It is a very interesting and beautiful area. The rain on the third day was unexpected but of course in a place like that one has to be prepared for changes. It was still a fantastic day. Glad you enjoyed my video, thank you so much for watching and for your comment!
Thank you for this beautiful journey. My family recently moved to Petersburg, WV, so now I can tell them we've already beat them to a backpack hike across Dolly Sods, and more. They will be amazed since I am 77 and my husband is 88. Still moving along.
Excellent! I'm glad you enjoyed my video. I appreciate you taking the time to watch and for your nice comment. You can now definitely let your family know all about the highlights of the Sods.
We have made plans to backpack Dolly Sods more than once, the weather has not cooperated at all! I love your videos! I think you seam the directions needed for the hike and the beauty of the area perfectly! Can’t wait for the next adventure!
Thank you so much for checking out my video and for your kind feedback. I appreciate it. The weather is always unpredictable up in that area. I was blessed to have a couple of really nice days but then rain during part of the third day. If you are geared up for it, the Sods is a beautiful place in any weather. I'm sure you'll enjoy your visit when it finally comes together for you. I look forward to getting back out there again myself sometime soon.
Thank you, my friend. It was a fantastic hike, I think this one rose to the level of "epic" for sure. Thanks so much for watching, I really appreciate it!
I enjoyed your video. Two friends and I just completed a two day one night hike of the Dolly Sods. The first day we hiked in going west on the Blackbird Knob Trail from FR 75 then north on Upper Red Creek. We cut west on the Dobbins Grade to Beaver View Trail. Then hiked north to make camp just before Ravens Ridge. Camp site was great in the trees to a view west. The next morning we caught Ravens Ridge for a short distance and on to Bear Rocks back east to the FR 75.It was a great trip and a great place.
Thanks so much for checking out my video and for your comment. Sorry for my delayed response, I've been away from the internet for a while. Sounds like you had a great trip at the Sods. All of the trails are great and lead through interesting areas, but I think the northern parts of the area are best for views. Upper Red Creek Trail is one of my personal favorites out there. I look forward to another trip out there, myself.
Great video! My cousins and I frequent Dolly Sods alot. That bog is really deep in places . The trek to Lions Head is a bit rough , but well worth it once you get there. Beautiful place! We will be heading back out to the trails again here soon. Thanks for the video SNR!!!
Thanks, man. I really appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed the video. The Sods is an awesome place, I'm already thinking about a return trip to see some of the other sections. If you have not been up there, definitely try to go sometime. I think you would like it.
After the hike I found a beautiful greasy cheeseburger and it came with a nice pile of tater tots and a chocolate milkshake. That meal was almost as epic as the hike LOL! I should have included a pic at the end of the video. Thanks so much for checking out my adventure, I really appreciate it!
AH Man, You're make'n me S0 Hungry for 0ne or Two of them it's been S0 Long. I like to Dip My Cheeseburger into my Chocolate Malt👅,........it's, S0Oo G00D❕
Lion's Head definitely looks exactly like a lion. It's pretty amazing actually. The cool thing is that you have to be standing in exactly the right spot to see the lion, move just a little one way or the other and its just looks like a bunch of rocks LOL!
Great looking trip. Me my sister and a friend of hers was out the same weekend in Otter Creek. That early Sunday morning rain caught us of guard also . Otter Creek is a trip you definitely need to try. Glad you posted this trip its been on my mind to do and probably be my next outing.
Thanks so much for watching. The Sods is really an awesome area for sure. Yeah that rain on Sunday was unexpected but it was still beautiful and in a way I was glad I got to see the area from the rainy perspective too after having too nice sunny days. I've heard quite a bit about Otter Creek area, I'll have to check it out sometime.
Great video. Getting stuck knee deep in mud sounds absolutely terrifying! It happened me once at fossil beach in York River State Park. Luckily I was able to dig myself out after a few minutes, but not a good feeling.
Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks so much for watching. Yes, those marshes in eastern Virginia can also be treacherous and its not fun getting stuck lol.
You have some gorgeous footage there. Looked like a Great time. Can't believe I'm a west virginian any I've never been there. Thanks for sharing. Double cheeseburger time. Lol.
Aw man we may have to suspend your West Virginia heritage pending a visit to the Sods. You gotta get up there. Its a fantastic area and you would enjoy it. There are a lot of trails and so many possibilities to create loops of any length to suite your interests. Rest assured I did indeed track down a great cheeseburger after getting down the mountain LOL! Thanks so much for checking out my video, I really appreciate it!
As hot as it is here in Texas I think I could have sat under that waterfall for the rest of the day. Very beautiful there. 😆 Lions head is really cool.
I guess I should not rub it in that daytime highs were in the low 70s, with nights down in the 40s, on this hike. I soaked a little in the creek on the second day and let me tell you the water was COLD!!! The Lion's Head was really neat. It's amazing just how much it does look like a lion. Thanks so much for checking out my video, my friend. I really appreciate it!
I was on my way back to the trailhead and what you saw was another small group of two or three hikers. Sunday morning it was actually pretty busy near the trailhead...weekend backpackers like me heading out and a lot of day hikers coming in. Thanks for checking it out, my friend!
The Sods is an awesome area. I have no doubt that you would love it up there. Sadly it can be pretty crowded at times. It is one of the premier spots in West Virginia and the word is definitely out about it, but it's well worth a visit and should be near the top of your bucket list. Glad you enjoyed my video. This vid was a little long but it was tough to cram three awesome days down into one video. Thanks so much for watching, my friend!
I was surprised I was able to get this down to 20 minutes with all the footage I had, but I decided I didn't want to do it in parts, I wanted the whole trip in a single vid. Man, what an awesome place. It was an epic hike for sure. Glad you enjoyed the video, my friend. Thanks so much for watching!
Thanks so much for watching, my friend. You should definitely plan a visit, you won't be disappointed. Depending on your route, water should not be a problem here. On the loop I did, there were several miles along some ridges that didn't have any water, but many of the trails follow along creeks or cross numerous smaller streams. Both nights my campsites were only a few steps away from a creek.
You definitely should try to visit. It is a spectacular place. You would enjoy it. It's definitely wet and muddy out there most of the year, so yeah some gators could come in handy. Thanks for watching, man!
Thanks so much for checking out my channel as well, I appreciate your support! One of your videos popped up in my suggestions list and I enjoyed it, can't wait to watch some of your other content and see some different areas I might not ever get to see for myself.
It was a great hike. Its a fantastic area. You should consider making a trip up there sometime, it would be well worth your time, man. Thanks so much for checking out my video!
great video indeed what a beautiful hike and a couple nice camp areas and the views are awesome , had some tough spots to hike in the bolder area , and bogs ar no fun ! thanks for sharing atb john
Thank you, my friend. Glad you enjoyed the video. This was an epic hike. Both my campsites were excellent, but the second night's site was just perfection. There were a few tough sections but overall it was not a difficult hike. It's very high elevation but its mostly just rolling hills once you get up there. The bogs were beautiful but difficult to navigate, they were very wet and muddy. Thanks so much for watching, man. I appreciate it!
Thanks guys! I appreciate you checking out my video. The Sods is definitely an awesome place. I'm already thinking about a return trip, myself. I think the Fall would be a perfect time to visit, would be awesome to see the heath barrens ablaze in red color.
Thanks so much for checking out my video. I like to tell you where I am in case you want to go out there and see for yourself. If I don't mention it in the video, you'll always find more detailed info in the description area below the video. I hate it when I see something really cool on RUclips but the channel doesn't tell me where to find it. Thanks again for stopping by.
A long video of Dolly Sods is still always too short. Looks like from the marker ribbons in the video, you were up sometime last week, around the time of the ultramarathon. Hell, I may have seen you and not even known it. The weather was awesome last week too. Was up there from last Wednesday up to Sunday afternoon. We didn't do many miles as one member of our group is 81. He still loves to go up, hike a bit and camp. Thank you for the LNT message; I hope people follow it. I did see some LNT rangers last week trying to spread the Leave No Trace gospel and clean up campsites. I have never done the rock scramble up to the Lion's Head; to darn scary for me! I always take the chicken-out route. It rained for us Wednesday night and then we got a somewhat unexpected rain early Sunday morning. I actually love Dobbin Grade Trail! It is beautiful scenery. I just use my "mud bogging" shoes: Vivo Barefoots with an old pair of socks over them to keep out debris. Glad you enjoyed your time in my backyard (well, actually I am one county over, so I have to jump the fence).
I surprised myself that I cut this down to 20 minutes given the crazy amount of footage that I had recorded over the three days. Yeah I was wondering about those red ribbons. They were quite irritating to me. I quickly realized that Dolly Sods is not in full compliance with the Wilderness designation, still has a lot of signs and markers and a few other man made ruins I noticed that should be removed. I guess that ribbon, at least, is temporary for the marathon? I only saw the ribbon on the first part of my hike, I must have left the marathon's route by the end of the first day. I think I was up there the same time you were there. I was there over Father's Day weekend. I arrived early Friday morning and was back at the trailhead by midday on Sunday. I did not hike as many miles per day as I normally would, the mileage was really for a two day hike but when I factored in my driving time, plus I really enjoyed soaking it all in and taking lots of photos and not worried about knocking out miles, it just worked perfected over three days instead of two. The scramble up to Lion's Head was not too bad, but I returned back down via the easier route, the one that goes through the planted pine trees area. I noticed that there are at least 3 or 4 different ways of getting up there. I was surprised by the rain early Sunday morning, it was not in the last forecast I checked before heading out but changes in weather is to be expected in a place like that. I agree, the area down on that bog at the Dobbin Grade was stunning. It's very beautiful down there. I've heard it stays wet and muddy all year, but with all the recent rainfall this season I think its more boggy than normal. I sunk up to my knees at one point and I was only on the trail for a few hundred yards LOL! Yes I definitely enjoyed my visit and hope to get back again in the future. I've spent a lot of time down in neighboring Pendleton County, but I've made far fewer trips to Tucker and Randolph, I need to explore them further. Thanks for checking out my video, I really appreciate it!
I can tell you that the signage in the north area is not accurate. The entire area is wilderness and under wilderness regs. (although, you are right, they do seem a bit loose, as there were over 200 runners). I did speak to one of the LNT rangers about the sign; there are plans to fix it. We got our last forecast on Friday and there was no rain in it; we were scrambling at 0245 Sunday morning to get stuff under the tarps and drop them down out of porch mode, but it had stopped by around 0800 making for a dry walk out. There has been a LOT of rain in our area for the last 2 months, so the trails are starting to suffer a lot. Most of the signs and the boardwalk in the north area were put up right before the wilderness designation, mostly because people were getting lost/turned around and creating rescue situations. Dolly Sods looks pretty tame and benevolent most of the time, but can become an absolute beast so fast you can't wrap your head around it. You need to hit Otter Creek and Laurel Fork. They are virtually unmaintained and still pretty wild. Laurel Fork is mostly just one trail: Laurel River trail , which is around 17 miles long with about 3 miles outside of the wilderness (on the Laurel fork North section). It is very difficult to do a loop hike without LONG road walks. The north and south wildernesses are separated by a campground (which sees very few people). The trail can be difficult to follow, but I have never seen another backpacker or fisherman more than 1/2 from the campground. Best time to avoid a lot of route finding is spring when the meadows are not so overgrown that you can't see the cairns. There is a nice campsite on Stone Camp Run trail right before it crosses the Laurel River, which is a very nice site. You will not see a gazillion campfire rings nor campsites in Laurel fork. A great place for solitude.
Thanks for the info on Laurel Creek area. Sounds like it might be just my kind of place. I really enjoyed the visit to Dolly Sods, it is such an amazing place, but it is rather crowded for my tastes, and I normally prefer to roam around places where I am much less likely to see other people.
I agree. I used to make a dozen or more trips to Dolly Sods; now it is more like 1/2 dozen. I go to Otter Creek or Laurel Fork. I also go to Seneca creek in mid-week; but it is a long drive of nearly 3 hours, so I prefer to do at least 2 nights there. You should not see anyone at Laurel Fork after leaving the campground area. The trail head that is about 5 miles off of US 33 is also a good trail head to go in on. There are some challenges at the crossing of the river due to floods over the years. The trail head at the other end is a really long 14ish mile drive up the forest road. You can make an about 5 mile loop hike using Laurel River south trail and Camp Five Run trail. There is a really nice campsite near the junction of the two trails; just work your way a bit down stream on Laurel River.
I really enjoyed this one. I think your day 1 footage from Ridge was awesome, had the perfect sky. You also got some great footage from Lions head and Red Creek. I'm glad you spent some time filming the views from Lions Head, not much video of that on RUclips. From your footage I could see exactly where I was standing, on the Rohrbaugh Trail, during my Red Creek Canyon hike. Cool...... I dont know, are you sure you were that muddy SNR? Any acorns fall out of your belt? :) jk Thanks for taking us along on your hike. Take care.
Thanks for watching, man. I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was an epic hike in a spectacular area. The weather was perfect, especially the first day with all the puffy clouds. Day 1 was the best day for pics for sure. Lion's Head was really nice, not just the "lion" itself but the whole formation is really interesting with outstanding views off all sides. Yeah what little footage of it exists on RUclips, it's mostly selfies with the lion LOL! I tried to show that there is more to it than just the lion, although the lion is pretty amazing. Well I must admit that no acorns fell out of my belt, but I did have standing water in the bottom of my pack, and I washed my pants twice and the mud stains are still there...Like I said, permanent memories LOL! Hiking at the Sods is really not strenuous or difficult for the most part, but you won't be clean when you get out that is for sure haha!
It sucks when you sink deep into the mud man. I've had it happen in waders along a couple different rivers. I don't doubt that the Sods left you muddy.... there are a lot of bogs up there. Yeah I enjoyed the footage you got around Lions head and enjoyed the video overall. I'll watch this one again.
Glad you enjoyed the views, my friend. Thanks for checking out my video. Dolly Sods is a spectacular place. I hope you get the chance to visit next time you're out this way. You won't be disappointed.
It was a fantastic trip. I'm sure you have some great spots out there in Iowa as well, but yes this place is tough to beat for sure! Thanks for checking out my video!
Awesome, start to finish a great video & trip! I'd love to get up there for a night or two... if only I knew someone to lead the way (hint hint) lol...
Thanks for checking out my video, my friend. Yeah you could easily spend a week up there and not see it all, but a couple or three days can at least give you a good taste of the area. It is pretty spectacular, no doubt one of the premier backpacking areas on the east coast. Put it on your list and go check it out someday, I might know someone (hint) who would be willing to join you!
Although I did not check it out on this trip, I have heard that the western part of the Dobbin Grade, up where it meets the Rocky Ridge Trail, is quite nice. I think the boggy section is on the eastern part of the trail, as it follows along Red Creek. The Lion's Head is not actually on any of the trails. To get there, you'll want to hike the Rocky Point Trail, and in the area where all the big rocks and boulder fields are, you can look closely and see paths leading uphill to the Lion's Head formation. There are at least 3 or 4 of these paths. I myself came back down a different way from how I went up. The temperatures were perfect on my visit. Day time highs reached into the low 70s. The first night was colder, I think it was in the low 40s, while it was probably upper 40s or low 50s on the second night. I usually carry a small thermometer with me but I forgot to take it on this trip so I could only estimate the temps.
Great video. It looks like you really had a good time out there. I have been thinking about going there for quite a while now. I am telling Sintax77 you stole his "It's cheeseburger time" thing.
Rob Marley It was an awesome trip. I did really enjoy it. I highly recommend this area and if you get the chance you should go! Thanks so much for checking out my video, I appreciate it. Oh but I been having cheeseburger time after a big hike since long before Syntax even knew that hiking was a thing LOL.
Nice journey. Thanks for sharing. Love the solitude and abundance of views. I would love getting "lost" up there for a few days. Bogs can be treacherous. I had a struggle with one several years ago, and fear I had a small stroke. Did not go directly to the Dr as I should have, so I'm not certain. Looks like there would be lots of rhododendron and azalea bloom in the springtime. Was there a scarcity of water before descending to the river?
Thanks so much for watching, my friend. Indeed this is a fantastic area and one that is ideal for taking it slow and getting "lost." My three day hike could have easily been done in two, but it was nice to slow it down a little and take it all in. The boggy areas were certainly beautiful but difficult to navigate, especially the big one on the third day when I sunk knee deep. It was a jolt to the whole body to suddenly sink unexpectedly carrying a pack and all, and then it was a challenge to get back out and clear of the area. Sorry to hear about your medical situation you experienced. I can certainly see how that could have happened. Yes this area is loaded with all kinds of flowering plants and trees. My visit was a tad late for the azaleas and rhododendron, but I still saw quite a few nice blooms. Water is not especially scare out there. There were a few sections along the rocky ridges that were very dry, but most of the time I was never very far away from a creek. My campsites on both nights were just a few steps away from nice streams.
It was an epic hike for sure. Thanks for checking out my video. I noticed that some of the trails are open to bikes, but the route I wanted to take really needed to be done on foot this time. Biking is definitely some good exercise. I too have been riding some of my local trails to try to improve my fitness.
I've done a handful of miles on the C&O, mostly in Maryland outside of Harper's Ferry, WV, and on another section near Georgetown. I am interested in doing a longer trip on the C&O but it strikes me better suited to biking than hiking on foot. I just finished getting my bike ready for bikepacking and about to take it out on the first test run to see how it goes. Once I'm confident with my set-up I'll probably be looking at other good bikepacking routes.
I totally enjoyed this video. Some of your best work. Just gorgeous. You didn't mention it but did you even see another human for those 3 days? Maybe near the end of the video I saw someone heading your way. This was Sasquatch territory if I've ever seen any. It was very obvious why they call it Lions Head. Thanks for allowing me to hike virtually through you as I sit here in my recliner sipping coffee this morning.
Glad you enjoyed it, my friend. It is indeed a spectacular place to visit. With so much great scenery, it really was not that hard to get good footage for the video. This is actually a very popular destination. It's only a couple of hours from the D.C. metro area, and a lot of people come down from Ohio, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, so solitude is a little harder to come by than my video portrayed. Actually, once I was away from the trailhead I saw very few people while hiking, its such a large area everyone gets spread out. But the camp sites fill up quickly. I found that both afternoons I chose to stop hiking much earlier than I normally would have in order to claim a good camp spot. Yeah at the end of the video you can briefly see some other hikers coming towards me. It was about midday on Sunday and I was almost back to the trailhead...a lot of day hikers were making their way in as I was headed out. This area is indeed prime habitat for Squatch, but I suspect he was forced out by all the humans. I saw no trace of him on my visit LOL! Again, glad you enjoyed the video, man. Thanks so much for watching!
Great trail! Looks like water was plentiful and temps were comfortable. Were there bugs-o-plenty in the bogs? Sure looked like there should have been. As always, Great video and thank for sharing. By the way, Check out Mountain Bushcrafters Alliance on Facebook and consider becoming a member. See you on the trail!
It was an epic hike, my friend. Its a really spectacular area and yeah I had nearly perfect weather on the visit. There were quite a few bugs, especially mosquitoes and flies, around the creeks and bogs. I'm not very active on Facebook anymore, but I will check out the group you recommended. Thanks for the heads up, and thanks so much for checking out my video!
Great hike! I did the same loop a couple of weeks ago. Check out the vid on my channel! I'd love to hike with you sometime, im a VA boy too. Give me a holler
Ambitious, I like it.
Glad you enjoyed it. It was an epic hike. Thanks for watching!
Interesting place, looked a great hike. Good to see the weather did not put you off.Nice video , thanks for sharing. Atb Darren.
It is a very interesting and beautiful area. The rain on the third day was unexpected but of course in a place like that one has to be prepared for changes. It was still a fantastic day. Glad you enjoyed my video, thank you so much for watching and for your comment!
Thank you for this beautiful journey. My family recently moved to Petersburg, WV, so now I can tell them we've already beat them to a backpack hike across Dolly Sods, and more. They will be amazed since I am 77 and my husband is 88. Still moving along.
Excellent! I'm glad you enjoyed my video. I appreciate you taking the time to watch and for your nice comment. You can now definitely let your family know all about the highlights of the Sods.
Awesome video looks like a neat place
Thanks, man. It is a really fantastic place, I barely scratched the surface and I hope to return. Thanks for watching!
We have made plans to backpack Dolly Sods more than once, the weather has not cooperated at all!
I love your videos! I think you seam the directions needed for the hike and the beauty of the area perfectly!
Can’t wait for the next adventure!
Thank you so much for checking out my video and for your kind feedback. I appreciate it. The weather is always unpredictable up in that area. I was blessed to have a couple of really nice days but then rain during part of the third day. If you are geared up for it, the Sods is a beautiful place in any weather. I'm sure you'll enjoy your visit when it finally comes together for you. I look forward to getting back out there again myself sometime soon.
Great video. Looks like an awesome hike. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, my friend. It was a fantastic hike, I think this one rose to the level of "epic" for sure. Thanks so much for watching, I really appreciate it!
I enjoyed your video. Two friends and I just completed a two day one night hike of the Dolly Sods. The first day we hiked in going west on the Blackbird Knob Trail from FR 75 then north on Upper Red Creek. We cut west on the Dobbins Grade to Beaver View Trail. Then hiked north to make camp just before Ravens Ridge. Camp site was great in the trees to a view west. The next morning we caught Ravens Ridge for a short distance and on to Bear Rocks back east to the FR 75.It was a great trip and a great place.
Thanks so much for checking out my video and for your comment. Sorry for my delayed response, I've been away from the internet for a while. Sounds like you had a great trip at the Sods. All of the trails are great and lead through interesting areas, but I think the northern parts of the area are best for views. Upper Red Creek Trail is one of my personal favorites out there. I look forward to another trip out there, myself.
Great video! My cousins and I frequent Dolly Sods alot. That bog is really deep in places . The trek to Lions Head is a bit rough , but well worth it once you get there. Beautiful place! We will be heading back out to the trails again here soon. Thanks for the video SNR!!!
Thanks so much for checking out my video! This was a really great trip. The Sods is an amazing place. I’m overdue for another visit myself.
Beautiful video, one of my recent favorites
Thanks, man. I really appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed the video. The Sods is an awesome place, I'm already thinking about a return trip to see some of the other sections. If you have not been up there, definitely try to go sometime. I think you would like it.
It's a long way for me, mainly why I haven't been up there.
"Double CheeseBurger🍔" with Fries🍟and a Chocolate Malt❕ Yeah Buddy, that sounds even better to me
After the hike I found a beautiful greasy cheeseburger and it came with a nice pile of tater tots and a chocolate milkshake. That meal was almost as epic as the hike LOL! I should have included a pic at the end of the video. Thanks so much for checking out my adventure, I really appreciate it!
AH Man, You're make'n me S0 Hungry for 0ne or Two of them it's been S0 Long. I like to Dip My Cheeseburger into my Chocolate Malt👅,........it's, S0Oo G00D❕
Great video. Looked like a great trip. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, my friend. It was an epic hike. Thanks for watching!
Smell N Roses the Lions Head was really neat looking.....just as the name implies, looks just like it. Really cool 😎
Lion's Head definitely looks exactly like a lion. It's pretty amazing actually. The cool thing is that you have to be standing in exactly the right spot to see the lion, move just a little one way or the other and its just looks like a bunch of rocks LOL!
Great looking trip. Me my sister and a friend of hers was out the same weekend in Otter Creek. That early Sunday morning rain caught us of guard also . Otter Creek is a trip you definitely need to try. Glad you posted this trip its been on my mind to do and probably be my next outing.
Thanks so much for watching. The Sods is really an awesome area for sure. Yeah that rain on Sunday was unexpected but it was still beautiful and in a way I was glad I got to see the area from the rainy perspective too after having too nice sunny days. I've heard quite a bit about Otter Creek area, I'll have to check it out sometime.
Great video. Getting stuck knee deep in mud sounds absolutely terrifying! It happened me once at fossil beach in York River State Park. Luckily I was able to dig myself out after a few minutes, but not a good feeling.
Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks so much for watching. Yes, those marshes in eastern Virginia can also be treacherous and its not fun getting stuck lol.
You have some gorgeous footage there. Looked like a Great time. Can't believe I'm a west virginian any I've never been there. Thanks for sharing. Double cheeseburger time. Lol.
Aw man we may have to suspend your West Virginia heritage pending a visit to the Sods. You gotta get up there. Its a fantastic area and you would enjoy it. There are a lot of trails and so many possibilities to create loops of any length to suite your interests. Rest assured I did indeed track down a great cheeseburger after getting down the mountain LOL! Thanks so much for checking out my video, I really appreciate it!
Some really nice country and trail/s, except for the bog maybe.. 👍😃👍
It is a fantastic area for sure. Even the bogs have their charm...just come prepared to get wet and dirty LOL! Thanks so much for watching!
As hot as it is here in Texas I think I could have sat under that waterfall for the rest of the day. Very beautiful there. 😆 Lions head is really cool.
I guess I should not rub it in that daytime highs were in the low 70s, with nights down in the 40s, on this hike. I soaked a little in the creek on the second day and let me tell you the water was COLD!!! The Lion's Head was really neat. It's amazing just how much it does look like a lion. Thanks so much for checking out my video, my friend. I really appreciate it!
Nice place very well presented my dear friend
Glad you enjoyed my video. Thank you so much for watching and for your kind comment!
I saw some waterfalls. ;)
There were a lot of nice small cascades and falls and one really nice tall one. Thanks so much for watching!
Loved it! Especially the music!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks so much for watching and for your positive feedback.
What was walking towards you at 18:56..?
I was on my way back to the trailhead and what you saw was another small group of two or three hikers. Sunday morning it was actually pretty busy near the trailhead...weekend backpackers like me heading out and a lot of day hikers coming in. Thanks for checking it out, my friend!
Beautiful place!!!!
It definitely is. Thanks for checking out my video!
Looks like a beautiful area, I hope to get up there one day. Very nice video.
The Sods is an awesome area. I have no doubt that you would love it up there. Sadly it can be pretty crowded at times. It is one of the premier spots in West Virginia and the word is definitely out about it, but it's well worth a visit and should be near the top of your bucket list. Glad you enjoyed my video. This vid was a little long but it was tough to cram three awesome days down into one video. Thanks so much for watching, my friend!
knee deep in the Bog! when i saw this one was longer than usual i knew it was gonna be extra good that sure was 20 minutes of AWesome!!
I was surprised I was able to get this down to 20 minutes with all the footage I had, but I decided I didn't want to do it in parts, I wanted the whole trip in a single vid. Man, what an awesome place. It was an epic hike for sure. Glad you enjoyed the video, my friend. Thanks so much for watching!
Thanks for sharing. On the bucket list for sure. How are water sources...always need to keep that in mind with Jeb
Thanks so much for watching, my friend. You should definitely plan a visit, you won't be disappointed. Depending on your route, water should not be a problem here. On the loop I did, there were several miles along some ridges that didn't have any water, but many of the trails follow along creeks or cross numerous smaller streams. Both nights my campsites were only a few steps away from a creek.
Im jealous, that place is on my list and a good place to have leg gators lol. Thanks for sharing
You definitely should try to visit. It is a spectacular place. You would enjoy it. It's definitely wet and muddy out there most of the year, so yeah some gators could come in handy. Thanks for watching, man!
Great video as always! I am amazed at all of the varied terrain. I hope I get the chance to hike some of those trails someday!
Man its an awesome place. If you get a chance to visit, definitely go do it. Thanks so much for checking out my video!
Thanks for the subscription! I look forward to checking out your videos. Safe Trails!
Thanks so much for checking out my channel as well, I appreciate your support! One of your videos popped up in my suggestions list and I enjoyed it, can't wait to watch some of your other content and see some different areas I might not ever get to see for myself.
Excellent video. Definitely a beautiful place. You really got in some mileage on this hike for sure. Thanks for sharing your hike my friend!
It was a great hike. Its a fantastic area. You should consider making a trip up there sometime, it would be well worth your time, man. Thanks so much for checking out my video!
great video indeed what a beautiful hike and a couple nice camp areas and the views are awesome ,
had some tough spots to hike in the bolder area , and bogs ar no fun !
thanks for sharing
atb john
Thank you, my friend. Glad you enjoyed the video. This was an epic hike. Both my campsites were excellent, but the second night's site was just perfection. There were a few tough sections but overall it was not a difficult hike. It's very high elevation but its mostly just rolling hills once you get up there. The bogs were beautiful but difficult to navigate, they were very wet and muddy. Thanks so much for watching, man. I appreciate it!
Well done as always! We miss the Sods. Our trip in May got postponed, and we are now targeting the Fall.
We really enjoyed this video!
Thanks guys! I appreciate you checking out my video. The Sods is definitely an awesome place. I'm already thinking about a return trip, myself. I think the Fall would be a perfect time to visit, would be awesome to see the heath barrens ablaze in red color.
Thank you! So few people call out the trails or give a location on video.
Thanks so much for checking out my video. I like to tell you where I am in case you want to go out there and see for yourself. If I don't mention it in the video, you'll always find more detailed info in the description area below the video. I hate it when I see something really cool on RUclips but the channel doesn't tell me where to find it. Thanks again for stopping by.
A long video of Dolly Sods is still always too short. Looks like from the marker ribbons in the video, you were up sometime last week, around the time of the ultramarathon. Hell, I may have seen you and not even known it. The weather was awesome last week too. Was up there from last Wednesday up to Sunday afternoon. We didn't do many miles as one member of our group is 81. He still loves to go up, hike a bit and camp. Thank you for the LNT message; I hope people follow it. I did see some LNT rangers last week trying to spread the Leave No Trace gospel and clean up campsites. I have never done the rock scramble up to the Lion's Head; to darn scary for me! I always take the chicken-out route. It rained for us Wednesday night and then we got a somewhat unexpected rain early Sunday morning. I actually love Dobbin Grade Trail! It is beautiful scenery. I just use my "mud bogging" shoes: Vivo Barefoots with an old pair of socks over them to keep out debris. Glad you enjoyed your time in my backyard (well, actually I am one county over, so I have to jump the fence).
I surprised myself that I cut this down to 20 minutes given the crazy amount of footage that I had recorded over the three days. Yeah I was wondering about those red ribbons. They were quite irritating to me. I quickly realized that Dolly Sods is not in full compliance with the Wilderness designation, still has a lot of signs and markers and a few other man made ruins I noticed that should be removed. I guess that ribbon, at least, is temporary for the marathon? I only saw the ribbon on the first part of my hike, I must have left the marathon's route by the end of the first day. I think I was up there the same time you were there. I was there over Father's Day weekend. I arrived early Friday morning and was back at the trailhead by midday on Sunday. I did not hike as many miles per day as I normally would, the mileage was really for a two day hike but when I factored in my driving time, plus I really enjoyed soaking it all in and taking lots of photos and not worried about knocking out miles, it just worked perfected over three days instead of two. The scramble up to Lion's Head was not too bad, but I returned back down via the easier route, the one that goes through the planted pine trees area. I noticed that there are at least 3 or 4 different ways of getting up there. I was surprised by the rain early Sunday morning, it was not in the last forecast I checked before heading out but changes in weather is to be expected in a place like that. I agree, the area down on that bog at the Dobbin Grade was stunning. It's very beautiful down there. I've heard it stays wet and muddy all year, but with all the recent rainfall this season I think its more boggy than normal. I sunk up to my knees at one point and I was only on the trail for a few hundred yards LOL! Yes I definitely enjoyed my visit and hope to get back again in the future. I've spent a lot of time down in neighboring Pendleton County, but I've made far fewer trips to Tucker and Randolph, I need to explore them further. Thanks for checking out my video, I really appreciate it!
I can tell you that the signage in the north area is not accurate. The entire area is wilderness and under wilderness regs. (although, you are right, they do seem a bit loose, as there were over 200 runners). I did speak to one of the LNT rangers about the sign; there are plans to fix it. We got our last forecast on Friday and there was no rain in it; we were scrambling at 0245 Sunday morning to get stuff under the tarps and drop them down out of porch mode, but it had stopped by around 0800 making for a dry walk out. There has been a LOT of rain in our area for the last 2 months, so the trails are starting to suffer a lot. Most of the signs and the boardwalk in the north area were put up right before the wilderness designation, mostly because people were getting lost/turned around and creating rescue situations. Dolly Sods looks pretty tame and benevolent most of the time, but can become an absolute beast so fast you can't wrap your head around it. You need to hit Otter Creek and Laurel Fork. They are virtually unmaintained and still pretty wild. Laurel Fork is mostly just one trail: Laurel River trail , which is around 17 miles long with about 3 miles outside of the wilderness (on the Laurel fork North section). It is very difficult to do a loop hike without LONG road walks. The north and south wildernesses are separated by a campground (which sees very few people). The trail can be difficult to follow, but I have never seen another backpacker or fisherman more than 1/2 from the campground. Best time to avoid a lot of route finding is spring when the meadows are not so overgrown that you can't see the cairns. There is a nice campsite on Stone Camp Run trail right before it crosses the Laurel River, which is a very nice site. You will not see a gazillion campfire rings nor campsites in Laurel fork. A great place for solitude.
Thanks for the info on Laurel Creek area. Sounds like it might be just my kind of place. I really enjoyed the visit to Dolly Sods, it is such an amazing place, but it is rather crowded for my tastes, and I normally prefer to roam around places where I am much less likely to see other people.
I agree. I used to make a dozen or more trips to Dolly Sods; now it is more like 1/2 dozen. I go to Otter Creek or Laurel Fork. I also go to Seneca creek in mid-week; but it is a long drive of nearly 3 hours, so I prefer to do at least 2 nights there. You should not see anyone at Laurel Fork after leaving the campground area. The trail head that is about 5 miles off of US 33 is also a good trail head to go in on. There are some challenges at the crossing of the river due to floods over the years. The trail head at the other end is a really long 14ish mile drive up the forest road. You can make an about 5 mile loop hike using Laurel River south trail and Camp Five Run trail. There is a really nice campsite near the junction of the two trails; just work your way a bit down stream on Laurel River.
KuntryRD Thanks for those suggestions. I’ll check into it. Sounds great.
I really enjoyed this one. I think your day 1 footage from Ridge was awesome, had the perfect sky. You also got some great footage from Lions head and Red Creek. I'm glad you spent some time filming the views from Lions Head, not much video of that on RUclips. From your footage I could see exactly where I was standing, on the Rohrbaugh Trail, during my Red Creek Canyon hike. Cool...... I dont know, are you sure you were that muddy SNR? Any acorns fall out of your belt? :) jk
Thanks for taking us along on your hike. Take care.
Thanks for watching, man. I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was an epic hike in a spectacular area. The weather was perfect, especially the first day with all the puffy clouds. Day 1 was the best day for pics for sure. Lion's Head was really nice, not just the "lion" itself but the whole formation is really interesting with outstanding views off all sides. Yeah what little footage of it exists on RUclips, it's mostly selfies with the lion LOL! I tried to show that there is more to it than just the lion, although the lion is pretty amazing. Well I must admit that no acorns fell out of my belt, but I did have standing water in the bottom of my pack, and I washed my pants twice and the mud stains are still there...Like I said, permanent memories LOL! Hiking at the Sods is really not strenuous or difficult for the most part, but you won't be clean when you get out that is for sure haha!
It sucks when you sink deep into the mud man. I've had it happen in waders along a couple different rivers. I don't doubt that the Sods left you muddy.... there are a lot of bogs up there. Yeah I enjoyed the footage you got around Lions head and enjoyed the video overall. I'll watch this one again.
Glad you enjoyed it, my friend. Thanks for your support!
Very good video! Awesome views from Lions Head. Dolly Sods has been on my list for a long time. 👍
Glad you enjoyed the views, my friend. Thanks for checking out my video. Dolly Sods is a spectacular place. I hope you get the chance to visit next time you're out this way. You won't be disappointed.
looks like a very sweet spot you picked, definitely different then Iowa
It was a fantastic trip. I'm sure you have some great spots out there in Iowa as well, but yes this place is tough to beat for sure! Thanks for checking out my video!
Awesome, start to finish a great video & trip! I'd love to get up there for a night or two... if only I knew someone to lead the way (hint hint) lol...
Thanks for checking out my video, my friend. Yeah you could easily spend a week up there and not see it all, but a couple or three days can at least give you a good taste of the area. It is pretty spectacular, no doubt one of the premier backpacking areas on the east coast. Put it on your list and go check it out someday, I might know someone (hint) who would be willing to join you!
Not sure how I missed this one! About to leave to attempt a circumnavigation. 😎😎
Thanks for checking out my vid. Man I loved this hike and I know you will too. The Sods is a fantastic area. Looking forward to watching your footage.
I hike Dobbin grade trail once and try to avoid it ever since. What trail is Lion's head off of? Also what were the temps when you camped?
Although I did not check it out on this trip, I have heard that the western part of the Dobbin Grade, up where it meets the Rocky Ridge Trail, is quite nice. I think the boggy section is on the eastern part of the trail, as it follows along Red Creek. The Lion's Head is not actually on any of the trails. To get there, you'll want to hike the Rocky Point Trail, and in the area where all the big rocks and boulder fields are, you can look closely and see paths leading uphill to the Lion's Head formation. There are at least 3 or 4 of these paths. I myself came back down a different way from how I went up. The temperatures were perfect on my visit. Day time highs reached into the low 70s. The first night was colder, I think it was in the low 40s, while it was probably upper 40s or low 50s on the second night. I usually carry a small thermometer with me but I forgot to take it on this trip so I could only estimate the temps.
Great video. It looks like you really had a good time out there. I have been thinking about going there for quite a while now. I am telling Sintax77 you stole his "It's cheeseburger time" thing.
Rob Marley It was an awesome trip. I did really enjoy it. I highly recommend this area and if you get the chance you should go! Thanks so much for checking out my video, I appreciate it. Oh but I been having cheeseburger time after a big hike since long before Syntax even knew that hiking was a thing LOL.
Nice journey. Thanks for sharing. Love the solitude and abundance of views. I would love getting "lost" up there for a few days. Bogs can be treacherous. I had a struggle with one several years ago, and fear I had a small stroke. Did not go directly to the Dr as I should have, so I'm not certain. Looks like there would be lots of rhododendron and azalea bloom in the springtime. Was there a scarcity of water before descending to the river?
Thanks so much for watching, my friend. Indeed this is a fantastic area and one that is ideal for taking it slow and getting "lost." My three day hike could have easily been done in two, but it was nice to slow it down a little and take it all in. The boggy areas were certainly beautiful but difficult to navigate, especially the big one on the third day when I sunk knee deep. It was a jolt to the whole body to suddenly sink unexpectedly carrying a pack and all, and then it was a challenge to get back out and clear of the area. Sorry to hear about your medical situation you experienced. I can certainly see how that could have happened. Yes this area is loaded with all kinds of flowering plants and trees. My visit was a tad late for the azaleas and rhododendron, but I still saw quite a few nice blooms. Water is not especially scare out there. There were a few sections along the rocky ridges that were very dry, but most of the time I was never very far away from a creek. My campsites on both nights were just a few steps away from nice streams.
Gorgeous area. No bike though? I picked up a gravel bike recently to stay in shape for backpacking.
It was an epic hike for sure. Thanks for checking out my video. I noticed that some of the trails are open to bikes, but the route I wanted to take really needed to be done on foot this time. Biking is definitely some good exercise. I too have been riding some of my local trails to try to improve my fitness.
you should check out C & O Canal Trail. It runs from DC to Cumberland, MD. It has some truly amazing scenery and it is mostly gravel.
I've done a handful of miles on the C&O, mostly in Maryland outside of Harper's Ferry, WV, and on another section near Georgetown. I am interested in doing a longer trip on the C&O but it strikes me better suited to biking than hiking on foot. I just finished getting my bike ready for bikepacking and about to take it out on the first test run to see how it goes. Once I'm confident with my set-up I'll probably be looking at other good bikepacking routes.
I totally enjoyed this video. Some of your best work. Just gorgeous. You didn't mention it but did you even see another human for those 3 days? Maybe near the end of the video I saw someone heading your way. This was Sasquatch territory if I've ever seen any. It was very obvious why they call it Lions Head. Thanks for allowing me to hike virtually through you as I sit here in my recliner sipping coffee this morning.
Glad you enjoyed it, my friend. It is indeed a spectacular place to visit. With so much great scenery, it really was not that hard to get good footage for the video. This is actually a very popular destination. It's only a couple of hours from the D.C. metro area, and a lot of people come down from Ohio, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, so solitude is a little harder to come by than my video portrayed. Actually, once I was away from the trailhead I saw very few people while hiking, its such a large area everyone gets spread out. But the camp sites fill up quickly. I found that both afternoons I chose to stop hiking much earlier than I normally would have in order to claim a good camp spot. Yeah at the end of the video you can briefly see some other hikers coming towards me. It was about midday on Sunday and I was almost back to the trailhead...a lot of day hikers were making their way in as I was headed out. This area is indeed prime habitat for Squatch, but I suspect he was forced out by all the humans. I saw no trace of him on my visit LOL! Again, glad you enjoyed the video, man. Thanks so much for watching!
Great trail! Looks like water was plentiful and temps were comfortable. Were there bugs-o-plenty in the bogs? Sure looked like there should have been. As always, Great video and thank for sharing. By the way, Check out Mountain Bushcrafters Alliance on Facebook and consider becoming a member. See you on the trail!
It was an epic hike, my friend. Its a really spectacular area and yeah I had nearly perfect weather on the visit. There were quite a few bugs, especially mosquitoes and flies, around the creeks and bogs. I'm not very active on Facebook anymore, but I will check out the group you recommended. Thanks for the heads up, and thanks so much for checking out my video!
Great hike! I did the same loop a couple of weeks ago. Check out the vid on my channel! I'd love to hike with you sometime, im a VA boy too. Give me a holler
Thanks so much for checking out my video. I will have a look at your video and channel too. Its always fun to keep up with fellow Virginians.