Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Virginia / George Washington National Forest

Ramseys Draft Wilderness Loop

Ramseys Draft Wilderness, George Washington National Forest (North River Ranger District; Mountain House on US 250 west of Staunton)

Ramseys Draft is a 6,518-acre wilderness about 22 miles west of Staunton, known for its old-growth hemlock stands. Wikipedia says the Forest Service has managed it essentially as wilderness since 1935, since much of it was never logged, and Congress designated it in 1984. The hemlocks are now dying from the hemlock woolly adelgid.

The loop described by MyHikes climbs to the dry Bald Ridge, drops past Hiner Spring, and follows Ramseys Draft back down through a long series of crossings.

The hike

MyHikes describes the loop from the Mountain House trailhead on US 250. Cross the draft near the start, then climb about 2 miles on the Bridge Hollow Trail, the steepest part of the trip. Turn left on the Bald Ridge Trail for about 4.5 miles over The Peak, Bald Ridge Knob, The Pinnacle, and Gordon Peak. Reviewers describe the ridge trail as faint in places, with few yellow diamond markers, and say there’s no water for 6 to 11 miles. A wildlife pond sits along the way, which reviewers call stagnant.

Past the pond, the route reaches the Hiner Spring area. Wikipedia lists Hardscrabble Knob, at 4,282 feet, as the wilderness’s highest point, and MyHikes reviewers describe a spur from Hiner Spring with a limited view and a boulder field. Backpacker, writing in 1997, called camping among the old-growth hemlocks near Hiner Spring a highlight.

From Hiner Spring, the Ramseys Draft Trail heads downstream, passing the Jerrys Run junction about 3 miles down and continuing about 2.1 miles more to the trailhead. Reviewers have counted anywhere from 7 to 21 crossings depending on water, and many hemlocks have fallen across the trail. Wikipedia says a November 1985 flood wiped out the old CCC road along the draft and moved the stream in places, and the Virginia Wilderness Committee says the trail follows the streambed and the old road where it can.

For an easier overnight, Virginia Trail Guide walked up the draft about 2.5 to 2.75 miles in April 2026, turned onto the Jerrys Run Trail, and camped about 2 miles up at the grassy clearing of the old Sexton Cabin, 9.5 miles round trip. Wikipedia says the PATC built that cabin in 1938; only the chimney remains. The guide found “heartbreaking” numbers of dead hemlocks and at least five major crossings with streams running high.

The Wild Oak Trail also passes through part of the wilderness; see the Wild Oak National Recreation Trail.

Tips

Camping

There are no designated campsites, and Backpacker noted the trails are only minimally maintained. The Forest Service limits groups to 10 people in all of the forest’s wildernesses, and its forest-wide order 08-08-00-23-3 limits camping to 14 days in any 30-day period and bans camping within 300 feet of a developed parking area. The Mountain House day-use area itself says “No overnight camping.” Backpacker said wilderness rangers discourage new fire rings, and stream-side sites can flood, so choose carefully. Store food where bears can’t reach it.

Inside Intel: Virginia Trail Guide’s April 2026 camp at the Sexton Cabin clearing had “room for several groups,” soft level ground, and a small stream for water. The Virginia Wilderness Committee calls Hiner Spring “a good campsite,” and MyHikes reviewers mention several sites about 0.3 mile below it along the draft.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Wading shoes for the Ramseys Draft Trail:

Reviewers count 7 to 21 crossings of Ramseys Draft depending on water, thigh-deep when high, and Virginia Trail Guide recommends Crocs or similar. Our five tips cover camp shoes, timing, and turning back.

Get the five tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.