Old Rag has two trailheads on opposite sides of the mountain, and many "cabins near Old Rag" lists ignore that. The Nethers lots on the east side serve the Ridge Trail and the full circuit. The small Berry Hollow lot on the west side, out of Syria, serves the Saddle Trail. They are 3.2 miles apart in a straight line and 14 miles apart by road, about 51 minutes of driving around the south end of the mountain.
So decide which hike you want first. The right place to stay follows from that.
Old Rag's main parking lot is closed through November
Construction closed the main Old Rag lot on Nethers Road on May 4, 2026. NPS expects the work to finish by November 2026. Use the Nethers Road overflow lots or the Berry Hollow lot on the Syria side.
Old Rag needs a $2 day-use ticket through November 30
Everyone on the Ridge, Saddle and Ridge Access trails needs a day-use ticket bought in advance on Recreation.gov, plus a park entrance pass. 400 tickets a day are released 30 days ahead and 400 five days ahead. A ticket does not reserve parking.
The two ways up
The circuit from Nethers
9.4 miles with 2,348 feet of climbing, rated very strenuous by the park, about 7 hr 30 min of hiking. This is the classic: the Ridge Trail rock scramble on the way up, the Saddle Trail and fire roads on the way down. In 2026 you park in the Nethers Road overflow lots while the main lot is rebuilt.
The Saddle Trail from Berry Hollow
5.4 miles round trip with 1,760 feet of climbing, rated strenuous. Same summit, no scramble, out and back. Parking at Berry Hollow is very limited, so it suits early starts and people staying close by.
Tickets, passes and dogs
- From March 1 to November 30 everyone on the Ridge, Saddle and Ridge Access trails needs a $2 day-use ticket bought in advance on Recreation.gov.
- The park caps it at 800 tickets a day: 400 released 30 days ahead and 400 released five days ahead.
- A ticket does not reserve a parking space. NPS warns parking is limited on October weekends, especially Saturdays.
- You also need a park entrance pass: $30 per vehicle for seven days, or $55 for the park's annual pass.
- Pets are not allowed on any Old Rag trail. Service animals are welcome.
Drive times from every stay we list
Free-flow drive estimates on the road network, door to parking lot. Sorted by the drive to the Nethers lots.
| Stay | To Nethers lots | To Berry Hollow |
|---|---|---|
| Hopkins Ordinary | 25 min | 50 min |
| Graves Mountain Farm & Lodges | 33 min | 20 min |
| The Inn at Little Washington | 34 min | 59 min |
| Birch's Library | 50 min | 2 min |
| Skyland | 64 min | 88 min |
| Lewis Mountain Cabins | 83 min | 88 min |
| Big Meadows Campground | 87 min | 106 min |
| Big Meadows Lodge | 87 min | 106 min |
Where we would stay
For the circuit: Sperryville or Washington
Hopkins Ordinary in Sperryville is about 25 minutes from the Nethers lots, the closest of our current listings, with a cellar brewery downstairs for after. The Inn at Little Washington is about 34 minutes away if the trip is a celebration. Both put Skyline Drive's Thornton Gap entrance within easy reach for a second day.
For the Saddle Trail: Syria
Birch's Library is about 2 minutes from the Berry Hollow lot and 3 from the lower Whiteoak Canyon lot. It is owned by HikeShenandoah's founder, which we label everywhere it appears; it ranks by the same rules as every other stay. Graves Mountain in Syria is about 20 minutes from Berry Hollow and has rooms, cabins and a campground.
Skip the park lodges for Old Rag
Skyland and Big Meadows are wonderful bases for Skyline Drive, but Old Rag is not reached from the Drive. From Skyland it is about 64 minutes to the Nethers lots; from Big Meadows Lodge about 87.
See every option ranked
Set a drive limit, filter for dogs, and see where each stay sits on the map.
Sources
- Old Rag Circuit, National Park Service. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Old Rag Summit via Berry Hollow, National Park Service. Page updated Mar 2, 2023. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Old Rag day-use ticket FAQ, National Park Service. Page updated Sep 18, 2026. Checked Oct 29, 2026.
- Fees and passes, National Park Service. Page updated Sep 17, 2026. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Pets in Shenandoah, National Park Service. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- OpenStreetMap (coordinates and road network), OpenStreetMap contributors. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- OSRM road-network routing, Project OSRM. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Birch's Library (host's own listing), HikeOldRag.com (founder-owned). Checked Oct 19, 2026.
