Robertson Mountain

I made it up Old Rag Mountain and it's next door neighbor Robertson Mountain.  They are close in height (Robertson is 5 feet higher), but everything else about hiking them is completely different:

• Old Rag Mountain is HEAVILY visited.  Robertson is a much less traveled trail.
• Old Rag provides some of the most beautiful mountain views in the area year round.  In late Spring/Summer season Robertson only gives you glimpses of the surrounding mountains (although the woods around you are still nice).
• Old Rag includes a lot of scrambling on rocks, where Robertson is a more conventional narrow trail.  I found the trail to be loaded with poison ivy as well.

The loop includes a walk on the Old Rag fire road and the Robertson Trail itself.  The entrance closest to the Old Rag parking lot has a short aggressively steep start.  In my case I followed the longer, more gradual fire road and did the steep descent at the end of the trail.

Opinion?  I would possibly hike the trail again in winter, but not until I have scouted some of the other local trails.  If I come down with poison ivy from the trip (it was everywhere) it will make it less likely too.

Click on any of the links below to see a larger copy of the picture

Here is an example of the Old Rag Fire Road path:

...and here is an example of the actual Robertson Mountain Trail.

This is the kind of view I saw from the trail: not too good, especially when I saw just viewing the area from the top of Old Rag next door.