Go Off the Grid on a Camping Weekend in Dolly Sods - Easy Weekend Getaways from Washington D.C.

If you really want to get off the grid, head to the Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia, about three hours from Washington DC.

Set in the Monongahela National Forest, this wilderness is home to a range of landscapes you don’t see elsewhere around the DMV: wind-swept tundra-like plains, pine forests, and mossy fern-covered trails that look more like the PNW. It also has a unique history, which you can read more about here — basically it was logged, then burned, and then used as a training area in WW2 so there are still unexploded ordinances lying around. (Stay on the trails!)

It’s a bit far for a day trip from DC, so you’ll want to pack the tent and make an overnight or weekend out of it.

Camping in Dolly Sods

There’s only one official campsite in the wilderness area: Red Creek Campground. It’s on the eastern side of the park, a bit south of the beautiful Bear Rocks overlook and right near the Red Creek trail head. Don’t expect anything fancy — there are about 10 sites, plus basic facilities like vault toilets. Each site has space to park and set up a tent or hammock, plus there are picnic tables and fire pits.

It costs $11 per night. The catch? It’s first come first serve — you can’t reserve a spot, and it fills up quickly, especially on weekends. As one reviewer online posted, don’t expect to show up at 7 pm on a Friday and find a spot, but still drive through because sometimes there’ll be a miracle.

(I can vouch that arriving at 7 on a Friday will likely leave you SOL.)

So where to camp in Dolly Sods if you don’t snag a Red Creek spot?

Anywhere!

It’s a backcountry haven so basically you can either hike in to a spot (and there are some with epic views), or you just park your car along the dirt road and find a spot that’s 300 or more feet away from the road. There are a lot of existing campsites with pre-build stone fire pits.

This sounds simple but as a first time visitor it’s a bit confusing (especially if you’re arriving having left after work on a Friday and it’s getting dark). Since you can’t camp right next to the road (and you wouldn’t want to, unless you want to wake up covered with a layer of dust), it’s hard to actually SEE any sites. Instead you’ll see pull-offs where a handful of cars are often parked, and then little trails leading into who knows where that may or may not have a campsite nearby.

That’s part of the fun, of course, and if you are willing to carry your supplies in and not be tethered to the car then you’ll find plenty of options. (Just remember to bring a kit to hang your food — this is bear country.) if you’re sticking close to the car you can keep your food in there to bear proof it, just leave yourself enough daylight to find a spot and settle in.

What to do in Dolly Sods

Hike!

The whole area is a patchwork of trails, so you can do a short 2-miler or cross cross the park on a multi-day 20+-mile trek (you can find a Dolly Sods trail map here).

I camped near the Wildlife Trail so took that to connect with the Rohrbaugh Trail for a solid 8-mile out and back.

One thing to note is that many of the trials here get very muddy. There are also stream crossings that can get dangerous depending on water levels.

More hiking info is available here:

Sunrise or sunset at Bear Rocks

In the northeast corner of this area, there’s a beautiful overlook that takes in the mountain ridges to the east. It’s wide open up here and is a popular place to gather for sunrise and sunset.

Lindy Point sunset

Another popular sunset spot is Lindy Point, about 1 hr drive from Dolly Sods near the town of Davis. It’s a short hike/walk from the road to a lookout platform and rock formation that gives you a killer view of the sunset dipping into the valley below.

Thomas & Davis

If you don’t want to rough it the whole time, pop into these little towns about an hour From the Sods. Each has a little main strip with some eateries and a couple of breweries and bars. In Thomas, the Purple Fiddle is legendary for its live music, and recently has been doing free outdoor concerts on the patio.

Good Dolly Sods Campsites

There’s a meadow on a spur off the start of the Wildlife Trail, with a few campsites
There are some campsites with stunning views at the Rohrbaugh Cliffs, as well as some wooded sites near the trail head
Bear Rocks is flat and has open plains and sweeping views, with a few places to camp

Dolly Sods Car Camping Packing List

tent
tarp or footprint
folding camp chairs
sleeping bag, sleeping pad, pillow
newspaper or fatwood (you can collect firewood but it helps to have some burnable kindling to get the campfire started)
matches (these weatherproof matches from REI)
lots of water
food & drink
knife
cutlery
garbage bags
a good cooler
compostable/camping toilet paper (or better yet, put it in a garbage bag and carry it out)
flashlight
sunscreen
bug spray
compass
topographic map (like this one from Purple Lizard)
basic toiletries
warm clothes and cold weather gear (hat, gloves, etc.)
cozy non hiking shoes for nighttime (my Uggs were perfect
hat
sunglasses
lantern/flashlight
small light to hang in your tent
headlamps

Dolly Sods Tips

Fill up with gas before you get here, there’s nothing nearby
Stay on the trails! There are still live explosives leftover from WW2 training
Know what to do in case you encounter a bear — they’re common here. Don’t keep food in your tent, either hang it or keep it in the car. And make noise when you’re hiking or waking up in the middle of the night.
Get a compass and a good map like the Purple Lizard topographical map. You won’t have good (or any) cell phone service. But you can also load the area on google maps and use GPS even without service. (But get the map to be safe!)
Expect any type of weather in any time of year.
Prepare to get a little muddy.