Bear Rocks Preserve
Dolly Sods, West Virginia · 3,999 ft
Sandstone slabs and wind-flagged spruce sit on the lip of the Allegheny Front, with blueberry and huckleberry heath going crimson underneath by early October. The ground drops more than 1,000 feet in the first half mile east, so sunrise often comes up over fog filling the valley below the rocks.
Typical peak
Oct 4 – Oct 12
Long range. Treat as a planning estimate only.
Best light
Best at sunrise
Classic view faces E (90°)
Crowds
high
Busy through peak. Be parked before sunrise or expect to walk in.
Getting there
Drive Forest Road 75 to the Bear Rocks trailhead lot at the north end of the Dolly Sods plateau and walk 200 yards east onto the outcrops.
What turns here
- blueberry
- red maple
- mountain ash
- red spruce
Color progression
Typical peak Oct 8Typical color progression for Bear Rocks Preserve. No change from Aug 31 to Sep 17. First color from Sep 17 to Sep 26. Approaching peak from Sep 26 to Oct 4. Peak from Oct 4 to Oct 12. Past peak from Oct 12 to Oct 22. Bare from Oct 22 to Nov 5.
Color starts around Sep 17.
Light at peak
Bear Rocks Preserve on October 8, the day it typically peaks. Knowing when color arrives is one thing. Knowing where the sun will be is another.
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| First light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 6:53 AM |
| Sunrise Rises E · 97° | 7:19 AM |
| Morning golden hour ends 36 min of low, warm light | 7:55 AM |
| Solar noon Highest sun, flattest light | 1:04 PM |
| Evening golden hour starts 36 min before sunset | 6:14 PM |
| Sunset Sets W · 263° | 6:49 PM |
| Last light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 7:16 PM |
Times in America/New York · day length 11h 30m · computed from NOAA solar equations
Which way to point the camera
Sunrise: backlit
Sun behind the canopy — leaves glow translucent. The shot most people are after. Expect flare; a hood or a hand helps.
Sunset: front-lit
Sun behind you. Flat, even light — accurate color, little drama. Good for wide valley scenes, weak for single trees.
Based on the classic composition here facing E (90°).
Shooting conditions
Glassy water, wind blur, and what the cloud will do to your light.
Recent reports
What people actually saw here. Been recently? Add yours.