What you need, and when.
You do not need a reservation to enter Shenandoah or to drive Skyline Drive. The only ticket the park requires is an Old Rag day-use ticket, and only if you are hiking Old Rag Mountain. It is a trail ticket, not a park entry reservation.
| What it covers | Hiking Old Rag Mountain, including the Saddle, Ridge, and Ridge Access trails. |
| Season | March 1 through November 30. No ticket needed outside those dates. |
| Daily supply | 800 tickets a day: 400 released 30 days ahead, 400 released 5 days ahead. |
| Where to book | Recreation.gov or 877-444-6777. |
| Cost | $2 per ticket. You also need a separate park entrance pass. |
How the booking works.
The 800 daily tickets come out in two waves. Half open exactly 30 days before your hike date, and the other half open 5 days before. If you have a fixed date, set a reminder for the 30-day release. If you are flexible, the 5-day window is a good second chance when the far-out slots are gone. Remember the ticket and the entrance pass are two separate purchases, so buy both.
What if you don't have one.
Without an Old Rag day-use ticket you cannot hike Old Rag during the March-to-November season, and that includes the Saddle, Ridge, and Ridge Access trails. Everything else in the park is still open to you. Skyline Drive, the overlooks, and Shenandoah's many other trails need no ticket, so a great day in the park is easy to plan even if Old Rag is booked out.
When it matters most.
Old Rag tickets track the park's fall peak. October is the busiest month of the year here, with about 318,584 visits in a typical recent year and 329,565 in 2025. The summer stretch from June through September carries roughly 43 percent of the whole year's visits, so that is when lines, parking, and any booking pressure are heaviest. For the full month-by-month picture, see the crowd calendar linked below.
Common questions.
Do you need a reservation for Shenandoah National Park in 2026?
Not to enter the park or drive Skyline Drive. The only ticket required is an Old Rag day-use ticket, and only to hike Old Rag Mountain, from March 1 through November 30.
How much is an Old Rag day-use ticket?
Each ticket is $2 on Recreation.gov. You still need a separate Shenandoah entrance pass, since the ticket and the pass are two different purchases.
When do Old Rag tickets get released?
The park releases 800 a day in two waves: 400 open 30 days before your hike date and 400 open 5 days before. Fall weekends are the hardest to get.
Do I need a ticket for the rest of Shenandoah?
No. Only Old Rag Mountain requires a day-use ticket. Skyline Drive, the overlooks, and every other trail in the park need no ticket, just your entrance pass.
Reservation rules change from year to year, and sometimes mid-season. Confirm the current rule on the official park page before you book or travel. Shenandoah Old Rag ticket page (NPS)
Rules on this page last verified against the official NPS pages on July 13, 2026.
How we read the crowds
The monthly visit counts on this page come from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics. "Share of peak" compares a month against the park's own busiest month, so 100 percent marks the single busiest month of the year. The reservation and permit rules come from each park's official NPS pages, linked above and last verified on July 13, 2026. We are an independent site and not affiliated with the National Park Service.
Independent site. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Data comes from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025; editorial analysis is ours. The NPS Arrowhead and other NPS marks are not used.