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Madison Co. Virginia | If your party is an active one, and would rather hike than ride in a car, then consider Old Rag mountain. You'll need a park pass, in addition to a $1 access ticket per person. Weekends might be sold out, but you should be able to get tickets for weekdays. You have to purchase the tickets online in advance. They don't sell the tickets on-site, and cell service is flaky in the parking lot/ranger station.
You'll shoot nearly the whole day by the time you drive from DC down to Old Rag, hike the mountain, and drive back. I think officially, the loop trail is supposed to take seven hours, but four hours is not unreasonable. I've done the loop in 2.5 hours. My brother has pushed the loop trail time down into the 1.5 hour range, but that's running most of the way. He uses the mountain for training for ultramarathons.
The real attraction of Old Rag is the rock scramble at the top. You're climbing over, under, and through massive boulders and crevices to get to the peak. | |
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Suburban DC/Virginia sights
