Old Rag Summit via Berry Hollow

From Berry Hollow Parking Area, take Berry Hollow Road about 0.8 mile to Old Rag Fire Road. Turn right for 0.4 mile to Old Rag Shelter, then left onto Saddle Trail for the final 1.6 miles to the summit. Turn around there and return the same way. The listed legs are rounded; use 5.4 miles as the complete round-trip distance. Directions for the Old Rag Circuit from Nethers describe a different, longer loop that uses the Ridge Trail scramble. Save the route offline before driving: cell and GPS service can be unreliable around Old Rag.

The first stretch follows a broad, unpaved road through forest, beside a stream for part of the way. It feels more like a woods-road walk than a narrow mountain path. At the junction, the Old Rag Fire Road continues toward Old Rag Shelter. The Berry Hollow lot is extremely small, so leave time for the drive and use only a signed parking space; roadside parking or blocking a gate can get your car towed.

Past Old Rag Shelter, Saddle Trail narrows and the footing turns rougher. The climb grows steeper in a couple of pushes before the summit. Byrds Nest Shelter marks the upper part of the route; beyond it, hardwoods give way to shorter trees and tangled rhododendron, and rocky outcrops begin to open views across the ridges. You return on the same trail, so keep some energy for the descent back to the parking area.

The trail reaches a summit sign, then uneven, exposed rock ledges and boulders. You can take in the view from the ledges; scrambling higher onto the boulders is optional. The east-facing outlook runs across wooded ridges and a broad valley. For a photo, keep a nearby rock outcrop in the foreground to show the rugged summit against the distant landscape, and stay on stable rock rather than edging toward a drop.

The exposed summit is Old Rag Granite, formed a little over a billion years ago during the Grenville mountain-building event. The rounded rock and broken ledges are part of what makes the summit feel so different from the forested approach: the route finishes among the old bedrock itself.

From March 1 through November 30, every hiker needs an advance Old Rag day-use ticket as well as a park entrance pass. A ticket does not guarantee a parking space. Pets are prohibited on the Saddle Trail. There is no water available on Old Rag, so carry enough for a full day. Wet or icy rock is hazardous; snow and ice can remain on the trail in winter even when lower ground looks clear, so carry traction devices when conditions call for them.