Old Rag Day Ticket Permit

From March 1 to November 30, visitors to Old Rag Mountain need to obtain an Old Rag day-use ticket in advance, in addition to a park entrance pass. A total of 800 tickets are available for each day, and every person is required to have a ticket, no matter what age - so the cap is 800 people, not 800 parties or 800 vehicles.

The release is split in two: exactly 400 are released 30 days in advance of the reservation date, and the remaining 400 are released 5 days in advance of each date. Each ticket costs $2.00. They are sold online or by calling 877-444-6777, through Recreation.gov facility 10088450, and entrance passes and Old Rag day-use tickets are separate transactions.

The ticket covers hikers on the Saddle, Ridge and Ridge Access trails. Areas not highlighted on the park's map do not require one, and the park names Weakley Hollow Fire Road specifically - so the fire road is a ticket-free way onto the mountain.

The hike itself: the park publishes 9.4 miles as a circuit with 2,348 feet of elevation gain, rates it very strenuous, and gives 7 hours 30 minutes as a typical time. Its own description features an adventurous rock scramble and a 360-degree view, alongside a warning that hiking to the summit is very physically demanding and can be dangerous if you have not planned properly. Pets are not allowed on this hike.

One major 2026 constraint: effective May 4, 2026 the park began infrastructure work at the Old Rag Trailhead main parking lot, expected to complete by November 2026, and until then the main parking lot is closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Visitors can access the trailhead via existing overflow parking lots. The park does not publish the names of those lots or how many spaces were lost, so plan for a longer walk to the start than the mileage suggests.