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Dolly Sods Wilderness, Davis, WV

Photo: Valerius Tygart, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureLocal GemFree

Dolly Sods Wilderness

Off Forest Road 19, Monongahela National Forest · Davis, WV

Why you should go…

This 17,371-acre wilderness covers much of the Red Creek drainage, with elevations from 2,500 to over 4,700 feet and bog and heath plant life more typical of southern Canada. You can explore 47 miles of trails, many on old railroad grades and logging roads, with Forest Road 19 as the main way in. Military training here in the 1940s left unexploded ordnance, so leave anything suspicious alone and report it, and bring your own treated water.

  • #wilderness
  • #backpacking
  • #hiking
  • #national forest
  • #bogs

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Dolly Sods Wilderness, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Blackwater Falls State Park

    Free

    Walk a boardwalk down to amber-colored Blackwater Falls, then hike to canyon overlooks like Lindy Point in the Allegheny Mountains.

    10 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Seneca Rocks

    Free

    Watch climbers on the sheer quartzite walls of Seneca Rocks, rising nearly 900 feet above the creek, from the Discovery Center below.

    11 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Quirky Fun

    Green Bank Observatory

    Free

    Tour a working radio astronomy campus and see the Green Bank Telescope, a 100-meter dish, starting from the free Science Center.

    46 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Tours
    History Buff

    Cass Scenic Railroad State Park

    $50+

    Ride a geared Shay steam locomotive up Cheat Mountain from a preserved company lumber town to a logging camp or Bald Knob.

    51 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Snowshoe Mountain

    $50+

    Ski 60 slopes and trails from a village built near the summit, or ride mountain bike trails and play golf in the warmer months.

    53 mi awayMore like this