Grant County High Point Trip Report
Date: April 29, 2001
Author: Michael Schwartz
on county line 3 1/4 miles west of Bear Rocks (4,140+ ft)
From WV 42, take CR 28-7/Jordan Run Road five miles south to Forest Road (FR) 75. At the start of FR
75 is an information sign with maps and good information about the area and the high altitude Dolly
Sods. FR 75 is "usually" closed January through April, because it is not plowed. From this direction, it is
4.7 miles to the parking area for the Bear Rocks Lookout area, with spectacular vistas of surrounding
mountains and the open "sods." The trailhead is only 1/10 mile south, with parking for a few cars.
Follow the jeep road as shown on the topo, descending initially, climbing a ridge, then descending again
to a T-intersection with a former railroad bed that is now a trail. This is the junction shown at spot
elevation 3818' on the topo. Follow this trail, as shown on the topo, gradually uphill, then onto the flats,
which eventually open up into a huge sods area, with the high point ridge in view ahead. After crossing
the sod, as the trail approaches an obvious low gap, reach a major 4-way junction, and go left (west) on
yet another jeep road. Pass the trail on the left shown on the map, shortly after which the boulder-topped
high point knob comes into view. A cairn of dead wood is visible on the skyline. Just before the high
point knob, bear right at a fork, cross over an exposed culvert, and follow the jeep road to within 200' of
the summit. The highest boulder is blazed in white paint, and the wood cairn is about 30' away. The hike
took me about 1hour and 20 minutes each way, with the two steepest climbs of the day being the last two
ridges climbed just before the trailhead. This is a really beautiful area, and I met a backpacker on the trail
who had seen a bear sow and two cubs near his tent that morning, very close to the trail as it crossed the sod.
near Bell Knob Lookout Tower (4,140+ ft)
See Fred Lobdell's report for directions from the south. From the trailhead for the above area, continue
south on FR 75 for 5.0 miles to the gated road to the tower.
Quick and easy walk to the tower, with highest ground nearby.
USGS BM Plains (4,122 ft)
This area is not listed in Andy Martin's book, but the BM is in a large, closed 4,120 ft contour, on a quad
with 40 ft contour intervals, so theoretically a point elsewhere in the contour could top 4,140 ft. The area is
only 2.7 miles southwest of Bell Knob Tower, so I took a look. Opposite the Dolly Sods Picnic area, the
track road shown on the topo heads northwest, becomes overgrown but passable, and leads shortly to the
grassy circle around the long-gone fire tower. The concrete footings remain, with BM Plains a few feet
away. The BM is at the summit of the knob, and no higher ground is evident, so this point does not top 4,122 ft.