General Information

Access

I normally get to Dolly Sods from the north. You can either come through Canaan Valley and Route 32, or you can come down the east side of Dolly Sods along Route 42.

Western Access: Continue south through Canaan Valley. When leaving Canaan Valley, you will then turn left, onto Laneville road. This will take you up to FR 19 and FR 75.

Eastern Access: taking route 42 south turn right onto Jordan Run Road. Continue several miles until you reach FR 75. Turn right (west) onto FR 75 to take you up to Bear Rocks at the norhtern end of Dolly Sods.

Often roads are closed at Dolly Sods. Be sure to contact the Forest Service about your preferred route. In the winter, they typically don't keep FR 75 open. As late as April, I have seen these roads closed.

Weather

Even in summer, the weather can be quite cold. Expect Dolly Sods to be at least 10 degrees cooler than nearby towns like Petersburg or Keyser. When the weather is bad at lower elevations, the weather on Dolly Sods is terrible.

Nearest Towns

Davis and Canaan Valley are the nearest towns to the west. Petersburg is the nearest town to the east. Keyser is the nearest town to the North.

Unexploded Mortars

Throughout Dolly Sods you can find old mortar shells from when the area was an Army artillery range. If you see anything of this nature, leave it alone. It may still, after 30 years, explode. I have seen pieces of mortar shells at Dolly Sods. They are not uncommon. Watch out.