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.

The exploitation of West Virginia’s coal and timber resources got under way in the 1870’s and by the late 1890’s, the railroad had reached Davis, WV. In 1902, a band saw mill was built at Laneville, WV, with a railroad from the Dry Fork to service it.

Logging camps sprang up throughout Dolly Sods as the virgin forest was cleared away to feed the hungry mills. By 1920, very little virgin forest remained in West Virginia. During this time, the Dahle family homesteaded a few acres in the area. By burning the logged areas once, they could get a good grass cover for grazing.

These open fields were known as “Sods”. Unfortunately, the amount of slash left behind coupled with the drying of the rich, peat-like soil, and the continual sparks from the trains contributed to repeated burning. This killed the grass and left only bracken fern to grow, no good for man or beast.

The Dahle family eventually moved on, leaving only their name behind, Americanized into “Dolly Sods”. The United States government purchased the first pieces of this area in 1916, adding it to the new and growing Monongahela National Forest. During the 1930’s Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees planted pine in an effort to reforest the area and prevent erosion and downstream flooding.

In 1943, in a cooperative agreement with the army, the area was used as a practice artillery and mortar range and maneuver area before troops were sent to Europe to fight in World War II. See the special notice for more on this.

The area was designated into the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1975 with the passage of the so-called “Eastern Wilderness Act”. It is now managed under that law and the Wilderness Act of 1964 to be a place where protection of natural processes is the highest priority use for this area.

Dolly Sods Wilderness is 10,215 acres in size. Trails do not have blazes and may or may not have signs. Most signs are expected to disappear over time as they are damaged and not replaced. Large rock cairns will mark major trail junctions, and smaller cairns may mark areas where the trail location is confusing.

Deadfall trees will be made so that they are reasonably passable, but will not be completely cleared. This will help retain some of the naturalness of the area. No bridges are provided over streams.

Please, do not remove or disturb artifacts of the past. These chunks of old glass and metal, railroad spikes, and horseshoes are a reminder of our past and that this area was once subject to human alteration. Leave them here so that all can marvel at how far the land has returned to naturalness.

Red spruce trees are frequently one-sided because the fierce prevailing winds stunt the growth of branches on the windward side of the tree. Huckleberry heaths occur between bogs and spruce stands. Rock outcrops are frequent in the upper sections of the wilderness and form ledges along the canyon of Red Creek. The sides of the Red Creek canyon, and the slopes of its tributaries, are clothed in maple, birch, cherry, and other hardwoods. Hemlock is a common conifer in these lower reaches, and rhododendron and mountain laurel clog the drainages. Lycopodium and fern are common ground covers. All these plants attest to the natural acidity of the soil and water.

Loops are listed from shortest to longest (mileage approximate), and generally in the direction they are easiest or most scenic to hike. Fords indicate streams that may be a problem to cross during high water events. Difficulty is for people in average condition.

Fisher Spring is a moderately steep downhill with a fairly rough tread. Rohrbaugh is a footpath until it hits Wildlife trail, when it turns into a logging road. Make a sharp left onto the road and go uphill to FR 75 and the Wildlife trailhead. Walking the road isn’t fun on a dusty summer weekend, but it’s a nice view and the walking is easy.

Rohrbaugh is a footpath that winds through the trees, crosses an old road, and continues downhill through small openings and forest. A nice vista opens up on a rock outcrop (please do not camp here – it puts you on the trail in other peoples’ way and makes the rocks less enjoyable). From these rocks you can see the canyon of Red Creek and the rock outcrops of Breathed Mountain above Rocky Point trail. Continue past a couple more openings, then on an old logging road. You may not notice the junction of Rohrbaugh and Wildlife, but stay on the road and you will end up climbing the hill back to Wildlife trailhead. Follow FR 75 back to the Rohrbaugh trailhead. Not bad scenery, though dusty in summer, and the walking is easy.

Difficulty: Moderately strenuous. Red Creek Trail starts as an old railroad grade/logging road at the beginning, but repeated flooding has created a side channel that must be crossed on rocks. Just past this ford, follow a footpath through rhododendron to a small clearing. This is the junction with Little Stonecoal. Turn left, cross Red Creek, and start up the long nasty hill on Little Stonecoal trail. Dunkenbarger come in from the right. Little Stonecoal appears to continue faintly uphill, but this section goes on to private land and is neither maintained nor recommended.

Dunkenbarger is pretty flat, swampy in wet years, but generally easy to follow through rhododendron and trees. It hits Big Stonecoal trail, and the view opens up slightly. Turn right on Big Stonecoal trail and cross the creek. This footpath turns into an old railroad grade at its intersection with Rocky Point trail, just after a short rocky uphill through rhododendron. To stay on Big Stonecoal, angle right onto another railroad grade and continue steeply downhill. This dumps you out at the mouth of Big Stonecoal Run where it joins Red Creek. Carefully climb down the stone steps, then cross Red Creek.

The trail is an old portion of grade, then switchbacks up onto a footpath along the canyon wall. Follow this back to Laneville Cabin.

Red Creek – Rocky Point – Big Stonecoal– Red Creek
Numbers: 514 – 554 – 513 – 514
Starts at: Laneville Cabin
Length of loop: 8.5 miles
Fords: 4
Difficulty: Painful.

Red Creek Trail starts as an old railroad grade/logging road at the beginning, but repeated flooding has created a side channel that must be crossed on rocks. Just past this ford, follow a footpath through rhododendron to a small clearing. This is the junction with Little Stonecoal. Go through the clearing bearing right and rejoin the old grade. At another side channel, climb the hill (which looks like a stream) and continue sidehill along the canyon of Red Creek.

Hike down a gentle slope to the junction with Fisher Spring trail. Continue downhill to Red Creek and ford just below the falls. Bear right and go up a steep section until the path joins with a wide, open grade. This is the intersection with Rocky Point trail. There should be several large rocks suitable for sitting on and catching your breath!

A sharp left onto the grade puts you on Rocky Point trail. Here you will beat your feet into submission on head-sized pointy rocks for 1.8 miles before reaching the intersection with Big Stonecoal trail. But before you go all that distance, you can climb the rocks on the north side of the trail and get some nice views of the Red Creek canyon and the rock outcrops on Rohrbaugh trail.

Big Stonecoal trail intersects Rocky Point trail on an oblique angle, coming from back left and continuing ahead of you. Make this sharp turn and continue steeply downhill. This dumps you out at the mouth of Big Stonecoal Run where it joins Red Creek. Carefully climb down the stone steps, then cross Red Creek.

The trail is an old portion of grade, then switchbacks up onto a footpath along the canyon wall. You’ve seen this before from the other direction. Follow this back to Laneville Cabin.

Fisher Spring – Red Creek – Big Stonecoal – Rocky Point – Red Creek – Fisher Spring
Numbers: 510 – 514 – 513 – 554 – 514 - 510
Starts at: Fisher Spring trailhead
Length of loop: 10 miles
Fords: 2
Difficulty: Moderately hard.

Fisher Spring is a moderately steep downhill with a fairly rough tread. It switchbacks, then does a skinny sidehill trail to its intersection with Red Creek trail. Continue sidehill on Red Creek trail until it comes downhill to Red Creek and intersects with Big Stonecoal trail. Cross Red Creek and take the stone steps up the mouth of Big Stonecoal onto the bench above the creeks. Follow an old railroad grade up a long steep hill to the intersection of Rocky Point trail, another railroad grade. Go around the hill on this very rough trail to its intersection with Red Creek trail. Turn right and go downhill steeply to the ford across Red Creek below the falls. Go uphill a short distance to the intersection with Fisher Spring trail. Turn left and follow Fisher Spring trail. Make sure you take the footpath to the left up Fisher Spring Run after you cross the run at the second rocky drainage. There should be a large rock cairn here. Otherwise, you will be on Rohrbaugh trail and confused.

Red Creek Trail starts as an old railroad grade/logging road at the beginning, but repeated flooding has created a side channel that must be crossed on rocks. Just past this ford, follow a footpath through rhododendron to a small clearing. This is the junction with Little Stonecoal. Go through the clearing bearing right and rejoin the old grade. At another side channel, climb the hill (which looks like a stream) and continue sidehill along the canyon of Red Creek. Hike down a gentle slope to the junction with Fisher Spring trail. Continue downhill to Red Creek and ford just below the falls. Bear right and go up a steep section until the path joins with a wide, open grade. This is the intersection with Rocky Point trail. Continue to climb uphill; it will eventually flatten out slightly. Breathed Mountain trail takes off to the left and immediately climbs out of the Red Creek drainage.

It continues west through open heath, patches of timber, and rock fields. It ends at the old trailhead signs for Forest Road 80, which is no longer in use. Timberline Ski Resort can be accessed by hiking north (right) from these signs. But to continue on this route, turn right onto Big Stonecoal trail. Follow this through woods and open heath and bog country then back into rhododendron woods.

At the intersection with Rocky Point trail, bear right downhill onto another railroad grade and continue steeply downhill. This dumps you out at the mouth of Big Stonecoal Run where it joins Red Creek. Carefully climb down the stone steps, then cross Red Creek. The trail is an old portion of grade, then switchbacks up onto a footpath along the canyon wall. You’ve seen this before from the other direction. Follow this back to Laneville Cabin.

Difficulty: Moderately strenuous. Red Creek Trail starts as an old railroad grade/logging road at the beginning, but repeated flooding has created a side channel that must be crossed on rocks. Just past this ford, follow a footpath through rhododendron to a small clearing. This is the junction with Little Stonecoal. Turn left, cross Red Creek, and start up the long nasty hill on Little Stonecoal trail. Dunkenbarger come in from the right. Little Stonecoal appears to continue faintly uphill, but this section goes on to private land and is neither maintained nor recommended.

Dunkenbarger is pretty flat, swampy in wet years, but generally easy to follow through rhododendron and trees. It hits Big Stonecoal trail, and the view opens up slightly. Turn left onto Big Stonecoal and go upstream through rhododendron woods and heath and bog country. At the old trailhead signs for Forest Road 80 turn right and climb slightly through woods and rocks. Breathed Mountain trail winds through a scenery of open vistas and wooded patches before starting downhill into the valley of Red Creek.

At Red Creek trail, turn right and head downhill. Ford the creek below the falls and climb uphill, passing the Fisher Spring trail intersection. Continue to follow the trail down the canyon of Red Creek until it comes out at Laneville Cabin.

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. Since it is impossible to survey every acre of the wilderness, we ask that you follow the recommendations: