[GaliWalker]

Snow and ice at Bear Rocks (Dolly Sods, West Virginia - 2/10/'18) Dolly Sods in winter...a land of snow and ice. As popular as this 4000ft high plateau is during the warmer seasons, a winter trip can provide complete solitude. One reason is that the network of roads that provide access to the trailheads are all closed to vehicles. However, if one is willing to pay the price of admission, the rewards can be plentiful. Dolly Sods has several spectacular viewpoints, but none better than the easy to access Bear Rocks vista. The shortest approach is from the east, via Forest Road 75, which leads one directly to the viewpoint parking area. In winter FR75 is gated 1.5mi in, which leaves a 3.2mi walk to Bear Rocks. Yesterday morning, I was unable to reach the gate due to the icy road surface, so I parked about 1mi in. Since it was still pitch black and the road looked snowy/icy, I strapped on my snowshoes right from the start. It was 6:00am as I began to trudge up the road. All I could see was a pool of white snow in the puddle of light cast by my headlamp. Eventually, this got replaced by a bare hardwood forest, but the interest quotient remained nil. The snow was about 6" deep just below Bear Rocks, somewhat consolidated, but not enough that I wasn't glad of the snowshoes by then. As I reached Bear Rocks, around 7:30am, the snow had all but disappeared! The winds that can rampage across this open area had scoured the road and surroundings clear of snow. As I left the road to wander around on the austere rock formations that give the spot its name, I switched from snowshoes to spikes; ice coated the rocks and footpaths. Skidding off the rocks into any one of the deep fissures would not have been advisable.

1- Approaching Bear Rocks

2- Overcast dawn

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I took my time taking pictures until a light and icy rain arrived around 9:15am, so I packed up my photography gear. I wasn’t ready to go back down just yet, so I picked up the Bear Rocks Trail to head west, into the heart of upper Dolly Sods.

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The trail was an ice skating rink, and spikes were essential. The ice was almost impenetrable to start with, but got rotten and undermined a bit further on. In one section the ice was thin and undermined by water; I punched through with every step, breaking up the ice into pretty slabs.

8- Skating rink

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10- Pretty slabs of ice I'd punched my way across

11- Confluence

After the crossing of Red Creek - such a pretty spot - the ice disappeared and the snow returned. Unfortunately, I had stashed my snowshoes at the start of the trail, so I had to make do without. It wasn't too bad, despite the 4-8" deep snow, except for the occasional thigh deep posthole (where did that come from?).

12- Crossing Red Creek

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I turned around about 2mi in. On the return as I passed Bear Rocks the rain had stopped so I went back to the rocks for a couple more photos. It was around 2:00pm when I reached my car.

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16- Bear Rocks potholes

17- Comma

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19- Rock pillows

20- Back down FR75

Hiking/photography stats: 12mi, 2200ft elevation gain, 8hrs.

[Bernardo]

Interesting. Looks like a good day.

[lanzscape]

I spend a weekend or two at Dolly Sods every year, Gali, but I've never been there in winter. Thanks for sharing your winter trip photos. Interesting to see Red Creek (which isn't called Red Creek for nothing) surrounded by white snow.

[wildernessed]

As usual great area and photography I think I am going back that way in June hope to do something while I am back there visiting friends and family.

[GaliWalker]

June would be a great time there for the mountain laurel bloom. Also, I saw a great showing from the azaleas at the end of May, last year. Maybe you get lucky and also catch them in bloom. Have you ever hiked atop the Roaring Plains, just south of Dolly Sods? Just as nice as Dolly Sods, but wilder and without the crowds. There are some unofficial trails there along the southern rim of the plateau which have some pretty cool views. Let me know if you'd be interested in checking them out and don't already know about them.

[zephyr]

[GaliWalker]

Thanks zephyr. The trickiest thing in the above photo - a 'selfie' - was to jump across that crevice in the icy conditions, in order to get into position. With spikes it wasn't an issue but there was no way I would have gone there if I didn't have them on.