rpcv
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Post by rpcv on Aug 4, 2015 7:40:26 GMT -5
A couple of weeks ago, a friend, my husband and I went up to Dolly Sods for a dayhike. We did the Blackbird Knob Trail from the campground, past the Lower Red Creek Trail. Then we turned around and hiked down to the forks of Red Creek. Given how wet it was in June, I really should have expected the mud, but I was still a bit surprised. The mud was incredible. With the exception of a few places where the trail crosses higher ground, the entire trail was covered in water or had been churned into ankle deep mud. We tried to hike straight through it all as much as possible, but the trails have been thrashed and widened pretty badly by the crowds of people. We saw lots of large groups. In spite of all of that, we had a good trip. Our friend had never been up there before. The blueberries were ripe, so we got to snack along the way. The waterfalls at Red Creek were running nice and high, which made for nice photos. And the rhododendrons were blooming. As a nice bonus, the weather was sort of marginal that day, but it stayed dry (because the only thing that would have made all of that mud better would have been a good downpour).  Blackbird Knob Trail  An interesting slug on a tree where we had lunch  Rhododendrons (Rhodendron maximum)  The waterfalls on Red Creek  This was pretty typical of what the trail looked like (this is Blackbird Knob Trail)  Wood Lily (Lilium philadelphicum). After our hike, we drove up to Bear Rocks. These were blooming in the meadow next to the road. |
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Post by arfcomhkr on Aug 4, 2015 10:39:10 GMT -5
The West Virginia Trail Runners hit that place at the end of June. It's like a herd of elephants on the trails. Stay out of Spruce Knob-Seneca Creek the weekend of Oct. 9th , unless you like that sort of thing.  |
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rpcv
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Post by rpcv on Aug 4, 2015 19:38:39 GMT -5
Good to know! The two trails we hiked on were so hammered and we were there the weekend of July 12. We saw at least four groups of 8+ people, mostly backpackers. We figured it would be quieter because it was the weekend after a holiday weekend. I can't imagine what July 4 was like.
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Post by arfcomhkr on Aug 5, 2015 6:34:24 GMT -5
That's the problem with weekend hiking. Being retired, I prefer to go mid week. But most of the people I hike with still work, so I end up hiking on weekends anyway.
If you're looking for solitude, the Cranberry area is probably best for that, even on weekends (holidays aside). It's farther from the major metro areas. Matter of fact, it's even quite a drive from my place in Upper Tract. Sometimes that's just the price you have to pay to get away from the crowds.
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christopherrobin
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”
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Post by christopherrobin on Aug 5, 2015 9:39:19 GMT -5
have you been to Cranberry lately? we are thinking of going at the end of the month.
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rpcv
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Post by rpcv on Aug 5, 2015 13:33:02 GMT -5
arfcomhkr, I agree, Cranberry is the place for solitude. I've been backpacking there twice and loved it. It is just too far of a drive for a dayhike, unfortunately.
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Post by countryroads on Aug 10, 2015 14:08:25 GMT -5
Yeah, the Sods is getting pretty nasty as to trail conditions. The trails and natural geography/natural conditions simply cannot handle the huge increase in hiker/horse traffic. Forest service and volunteers have been out on some of the really bad places on Blackbird knob trail, but there is just no money in their budget for much work.
Not sure how much more those trails can take.
Even middle of the week trips can be pretty busy. I hit Dobbin Grade Trail a couple of weeks ago; it is usually much less crowded on the section from Bear Rocks to Upper Red Creek Trail. I saw no other hikers until upper Red Creek Trail; then saw 14 people in the next 1/4 mile. Most everyone was trying to stay dry; that was not working out. I was just plowing on through the deep mud. Going around the mud on that trail is a recipe for getting in even deeper. The actual trails are at least solid under the mud, but the boggy areas at the side of the trails are not solid.
Cranberry does tend to have way less people. Laurel Fork Wilderness has few people, but loop hikes are a pain with the road walks & the trail can be hard to find in the South Wilderness in the meadow areas, but that just means solitude. It is a beautiful place though.
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Post by countryroads on Aug 10, 2015 14:13:27 GMT -5
Just remembered. I went to Seneca Creek last week. Only trail head with cars was Seneca Creek trail including 2 8-passenger vans, one from GA and one from AZ.
Saw a man and his son about 3/4 mile from Tom's Lick Run Trail, which is the trail I headed up. I saw no other people until I got down Bear Hunter Trail, then saw at least a couple of dozen people camped at Judy Springs. I camped at the end of Bear Hunter Trail and had a nice quiet evening. Hike out via Seneca Creek Trail.
So, Seneca Creek area is good for solitude, especially mid-week, if you hike trails on the Gandy Creek side. I have hiked that side twice and saw no other hikers, even on a weekend.
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vdeal
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Post by vdeal on Aug 12, 2015 8:32:11 GMT -5
Here’s the link for the WV Mountain Trail Runners. If you dig through far enough you can find maps of where they will be running and then know when and where to avoid. |
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