Dolly Sods Wilderness, Natural wilderness area in Allegheny Mountains, West Virginia.
The 17,769-acre protected land features rocky outcrops, high-elevation plateaus, red spruce forests, and northern mountain bogs at elevations reaching 4,000 feet.
The U.S. Army used this land as an artillery and mortar range during World War II, leaving behind practice ordnance that occasionally surfaces today.
The name combines Dolly, from the German farming family Dahle who grazed sheep in the region, and Sods, referring to the mountaintop meadows.
Visitors need to bring topographic maps and compasses as trail markers are limited and weather conditions can change rapidly at higher elevations.
The area contains plants typically found in northern Canada, including cranberries, which grow here due to the high altitude and climate conditions.
Location: West Virginia
Inception: January 3, 1975
Operator: United States Forest Service
GPS coordinates: 38.99580,-79.36810
Latest update: May 26, 2025 20:54
West Virginia combines natural areas with historic sites. The state features waterfalls, mountain peaks, caves and old railroad tracks. Visitors find national forests, historic battlefields and mineral springs. The region displays geological formations, abandoned mining towns and astronomical observatories.
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