3 years after my first overnight in Dolly Sods, I made it back out to the Wilderness to do it right. This time, I meant to do a 3-day loop starting from Bear Rocks Trail, making it to Lions Head on Day 2.
Although I went solo, there were plenty of people on the trail. In fact, I’d say it was just as crowded as Old Rag, at least on Day 1 of the trek. I chalk this up to Labor Day Weekend.
Day 2 of the trek included an early start plus a visit to Lions Head; the early start afforded me the ability to finish the 3-day loop on this day. I certainly plan on returning to do this trek again; however, next time, I will leave early enough to snag one of the sweet camp sites at Lions Head.
Google Map of Trailhead
The parking lot fused with the uphill mountainous road leading up to it. There must have been over 200 cars and trucks parked here, full of day-hikers and backpackers, as well as folks just soaking in the scenery before heading back down. Cars were parked on both shoulders of the road leading to and from the parking lot, but the constant turnover made it easy to find a spot close enough to the trailhead.
Azure Skies, Rivers of Tea, and Blankets of Greenery: Scrumptious!
After making my way along the top perimeter of Dolly Sods – starting on the Bear Rocks Trail 522 and continuing straight onto the Raven Ridge Trail 521 (after accidentally turning left for a short while), the trail ended and I took a sharp left onto the Rocky Ridge Trail 524.
How appropriate. This section of the trek is entirely rock – big and small – and I regretted leaving my hiking poles the moment it started. After several long and tiring miles, the trail descended into a muddy, marsh-like forest that intersected 3 trails. I continued straight onto the Big Stonecoal Trail 513.
There were campsites everywhere on this trail. Everywhere I looked, folks were setting up camp and making fires in some pretty amazing looking campsites. Seriously, this was prime real estate. Due to this (and sheer desire), I had no choice but to press on. Eventually, the wet forest gave way to open skies with a clear view of the river. The trail continued, with several avenues to cross to the other side. I made a mental note of a fire pit next to the water below the open sky, not too far from some other campers.
Lost Again!
Over 10 miles into the hike, I was off-trail again. I didn’t take a wrong turn this time though – I was actually on a trail that isn’t even on the map, and due to fatigue my only option was to camp by that fire pit I noticed upstream. The next morning, I would have to retrace my steps back to my car, effectively ditching my initial plans of completing the loop.
Thankfully a nearby camper saw me pass by several times and instructed me on how to get back on trail. Apparently, he had to help many other folks before me. Phew!
After getting back on track, I lost the trail once more and would soon lose daylight. Others told me that I was indeed on the right trail, but the smart move was to camp as soon as possible; it would get dark soon and if I continued, I would not see a single campsite for miles.
That night in my tent, I wrote down the list of trails on my route. These would serve as my “milestones” for the following 2 days and hopefully provide enough mental clarity to stay on course (spoiler: it worked like a charm!).
Day 2: Lions Head
The escape I sought by coming to Dolly Sods eluded me ever so cleverly on Day 1; but on Day 2, it greeted me at 6:33 AM in the form of birds chirping, and skies brightening. I was on the trail by 7:09 AM.
This is a cool looking tree 
Here are the treetops as seen from below
I was the only one on the trail for quite some time. All I could hear were the sounds of sweet nature being muffled by my squishy footsteps, and I absolutely loved this. This contrasts with Day 1, where I started the trek between 1 and 2 PM. No need for headphones on this day!
Unlike the previous evening, I was able to make my way through the trail with relative ease. When I was unsure of my footing, the sight of footsteps in deep mud provided some comfort. Seeing tents completely assuaged my concerns, and I happened to cross by them frequently.
Recommendations from Other Backpackers
Before turning left onto the Rocky Point Trail 554, I ran into some campers who were drinking their morning coffee. As I filled up my water bottle from the river, they told me about how many lost folks they saw on the trail, including an elderly gentleman who suffered some injuries to the face after falling into some thick brush. They told me the trail map I had was not that useful, and that I should check out Purple Lizard Maps.
On the Rocky Point Trail 554, on my way up to Lions Head, I ran into some others who were using a pre-loaded course on a Garmin Forerunner 945 to navigate their way. After picking their brain on this, I decided that I would use this feature (for the very first time, believe it or not) on my Garmin Fenix 3 during my next backpacking trip to Spruce Knob.
Reaching Lions Head!
Navigating to Lions Head was not nearly as difficult as I imagined. There were cairn stones along several entrances, and I somehow took a left turn up one route that precluded the need for any rock scrambling whatsoever. In fact, after a steep but short initial climb, there was a trail that lead through several amazing campsites, and ultimately up to the vista.
Perhaps the best campsite was a large area with several large stones arranged into a seating area resembling a sofa for many, in front of a massive fire pit. There was a group of folks enjoying breakfast at that camp site on large fire, and I made a mental note to camp here next time I was in Dolly Sods. It would make for the best camp site experience ever, with a short walk to Lions Head for what I imagine would be a superb sunrise.
The Campsites of Day 2
After Lions Head, it was time to continue on. I hiked back down to the trail and continued on the Rocky Point Trail 554 until reached its terminus. I took a left turn onto the Red Creek Trail 514, and pretty soon I made it to another set of campsites by Red Creek.
It was 10:59 AM, and this is where folks usually spend the night on Day 2. It was too early to camp and, being the early bird that I am, I was so amped up that I decided I would make it a personal challenge to make it back to my car at Bear Rocks within the next few hours. The way I saw it, the only thing to hold me back would be getting lost, but I felt invincible ever since waking up to peace and quiet that morning and I had a good feeling about the remainder of the journey.
Amped to Finish Up
The trails were well-worn and by this time, I started to see others as well. I made quick work of the remaining 7+ miles, spotting the trail markers just as I expected to see them. Everything was new territory for me, except for good old Raven Ridge Trail 521. I knew that once I reached that trail, I would be “home free,” and once I reached the intersection of Bear Rocks Trail 522, I could finally relax and have a sip of water.
Continuing on from the Red Creek Trail 514, I made a right turn onto Blackbird Knob Trail 511 and then after only 0.4 miles I made a left onto the Upper Red Creek Trail 509. Here, the terrain started to shift slightly. It was still muddy, but when I got out from tree cover I was reminded of the Lewis Fork Wilderness. In fact, it was at this point I realized that the entire trek starting from the Rocky Point Trail 554 was very reminiscent of the Lewis Fork Wilderness, because it reminded me of the Lewis Fork Trail as well as the Grayson Highlands.
Claiming Victory
My watched died halfway up the Raven Ridge Trail 521, but I didn’t need it by then. After reaching the intersection of the Bear Rocks Trail 522, which is where I was on Day 1, I finally took a break for water before heading back to my car :).
Trek Stats: Elevation Gain and Distance
Day 1
Total climbing: 1972 ft
Total time: 04:34:27
Day 2
Total climbing: 1998 ft
Total time: 06:44:50
2 Comments
LX · October 26, 2021 at 5:16 pm
Great write-up. Regarding the trail map situation. The Purple Lizard map is excellent–but you can also find public CalTopo maps for Dolly Sods that are just as reliable. I recommend taking both. CalTopo makes life easier because while your cell phone has no cell signal in Dolly Sods, you do have GPS signal most of the time…which means you can use CalTopo to navigate very effectively. I’ll also add to anyone else reading this note, that if you’re going to take a good old fashioned map, you might as well take a compass with you and learn how to find your way with just a compass, map, and a landmark.
adventuresinroamance · August 28, 2023 at 9:01 am
Thanks for your comment! Ditto on the map and compass – a skill lost on many but a life savor for sure and certainly worthwhile for any trekkers to know. Dolly Sods is the perfect place to test/learn how to use one as well, to your point, since you have backup options (including GPS) and can fairly easily retrace your steps. I will check out CalTopo; thanks for the recommendation!