Looking for a 2-3 day hike in West Virginia. We can do about 12-15 miles a day and would prefer a loop route. Would prefer something fairly remote with a good view of the Fall foilage, also best dates this year for that? Anything along a river or waterfalls would be great. Any suggestions? Thanks

Still looking for some insight into this trip. Anybody with experience in W. Virginia please help a brother out!!

I can't give any specifics, but I've heard people talk about a place called Dolly Sods in West Virginia. I'm pretty sure there's some potential there.

If you're close to Harper's Ferry, then there's always the option to do a section of the AT - granted that wouldn't be a loop unless you went out and turned back around at a certain point. If you know someone willing to drive, you could take two vehicles out. You would park one at your finish location and hold onto the keys. Then you would pile into the other vehicle and have the driver drop you off at some starting location. The driver goes home and you hike to your car. Another option is to find a partner. Each of you drive to a different point on the trail and hike towards each other. When you pass, exchange keys. This would mean hiking alone and driving the other guy's car back home.

I'm from Virginia and I currently live in Maryland. I've looked for 40 to 50 mile loops - or even loops in general. I haven't been able to find any within a four hour drive of me (granted I live on the coast). You might be better off trying to look further west (which I haven't investigated since it's out of my range, although you would be driving further from the mountains).

There are a few loops on Pennsylvania that I haven't yet been to. I'm positive others on BPL have though. They're on my "to-hike" list. You could look into those. Here's a link: http://www.pinecrk.com/blackforesttrail/blackforesttrail.html

Best of luck!

For wide open views and forested trails mixed together, There's a whole network of trails in Dolly Sods which you could make a loop of. Fall foliage there peaks around Sept. 20-Oct 10th I think, depending on what and where you prefer the color. There are forested waterfalls along the Big and Little Stonecoal streams.

If you want to follow a creek with a few small falls and large boulders, Otter Creek Wilderness is very scenic. There's plenty of evergreen stuff there too, such as hemlock, spruce, and rhododendron.

Cranberry Wilderness is similar to Otter Creek, except it's larger, more diverse, and less traveled.

I'm interested in learning more about this. Is there a link you could recommend? Or perhaps you could pass on the necessary information if one were trying to take a trip on a three day weekend - say a 50 mile loop.

The North Fork Mountain Trail does not quite qualify because it is not a loop and there is not an accessible water supply but in my opinion it is one of the best trails in WV and would give you wonderful views of the fall foliage. If I remember correctly its about 24 miles from one end of the trail to the other.

There is a forest road that comes to about the midpoint of the trail and you can stash water there and pick it up on your hike through if you didnt want to carry all the water at once.

Even if its not exactly what you were looking for, still consider it.

Mid October would be a good time to shoot for, for the best colors.

Edited by bowlingl25 on 09/26/2012 11:37:23 MDT.