Located in West Virginia, this area was once used the area for artillery and mortar training during World War II. In the 1970’s, with the open land being threatened, The Nature Conservancy, began purchasing the land for preservation and recreational use. Today Dolly Sods Wilderness Area consists of 17,371 acres and almost 50 miles of hiking trails.
If you’re in the Mid-Atlantic (and not afraid to get your feet wet), I highly suggest finding your way to Dolly Sods!
My friend and I planned to do the 21 mile backpacking route laid out on Hiking Upward for 3 days.
day one
I arrived at the parking lot about 15 minutes before my friend and was greeted with a beautiful sunny sky. By the time, my friend arrived? Not so much as there was a sudden downpour. Welcome to the unique weather at Dolly Sods. With our packs on, we set off with cloudy skies.
About a mile and a half in, you pass the Red Creek for the first time. At this point you’re probably thinking, dang, I can do this hike leaping from rock to rock and avoiding the the extremely boggy sections. Just wait…
Dolly Sods has a reputation for people losing the trail as it’s not always clearly marked. Around 5 miles in, on the Rocky Ridge Trail (R524), through the gorgeous sandstone boulders, it is a little tricky to navigate. Keep an eye out for those rock cairns!
By the time we reach the intersection with the Dobblin Grade Trail (TR526), it is full on raining. I had held off on putting on my rain coat as it the rain hadn’t been too bad and was warm out, however I couldn’t hold out any longer. The next trail we’re looking for is the Harman Trail (TR525) – just 1 mile away. As we continue hiking, it all of a sudden an intense downpour starts and the entire mountain top is a foggy mess and we can barely see. We reach a mountain top and see rock cairns over to the right, so we continue that way. We’re hiking when we see a sign for a trail, so we pull out our ziplock bag map to see where we are. Um, that trail isn’t even on the map?!
We decide to turn around and we’re trenching through in the rain when all of a sudden a full on thunderstorm starts. We are on the top of Harman Mountain. And we’re lost. All I’m thinking in my head is that meme, “this is fine.” At this point, the fact that I once thought I’d be able to keep my feet dry is a joke. It was raining so hard that water came in from the top and my feet are just in pools of water.
We make our way back to the intersection with Dobbin Grade and Rocky Ridge to make sure we didn’t miss anything. As we look back up the trail, I’m kind of not 100% convinced it’s even the trail as it looks like a full on creek! Eventually we Blackbird Knob Trail (TR511) and an information board as we take Big Stonecoal Trail (TR513). At this point, we just want to camp at the next place we see as the rain stopped and we’re drenched and not in the greatest moods (aka hanger and drenched). Of course that campsite comes after having to cross two creeks which are up to mid-thigh! Finally we come across a campsite! There is someone at the campsite next to us, but at this point we’re not sure when the next campsite would be, and to be honest, ya girl needed food.
We set up camp, make our dinners, drink some whiskey, hang our bear bags, and crawl into bed as the rain is starting again. I wake up around 6:30 and the rain is still going on strong – is this a freaking joke?! I start thinking about how I don’t even know how to take down my tent while it’s still raining as I drift back to sleep. I wake up about an hour later, and yassss, the rain has stopped! I open up my tent and cool, my boots are still soaked!
day two
After breaking down camp and making breakfast and coffee, we’re on our way. The sky does not look promising as it’s super overcast. Our goal for the day is to either camp at “the Forks” or somewhere along TR511. When you’re along TR554, there is a turn on the left which will lead you to Lions Head, which was marked with a rock cairn. My friend opted to hang out at the bottom while I scrambled up to explore. I noted for next time that there were some pretty bomb campsites up there.
While the weather held up, there was still no staying dry as the creeks were high from all the rain and we were constantly up to our knees! Not only that, but the freaking mud! No joke, I saw bear prints going way out of the way avoiding the puddles (aka small pools) just like us.
We reach “the Forks” early afternoon and decide to go relax for a little bit and rejuvenate our feet in the cold water. We check out the map and aim for the campsite marked near the intersection of TR511 and TR509. This campsite could not be more perfect! Right on the creek and kings chairs all around the fire pit! As we enjoyed our dinner, we were joined by deer snacking near the creek.
day three
Our third day was only about 6 miles, so we had plenty of time to leisurely enjoy coffee and pack up camp. As with any camping trip, once it’s the last day, almost all I think about is changing at my car and FOOD. I’m much more of an uphill hiker and love to CRUSH those. Once we reached TR522, I told Emily I’d see her at the car because all I could about was the clean clothes at my car!
Driving away after my three days backingpacking in Dolly Sods, I notice the road is completely washed out and there are trucks there recompacting it and putting down new gravel. Ahh, so the storm really was bad! Not just I’m on top of a mountain in a storm bad.
Note. As mentioned above, Dolly Sods has its own weather pattern. I went in July and the nights/early mornings were chilly where I needed long pants and a hoodie, so be prepared!
Also. As this lane was once used for by the US Army for artillery and mortar training, make sure to stay on the trail! The Army Corp of Engineers has warnings that there may be unexploded ordnance in the area.
I mean, if you go to Dolly Sods and don’t get lost, did you REALLY go to Dolly Sods?
