Old Rag Mountain

Old Rag Mountain implemented a permit ticket system in March 2022 capping daily hikers at 800 — the rock scramble's bottleneck-and-rescue problem at the summit boulder field (where hikers commonly bail back down the entry route causing two-way traffic on Class 4 moves) drove the decision. Tickets release 30 days ahead on recreation.gov for $1 plus the standard park entry. The trail is a 9.2-mile loop (Ridge Trail up, Saddle Trail down) and the upper 1.5 miles of the Ridge Trail involves a sustained granite boulder scramble with multiple chimney-stemming moves and at least one full-body fissure squeeze — there's no walk-around bypass. Old Rag is OUTSIDE Skyline Drive's gated section, meaning RVs route via VA 231 from the east rather than through the main park entrances. Big Meadows Campground (35-ft cap, dry only) is the closest in-park RV staging, about 1 hour north on Skyline Drive.