chilling dimension not appreciated on a hot summer day.  Plus, if you do meet anyone, they usually just nod your way, recognizing a kindred spirit, and move on.

That said, I offer a few cheats that can make the process a little easier.  The typical Old Rag circuit hike starts and ends in a monster parking lot right off SR600 a little bit past the town of Nethers.  From there, it’s about 0.8 miles to the trail head.  In the off-season, you can drive further down SR600 and park in the much smaller lot at the trailhead.  Believe me, after a hike to the top, cutting off that 0.8 mile both ways can make you positively giddy.  Or, if you want to make it to the top without the infamous Old Rag rock scrambles—a good idea if the snow and ice are particularly impressive—you can approach Old Rag from the south, starting off from a parking lot about a half mile past the White Oak Canyon trail lot.  The way is shorter, less steep, and more amenable to people who are not wholly committed to spending much of their day walking uphill.  It’s not exactly easy, according my wife, but at least it’s easier.

One final note: hikes such as these—that start outside the park— have some significant advantage: they start out going uphill and finishing downhill.  So you can attack the hard part first, and make for a pleasant return.  Hikes that start way, way up on Skyline drive typically go downhill first.  Early on, that fills you with confidence about your amazing stamina and ability to travel great distances almost as quickly as the afternoon hike back up drains it away.

Old Rag is only one great winter hike in the SNP; next time, I’ll discuss some of my favorite less known, but perhaps more interesting hikes I have stumbled across, some right down the trail from Old Rag.