This weekend trip was from May of 2014. We drove from Philadelphia to Dolly Sods and, although we got an early start, we got stuck in traffic in DC and didn't start hiking until after dark. We started at Bear Rocks Trailhead and stayed at the first campsite we could find; luckily only a short distance up the trail. Unfortunately for us we had to cross a creek at 10 p.m. at night. It wasn't cold out and we got a fire going quickly so we were dried out in no time. The campsite was on an island between two streams so it was a very cool site.
The next morning we woke up and hiked along Raven Ridge trail where we linked up with Rocky Ridge Trail. Rocky Ridge trail was definitely our favorite as we were up on a ridge and could see for miles. The day was sunny and clear so the scenery was beautiful.
We then took Blackbird know trail west where we met the Upper Red Creek trail and camped along the river for the night. All of the trails we were on after Raven Ridge trail were essentially walking through bogs. If you don't want to get your feet wet this trip is definitely not for you. The view of our campsite at Red Creek was beautiful but the area was crowded. People were pitching tents that weren't even in campsites.
Sunday morning we woke up and continued to hike through bogs/rivers along the Upper Red Creek and Dobbin grade trails. At times we were up to our knees in mud on the trail from all the rain the weeks before. We finally met up with the Bear Rocks trail and hiked out to our car. A great way to spend a weekend!
