The Experience
You will love: Family friendly, short distance and a landscape photographers dream of.
You need to know: No permit for access required
You need to know: No permit for access required
About: Dolly Sods is a wilderness area covering 17,371 acres. It has a rich diversity of trees and plant life spread amongst vast formations of Sandstone. At its peak elevation of 4,123 ft. this area resembles more Southern Canada than West Virginia. The name Dolly Sods originates from Sheep Herding that was popular in the 19th century.
Located just outside Fayetteville, WV and on the outskirts of the New River Gorge National Park sits the Endless Wall trail (great marketing name!). The trail combs through a potpourri of pines, babbling brooks and mountain laurel on its way to multiple outcrop views. The trail is a loop, however be forewarned that to complete the loop you will find yourself hiking along route 82 for nearly half a mile. We did an in and out hike and still hit all the points of interest. The trail features multiple offshoots to grab views of the gorge, the wall and even see rafters taking on the whitewater. There are two points of interest, first is diamond point (literally the rock is diamond shaped at the summit), this easily found point of interest is a great viewing area of the gorge and all surrounding areas. There is plenty of room to lunch, hangout or gaze upon the over 1000ft sheer cliffs. The second point of interest is .2 miles onward from diamond point, it’s a small offshoot from the trail that leads to climbers ladders. It’s a fun area to explore and capture the steel ladders bolted into the rockface and yes, it’s fun to go up and down a few rungs. To head back to your car, retrace your steps. A recommendation is to get to the trail head early, the parking lot is small and the trail is popular which makes for bad math. The second recommendation is while the trail is family friendly, be mindful of the kiddos at the different outcrops, they are steep and footing should be minded for all.
GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS
Located just outside Fayetteville, WV and on the outskirts of the New River Gorge National Park sits the Endless Wall trail (great marketing name!). The trail combs through a potpourri of pines, babbling brooks and mountain laurel on its way to multiple outcrop views. The trail is a loop, however be forewarned that to complete the loop you will find yourself hiking along route 82 for nearly half a mile. We did an in and out hike and still hit all the points of interest. The trail features multiple offshoots to grab views of the gorge, the wall and even see rafters taking on the whitewater. There are two points of interest, first is diamond point (literally the rock is diamond shaped at the summit), this easily found point of interest is a great viewing area of the gorge and all surrounding areas. There is plenty of room to lunch, hangout or gaze upon the over 1000ft sheer cliffs. The second point of interest is .2 miles onward from diamond point, it’s a small offshoot from the trail that leads to climbers ladders. It’s a fun area to explore and capture the steel ladders bolted into the rockface and yes, it’s fun to go up and down a few rungs. To head back to your car, retrace your steps. A recommendation is to get to the trail head early, the parking lot is small and the trail is popular which makes for bad math. The second recommendation is while the trail is family friendly, be mindful of the kiddos at the different outcrops, they are steep and footing should be minded for all.
GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS
- 1 water bottle
- trail bar and snack
- hiking shoes
