Hiking Old Rag in DC

Last month I spent two weeks in Washington DC. It was a work trip, but I was fortunate to snag a weekend to do a bit of exploring. A local friend of mine offered to take me hiking. Old Rag is apparently a super popular hike despite its distance (10ish miles). It's a solid hour and a half outside of the city in Shenandoah National Park. The drive is absolutely beautiful. City slowly gives way to green, tree-covered hills. There are small wineries tucked in the valleys along the way.
It costs $15 per person for a trail pass, which seems worthwhile considering the traffic the area sees. Parking is free if you show up early. If not, there's an old lady with a field next door who is perfectly happy to hustle you out of $10. Whatever, worth it. The hike is actually a half mile up the road from there. It seemed like there were a thousand people when I went, but they quickly thinned as we climbed.

Once we broke the tree line, there were gorgeous views everywhere and the real fun began. There's some rock jumping, climbing, pinch points where a little teamwork could be required. So much fun to be had. The rock is also really grippy, so as long as it's dry, nothing to worry about. There are a few overlooks along the way that are worth a stop. Several groups found big boulders to have lunch on. Sean and I opted for rum and gummy bears because what else would you want on a hike?

The way down finally earned us a small measure of solitude, not that the trail was empty, just far less busy than the rest. We had a few minutes between passing people going either direction. The whole trail is beautiful, so having to slow down and wait for someone is never that big of a deal. If you talk to the folks around you, you'll meet people from everywhere.

Definitely make time to stop for a wine tasting. Magnolia Winery provides cheese or chocolate with every pour and has sweet dogs.