Dolly Sods Wilderness

[Chester Copperpot]

Ive got some time off in mid May, and I am very drawn to this rugged area. Do you guys think I should:

head to Dolly Sods (never been there) and leave the car parked with a cooler of sodas & beer, and just explore the whole area over four days/nights?

--OR--

head to the Mt Rodgers/Grayson Highlands area AKA "the magic place", leave the car with the cooler & beer, and spend the week soaking in the familiar beauty of an already, but well loved area?

[Cookerhiker]

Ive got some time off in mid May, and I am very drawn to this rugged area. Do you guys think I should:

head to Dolly Sods (never been there) and leave the car parked with a cooler of sodas & beer, and just explore the whole area over four days/nights?

--OR--

head to the Mt Rodgers/Grayson Highlands area AKA "the magic place", leave the car with the cooler & beer, and spend the week soaking in the familiar beauty of an already, but well loved area?

I'm a little unclear about your reference to the cooler and the car. Are you talking about base-camping and doing day hikes? If so, you can do this at Dolly Sods at the Forest Service campground but I recommend backpacking a night or 2 if you can. I think you'd enjoy a night in the back country.

[Skyline]

Ive got some time off in mid May, and I am very drawn to this rugged area. Do you guys think I should:

head to Dolly Sods (never been there) and leave the car parked with a cooler of sodas & beer, and just explore the whole area over four days/nights?

--OR--

head to the Mt Rodgers/Grayson Highlands area AKA "the magic place", leave the car with the cooler & beer, and spend the week soaking in the familiar beauty of an already, but well loved area?

I vote for Mt. Rogers/Grayson Highlands. Massie Gap or Grindstone Campground for basing out of to do dayhikes, or to park and go backpacking.

[Chester Copperpot]

Sorry for not being clear, gentlemen.

I will be doing back country camping each night, with daily breaks at the car (with the cooler) for ice cold libation and tasty snacks that all are welcome to enjoy.

Although I am consumed by the idea of the rugged and remote Dolly Sods as a place to explore, I feel drawn to the familiar landscape of the highlands. So, it looks like I will do what I did last year: park @ Massie Gap and hike most of the trails in the Mt Rodgers area. The only difference from the trip last year is knowing my way around better to combat the crowds (secret campsites, camping according to weather, etc) and be able to enjoy the beauty better (crowds depress me).

Leaving the Dolly Sods trip for later in the summer may play out well during a scorching-hot week in central VA, as I've heard it stays cool up there even in the worst summer weather.

Thanks for the info Cookerhiker & Skyline!!!

Cookerhiker: I will more than likely end up emailing you for finite information on accessing the Dolly Sods area--enjoy your spring hiking & biking!!!!

[Cookerhiker]

That's good reasoning on your part; you'd appreciate Dolly Sods in mid-summer when everywhere else is beastly hot.

I searched through the Monongahala NF website and it looks like the Forest Service now charges for the maps. Just a few years ago, I visited the HQ in Elkins and obtained a lot of maps gratis including a good color-coded contour map of Dolly Sods. I don't know if you can go to a district office in person but it's worth a try. You can also further peruse the website.

The guidebook series by Johnny Molloy includes Day and Overnight Hikes in WV's Monongahela NF. It features some good writeups not just on DS but other places in the Mon as well. Cranberry Wilderness is another scenic high-elevation area in the Mon.

[BJStuart]

I searched through the Monongahala NF website and it looks like the Forest Service now charges for the maps.

Try the WV Highlands Conservancy - they have map sets to print. If you have a decent color printer you may find them good enough. That's what I did last time I was up there & they worked well enough for me.

If you go to http://store.usgs.gov you can also use their map locator to download maps; it's a bit fiddly, they come down as zip files with a pdf inside, but not too bad.