Shenandoah National Park in Virginia is launching a pilot program at one of its most popular hiking trails aimed at protecting the ecosystem of the trail and enhancing the hiking experience, the national park announced Friday.
The pilot program at Old Rag — a popular trail known for its spectacular views of the surrounding mountain range — will require visitors who would like to access the trail to obtain a day-use ticket for trips between March and November. Tickets will be $1 during the one-year pilot and will be limited to 800 visitors per day.
The one-year pilot program will begin March 1, 2022. Tickets must be reserved ahead of time and cannot be purchased at the Old Rag fee station. While 800 tickets are available each day, 400 will be made available 30 days ahead of time, and the other 400 will be made available five days ahead of time.
The National Park Service said a recent survey among visitors indicated that parkgoers were open to the ticketing program to reduce the overcrowding and congestion common at Old Rag in the spring, summer and fall seasons.
The move would also better protect the ecological communities found on the trail, according to the Park Service.
This comes as state parks in Virginia move to an online reservation system for their campgrounds, cabins and picnic spots in parks.
Existing reservations and customer loyalty points will automatically be moved into the new system when it launches Thursday.
