Since starting the Bolt Mountain site I have made some friends outside of West Virginia who are familiar with Bolt Mountain in one way or another. One of those friends recently sent me a few photos from his trip to Bolt Mountain earlier this year. Most of his photos I’ll be displaying on the Bolt Mountain site in the coming week. A large portion of them have the Ivy Knob fire tower as the subject. Ivy Knob is the highest point in the Guyandotte (Bolt) Mountain Range at just over 3200 feet above sea level.
In the winter months, Bolt Mountain can be especially hazardous for driving. Once the mountain gets it’s first snow it will usually keep it until spring. The mountain road - rte. 99 - can get particularly treacherous do to the twists and turns and the persistence of the snow.
Just looking at this last photo gives me chills. Sometimes the wind where I live - near the base of the mountain - can blow hard enough to shake the house. Imagine what the wind would feel like coming through those passes - brrr. If you plan to hike Bolt Mountain any time in the winter to mid-spring months - I would highly suggest cold weather gear - and maybe a book entitled Extreme Cold Weather Sports For Dummies. 
March 3rd, 2008 at 2:37 pm
That does look cold and a bit treacherous. I bet it is pretty in the Summer though.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:23 am
I think it has an odd beauty to it even with the snow. But it is a lot nicer in the Summer.