What you need, and when.
You do not need a reservation to enter Shenandoah or to drive Skyline Drive, and the only ticket the park requires is an Old Rag day-use ticket for 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. |
| Who needs one | Every hiker, whatever their age. One person can reserve up to four tickets a day. |
| Daily supply | 800 tickets a day, released at 10 a.m.: 400 open 30 days ahead, 400 open 5 days ahead. |
| Where to book | Recreation.gov or 877-444-6777. Not sold at the Old Rag entrance station. |
| Cost | $2 per ticket. You also need a separate park entrance pass for the same date. |
| Parking | Not guaranteed by the ticket. The trailhead lots are small and fill on fall weekends, so carpool and check the park's current conditions for lot work. |
How the booking works.
The 800 daily tickets come out in two waves, both at 10 a.m. Half open 30 days before your hike date, and the other half open 5 days before. If any are left after both releases, you can book them on the day. Cell service at the Old Rag entrance station is unreliable and there is no internet there, so buy before you drive out. The person who made the booking has to show a photo ID at the station. The ticket and the entrance pass are two separate purchases, and the park says their dates must match.
What if you don't have one.
Without an Old Rag day-use ticket you cannot hike Old Rag between March 1 and November 30, and that includes the Saddle, Ridge, and Ridge Access trails. The park says areas outside the ticketed zone need no ticket, including Weakley Hollow Fire Road. Skyline Drive, the overlooks, and Shenandoah's other trails need only your entrance pass, so a good 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, and every hiker needs one. You still need a separate Shenandoah entrance pass for the same date.
When do Old Rag tickets get released?
The park releases 800 a day at 10 a.m. in two waves: 400 open 30 days before your hike date and 400 open 5 days before. If any are left after both releases, you can book them on the day.
Does an Old Rag ticket get you a parking space?
No. The ticket covers the hike, not the lot, and the park says parking is not guaranteed. The trailhead lots are small and fill on fall weekends, so carpool, arrive early, and check the park's current conditions for any lot work.
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) For closures, fire restrictions, construction and water notices on the day you travel, check NPS Shenandoah current conditions, which carries the park's alerts.
Rules on this page last verified against the official NPS pages on September 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 September 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.