One of the many wonderful National Parks in the Unites States, Shenandoah National Park is the best to visit and indulge the beauty of nature at heart. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, this national park is renowned for its scenic beauty and diverse hiking trails, or I can say it “ a hiker’s paradise” offering over 500 miles of trails that goes through a dense forest, cascading waterfalls, and breathtaking vistas. In this blog post, we’ll take you through a recent weekend hike trip to Old Rag summit trail in Shenandoah NP where a small group of graduate students came out from their every day’s hustling university life and sharing tips, highlights, and reflections from the journey from a graduate students perspective.

Shenandoah is beautiful year-round, but the best season for hiking is spring (April to June) and fall (September to November). However, one can go there in March also, which we did. I have been to Shenandoah in both seasons mentioned above and yes, it is awesome to experience it. The temperature is moderate in these seasons, and the park is alive with blooming wildflowers or vibrant autumn foliage. On our way we found lots of enthusiastic hikers like us. This trip was organized by the Physics Graduate Student Association of William & Mary, a second-oldest in the USA, and a Public-Ivy league university on the eastern peninsula of Virginia. We all had our hiking boots on as they are really helpful for your ankle and uneven terrain. In terms of clothing, we dressed in layers to adapt to the changing weather conditions. Its windy when you gain heights so layered clothes preferred. We also had personal backpacks, which had water, snacks, a first-aid kit, map, and a wooden trident ( our friend found it on the way and thought to take it to the top).

Shenandoah NP is easily accessible by car, so we also drove from our small town, Williamsburg. The drive was about 3hours. There are different parking spots as per the trail which you choose to hike on. We parked our car at the Old Rag parking area. We already had a parking pass for the vehicle, you can also get those from the website of the park. A suggestion, take the annual pass as it offers unlimited access to the park for a year.

We were able to witness the diverse plant life ranging from towering oaks and maples to delicate wildflowers and continuously flowing water. We also stopped on our trail way to get some good photographs of the scenic overlooks and get spectacular views of the surrounding valleys and mountains. The difficulty level of the trail was moderate for us, but you should consider the trail difficulty level as per your fitness level and experience. This was my second to Old Rag and third in Shenandoah NP. You will get a map at the entrance, having one while on the trail is helpful. We followed the trail marking along the way and it was helpful. We all had our own lunch and a bottle of water, being hydrated all the time is very important. We planned to take the lunch on the summit ( 3284 ft.), clicked some pictures and it was not crowded which is supposed to be. On our descent we encountered a small snake and we even sat near the flowing river to sit back and relax and reflect on the experience.

While returning home, we took a stopover at Charlottesville and had some food and drink to make ourselves feel accomplished and enjoy the company of awesome human beings. We came back to Williamsburg after a drive of 3hours.

This hike to Shenandoah NP was more than just a physical challenge; it’s an opportunity to immerse yourself into the beauty of nature, discover a sense of peace, and of course chance to make a good bond between the cohorts. We are planning to go there again in monsoon to experience the waterfalls. Shenandoah NP has something for everyone.

Until next blog…

Namaste 🙏