Dolly Sods Wilderness located in the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia

Dolly Sods Wilderness occupies the lower half of the drainage of the north fork of Red Creek.  Red Creek begins on the high plateau of Allegheny Mountain, a flat, poorly drained area.  As the stream crosses into what is now wilderness, it begins to cut down through the plateau, creating a steep-sided canyon.  As it leaves the wilderness, it joins with the south fork of Red Creek and continues on to the Dry Fork River.  Because of this, the northern section of the wilderness is high-elevation plateau, wind-swept and boggy.

  Patches of native red spruce, alder, maple, and mountain ash mingle with plantations of pine, upland heath, and sphagnum bogs.  The area is generally open, with wide-spreading vistas.  Huckleberries and cranberries are common in the heath and bog areas.  As Red Creek and its tributaries, Big Stonecoal and Little Stonecoal Runs, leave the plateau; they become more forested, with a number of hardwood trees including maple, birch, and black cherry.  Hemlock is a common conifer along the drains as well.  Underneath the trees are thickets of rhododendron and mountain laurel. 

Red Creek itself changes from a pleasant meandering stream to a dynamic,  tumbling watercourse, with several small waterfalls and swirling pothole areas.  Red Creek is well known to flash flood because the high ridge of Allegheny Mountain, the eastern continental divide, catches storms.  When enough rain has fallen to lighten the clouds, they finally sail on east.  Interestingly enough, Allegheny Mountain also catches storms coming from the east, most notably those associated with hurricanes, which also dump water into Red Creek.¹

WARNING: Many of the artillery and mortar shells shot into the area for practice still exist here.  In 1997, a highly trained crew surveyed the trail locations and known campsites for shells.  They found 15, some of which were still live.  All were exploded on site.  Many more may still exist and are dangerous.  It is impossible to survey every acre of the wilderness, therefore you should review procedures and recommendations listed on the Dolly Sods Site.

Special Notice: I have looked at three different trail maps of Dolly Sods Wilderness: the Forest Service, National Geographic, and one on TOPO Zone.  The trail locations on the maps are highly inaccurate.  Good map & compass skills are highly recommended.  A GPS backup is always helpful too.