This part of WV continues to mesmerize me. I guess it is just because there is nothing similar to it in VA. I have only been to Dollys Sods twice and in spite of the trail conditions   I start thinking about when I will be back again.

1st Creek Crossing

The trails are tough, boggy in many places, rocky in others, and muddy and wet on the rest.

Abbie on the trail

Your shoes will be a mess and probably wet by the time you get to camp but if you can live with that you will have some of the best backcountry sites to camp for the night anywhere in the mid-Atlantic.

Campsites at the Forks

We were there on July 3rd and 4th. This is a very popular place to camp and there were quite a few people who had the same idea as us. We didn’t get the Triple AAA spots right   at the waterfall but we were not too far away from it. We could hear the Falls as we slept through the night, very soothing.

Waterfalls at the Forks

Be forewarned, the weather can change dramatically on this 4000′ High Mountain Plateau with flora and fauna remniscent of Canada. The Monongahela National Forest website has some great information about this area. I especially liked one sentence in the Ecology section: “Dolly Sods is said to be a little bit of Canada placed a hair too far south.” Even if it looks like there will be no rain for your trip, bring your rain gear along. We went there with a 30 percent chance of afternoon thunderstorms and within an hour of our hike we were hiking pretty much in the rain and mist for the next 4 hours.

Hiking in the rain

In addition to the rain the temperature ranged between 55F and 63F for the whole time we were there and this was at the beginning of July!!! It made for some great sleeping weather and with my sweatshirt and long pants that I brought I slept quite comfortably in my 40F Sleeping Bag as did my daughter and friend Tony. Abbie and I setup our Hammocks close to where Tony setup his tent. Abbie was asleep by about 8:15 after we had some dinner.

Abbie's Hennessey Hammock

 The scenery was constantly changing throughout the hike going through stands of pine, stands of hardwoods, stands of fir, fields of blueberries (which will ripen soon) and fields of long grasses. My favorite was going through the fields with the blueberries.

Blueberries just off the trail

I’ll keep going back to Dolly Sods until I can find something like it in VA. Don’t misunderstand me, there are great places to hike in VA but there is nothing like Dolly Sods!!! Thanks Abbie for going with me, you are a trooper!! Thanks Tony for the company, I hope our next trip you feel better so you can enjoy it more….

PS: See my webshots album for more photos of this hike.