Upcoming Old Rag Climbing (Summit Crag) – Saturday Dec 12

This trip is on Saturday December 12  and this event is not for novice climbers.

 

From Mountain Project:

“Old Rag is the traditional climbing crown of Virginia. For those willing to brave the somewhat lengthy approach with a full rack and rope, gorgeous single pitch, Joshua Tree-esque granite awaits you. Classic splitters, corners and faces on very old and bomber rock define this area. Choose wisely, because an injury here requiring a rescue is quite an involved and arduous procedure.”

Bring food and water for the day. The hike in is ~3 miles and 1,800-foot of vertical gain, with some scrambling. We will be climbing at the Summit Crag. This crag is home to mostly moderate single pitch routes from 5.6. – 5.9 The climbing is mainly on cracks and solid granite with lots of friction. The climbs are generally well protected. You will need to build anchors  – there are no bolts at this crag.

We will meet at the Centreville Park and Ride at 7:00am to carpool to Old Rag. There is an entrance fee of $30 per person to get into the park, unless you have a qualifying pass (e.g., Annual “America the Beautiful” Pass). The NPS allows one person’s pass to cover everyone in the car with them. 

As this trip is after November 30, you do not need to book a day pass.

This trip is application only and will be capped at 8 climbers. To apply, register on this site and FILL IN THE REGISTRATION QUESTIONS.

Note that registering does NOT guarantee acceptance on the trip – this is up to the trip leaders.

Trip leaders are Alex Ovodenko,  Michael Alexander and Eric Mazur.

Questions?  Email [email protected]

Please note that this is not a guided event and none of our trip leaders are professional guides. You will be climbing on ropes set up by members of the club who are hobby climbers and not professionals. Climbing is an inherently dangerous sport and you do so at your own risk. You are responsible for yourself and your own safety at all times.

Cancellations

Please cancel your registration if you are no longer able to attend  so that someone else can have your spot.

If you do not contact the trip organiser, this counts as a no-show. If you no show once, you will get an email from the Chair. If you do not show up twice, you will not be allowed to sign up for another event for 3 months. If you continue to not show up, your membership will be cancelled and refunded.

You can cancel on the website if you did not retains the initial email.  On the home page menu choose PMC Member Registrations and follow the  instructions.

 

 

  • OLD RAG
     December 12, 2026
     8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Admission

Goes On Sale
November 8, 2026

Venue:  

Venue Phone: (540) 999-3500

Venue Website:

Address:
38.5579376,-78.325019, (Near) Sperryville, Virginia, 22740, United States

Description:

Old Rag is a granite mountain in the Shenandoah National Park offering good hiking and challenging trad climbing on a number of mostly one pitch cliffs. Although there are many bolted and mixed routes on Old Rag, they are not sport climbs. There is a recently published (November 2023) climbing guide available from Sharp End Publishing.

Old Rag is located several hours drive south west of Washington DC near Sperryville VA.  There are two main points of access,   with parking at the NPS Ranger Station on the north side of Old Rag and at Berry Hollow on the southwest side.

Visiting Old Rag requires a limited availability day pass – purchased in advance – from March 1 – November 30.  This is in addition to paying the entry fee or possessing one of several NPS park passes.  Details re obtaining the day pass are here.