Customer Reviews

Day and Overnight Hikes in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest

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I just got back from a hiking/camping experience I'll never forget. I'd never been to the Monongahela, or "Mon," as it is known, but when I saw this new hiking book I thought I would give it a try. The first hike, to Rohrbaugh Overlook, in the Dolly Sods, stunned me. Have you ever just known you were in the right place at the right time? That's how I felt, while looking over the Red Creek Valley surrounded by rock outcrops jutting from green forests. After a little national forest camping, I headed down to the Cranberry Wilderness, enjoying Molloy's Middle Fork overnight backpacking loop. The Middle Fork Cranberry River flowed clear beneath stately yellow birch trees and when I got up to the highcountry, the scent of spruce trees provided an aromatic backdrop for a night beneath the stars. Unfortunately the work bell rang and I had to return to Pittsburgh, but with 31 other day hikes and nine overnight backpacking loops in this book I shall return to the "Mon" many more times. This is a very useful and interesting book... perfect for anyone considering hiking in this area!

West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest is the mid-Atlantic's best kept secret. Sure, there are a few popular destinations, like the Dolly Sods, but there are so many other places to go in the "Mon". But with over a million acres of land, it's hard to figure out exactly where to go. That's where Mr. Molloy's new book comes in. It has there and back day hikes and overnight loops. It rates each hike and then gives a running narrative of the trail you are on. What is really nice, in my opinion are the concise directions to each trailhead, saving time and getting me to where I really want to be, and that is on the trail.