Dolly Sods West Virginia

Flag Spruce, Huckleberry bushes, Rocks
atop Dolly Sods

Dolly Sods in West Virginia is part of the Monongahelia National Forest.  It is around 2.5 hours from Washington D.C. and has a very unique ecosystem for the area.  The mountain plateau is similar to Canadian Tundra and contains a variety of shrubs, berries, spruce, and car-sized rocks.  My son has enjoyed this environment for many years and never refuses a trip there while we are caming in the area.  The allure for him is the rock scrambling; for me it is the incredible views.  The plateau is at an elevation of around 4,500 feet but the temperature differences from the valley below are significant.  I've been there in late April and seen a snow field on a shady side of the rocks.  I was there in October several years ago and while walking through the shrubs I mentioned how we didn't to worry about snakes as it was so cold.  Just as we were leaving the trail a harmless green snake slithered throgh the bush I was nibbling huckleberries from.  Naturally, I couldn't help but wonder about the non-harmless snakes that were surely tucked within crevaces the rocks made.  The huckleberry and blueberry shrubs provide a burnished brown color in fall in contrast to the sparse green spruce with a background of rainbow-colored deciduous foilage.  It is one of the finest views I've ever seen.  The forest service contains a great deal of trails throughout the 10-mile plus plateau but our favorite destination is always Bear Rocks Preserve.  This is where a seemingly endless field of huckleberry and blueberry bushes grow.  As I said I am always impressed with the temperature variations from the valley below as well as by how vigorous the wind blows through.  The spruce trees are referred to as flag spruce because branches only grow on the leeward side.  A video we watched on the history of the area related there was a fire many years ago in which the entire plateau burned.  It was an old-growth forest of conifers that supposedly burned down to the rocks.  When it grew back the variety of mountaintop plants that flourished was unprecented.  While we haven't stayed there yet there is a fantastic campground half-way down the access road.  To get there be prepared to leave the pavement and follow an unimproved incline littered with potholes and waves of frost heaves.  Once on top of the mountain the single-lane is very rough and, during busy periods, you will have to pull over frequently for cars coming in the opposite direction.  The views of the valley below are unmatched and the hiking is teriffic.