This was my first trip to Monongahelia National Forest. There is a hiking guide available with good trail descriptions and topo maps. (See my Overview for the details on this book and maps.) I owned it for a couple of years, but never got to the Forest. I read about some of the trails in the Forest in Backpacker Magazine, too. I finally made a trip in late October of 2001. I was a little bit late for the fall colors. The higher elevations were already dark red and brown. But, it was still great hiking.
The Dolly Sods area reminded me of Maine - the low bushes and granite boulders. I hiked a couple of days in this area. I really enjoyed the wide open spaces and expansive views. I did not make it to all the trails. There are supposed to be some great cliffs in the middle of this area. I just did not have the time to get there. I think one is called "Lion's Head". There is a photo in the hiking guide.
One thing to watch out for is unexploded ordinance. The military used to use this area for practice. There are signs posted. But, I did not encounter anything while hiking.
The other thing to be careful about is the road. It is a narrow two-lane dirt and gravel road up the mountain. There are no guard rails. I drove it in a Honda Civic with no problems, but I would not do it if it had rained or snowed a lot. I think 4-wheel drive would be needed if the weather was bad.
This is a place I definitely plan to return to. I would like to bring some of my hiking friends here.