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Hidden Valley Resort
Hidden Valley, Pennsylvania

(Click here for the official web site for Hidden Valley, or scroll below to read DCSki's complete profile...)

[Resort Overview]  [Summer Activities]  [Statistics]
[Trail Map]  [Map]  [Current Conditions]  [Webcams]
[Related News]  [Upcoming Events]  [Reader Comments]

Resort Overview - reported by M. Scott Smith, DCSki Editor

Hidden Valley is a year-round resort nestled in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands, offering activities ranging from downhill skiing to mountain biking to golf. The resort’s facilities include a Sports Club, an 18-hole golf course, 12 tennis courts, 30 miles of hiking and biking trails, a Conference Center, a 4-acre lake, and 4 swimming pools. Unlike other “day resorts” in the D.C. area, Hidden Valley was designed as a destination resort, offering housing ranging from condominiums to luxurious single-family homes. Hidden Valley’s residential communities serve as first- and second-homes for people who have quickly learned to love the solitude and scenery of the resort.

During the winter, Hidden Valley offers downhill skiing, but goes one step further and offers miles of cross-country trails, snowshoeing, and a snow tubing hill. Hidden Valley receives healthy amounts of natural snow each year, but also relies on machine-made snow. The resort has gained a reputation as a premiere family and learning ski area, with a patient ski school, forgiving slopes, and careful grooming.

Snow conditions at Hidden Valley will generally be better than conditions at resorts closer to D.C. Hidden Valley’s slopes are lit for night skiing.

In late 2007, Hidden Valley changed ownership, transferring from the Kettler family to the Buncher Company. During the Fall of 2007, the Buncher Company implemented a series of significant upgrades at the resort, adding state-of-the-art snowguns, new groomers, and renovating many facilities. Improvements continued through 2008, with the installation of a new quad chairlift, and the purchase of an additional 50 state-of-the-art snowguns. The Buncher Company has ambitious plans for Hidden Valley. Over the next few years, additional terrain and lifts will be added, and a new lodge/condominium complex will be built at the base.

Numerous lodging options are available at the resort, including standard rooms (with double beds), suites, condos, and townhomes. The Buncher Company plans to offer additional real estate opportunities at Hidden Valley in the coming years.

Summer Activities

Skiing is but one of many activities available at Hidden Valley Resort. The resort is active year-round, offering activities ranging from golf to mountain biking.

Over 30 miles of well-marked trails are available to mountain bikers and hikers at the resort, geared towards a wide range of ability levels.

Hidden Valley also offers an 18-hole golf course in a mountaintop setting with tree-lined fairways.

Other activities include tennis and swimming.

Statistics

Resort Name:
Hidden Valley Resort
Vertical Drop:
470 feet
Base Elevation:
2,405 feet
Peak Elevation:
2,875 feet
Trails:
28 (11 beginner, 10 intermediate, 7 advanced)
Skiable Acres:
70
Lift Capacity:
12,000 per hour
Lifts:
9 (2 quads, 2 triples, 1 double, 2 surface, 2 handle tows)
Night Skiing:
Yes, on 80% of terrain
Terrain Park:
Yes
Halfpipe:
400 feet long.
Tubing Park:
Yes
Address:
One Craighead Drive
Hidden Valley, PA 15502
Phone Number:
(814) 443-8000
Latitude:
40.058892
Longitude:
-79.25889
Web Site:
http://www.hiddenvalleyresort.com/

Estimated Distances from Major Cities

Baltimore, MD3 hours 180 miles
Washington, DC3 hours, 5 minutes 177 miles
Arlington, VA3 hours, 5 minutes 177 miles
Richmond, VA4 hours, 40 minutes 276 miles
Pittsburgh, PA1 hour, 10 minutes 70 miles
Harrisburg, PA2 hours, 15 minutes 136 miles
Philadelphia, PA3 hours, 55 minutes 238 miles
Charleston, WV3 hours, 40 minutes 236 miles
Raleigh, NC7 hours, 20 minutes 452 miles
Charlotte, NC7 hours, 15 minutes 457 miles

 

Trail Map

To view a full-size trail map for Hidden Valley, click on the following thumbnail image. The trail map will open in a new window. Please note that DCSki's trail maps can be out of date; always pick up a copy of the latest trail map at each resort.

Map

Current Conditions

A snow condition report for Hidden Valley is shown below. Because condition reports may not be updated regularly, be sure to check the date and timestamp on the report. Before making a trip, we recommend contacting resorts directly for the latest conditions.

    Hidden Valley, PA
    As of 18:07:00 on 2011-03-20
    Report data is over 2 days old -- please check back later.

To view additional ski condition reports for areas throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and across the world, visit the DCSki Conditions page.

Webcams

Hidden Valley has an official webcam page here.

Two shots from Hidden Valley's webcams are shown below. Note that these images are displayed directly from Hidden Valley's web site. They may not appear properly if the webcam is down. These pictures may also not be up to date.

Related News

The past five articles related to Hidden Valley are shown below.

    Mid-Atlantic Ski Season Pushes into April (March 28)
    Yes, you can still ski or board in the Mid-Atlantic. Several resorts have announced that they plan to remain open into early April.

    Mid-Atlantic Ski Season Gains Momentum (December 27, 2012)
    A shot of cold air and some natural snow has helped launch the 2012-2013 winter season in a big way. Find out the status of Mid-Atlantic ski areas.

    What’s New for 2012: Hidden Valley Resort (December 23, 2012)
    Visitors to Pennsylvania’s Hidden Valley Resort will find a number of improvements this winter, including a widened Voyager trail and snowmaking enhancements.

    Hidden Valley, Seven Springs to open Friday (November 29, 2012)
    On Friday, November 30, 2012, Pennsylvania’s Hidden Valley and Seven Springs Resorts will kick off their ski seasons.

    The Weekly Altitude (November 25, 2012)
    The Weekly Altitude provides a look at what’s happening in the Mid-Atlantic ski and snowboard scene. In this weeks issue: Ready, Set, Fire the Snowguns!; Kickstarter Project aims to develop Adventure Case for iPhone; North Carolina Ski Areas Association Offers “Gold Cards.”

To view more articles related to Hidden Valley, click here.

Upcoming Events

The DCSki Event Schedule currently doesn't have any events listed for Hidden Valley. To view events at other resorts, please visit the DCSki Event Schedule.

Related Bargains

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Reader Comments

The views and opinions expressed in DCSki Article Comments are strictly those of the comment authors and have not been reviewed or approved by DCSki. If you believe a comment is inaccurate or inappropriate, please contact DCSki's Editor.

Comments on Hidden Valley
Great family ski destination. Trails are perfect for the intermediate skier, safe enough for kids who are just learning, yet has some challenging slopes for the more advanced skier. Small enough that the kids don't get lost. Less than 3 hours from DC and better conditions than closer ski areas.
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
Greetings from Hidden Valley Four Seasons Resort where winter is very cool. Hidden Valley has been making snow recently, and with some help from Mother Nature, the 28 slopes and trails will open soon for the 2005-2006 winter season. My name is Jon E. Snow and I deliver the daily snow conditions for Hidden Valley resort during the winter season on the 24 hour, Snow Report Hotline, 1-866-443-SKII. The Snow Hotline is all new this season and will be up and running just before December 1, 2005.
The snowmaking crews at Hidden Valley have been busy with the extra cold weather just before Thanksgiving. They have done a great job of making the white stuff, and if the mild spell this week isn't too extreme, Hidden Valley just might be able to get the first slopes open for the weekjend ahead. You want to stay up to date with me on the new Snow Hotline or visit the web site at www.hiddenvalleyresort.com. You can also stay logged on to DCSki and our friends will keep you up to date.
See you soon at Hidden Valley Resort,
Jon E. Snow
 
All New Hidden Valley Snow Report Hotline
Jon E. Snow here from HIdden Valley Four Seasons Resort. As the air gets cooler and we get into the snowmaking mode, I want you to note that Hidden Valley has an all new, improved, 24 hour, Snow Report Hotline. The all new Hidden Valley number is 1-866-443-SKII. You can stay up to date on our conditions, lodging information, the latest news on resort homes at Hidden Valley and tons of extra information. Plus, you can log on to our website for even more deatails about all there is to do at Hidden Valley Resort. Just click on to www.hiddenvalleyresort.com.
Opening day isn't far away.
See you on the slopes soon.
Jon E. Snow
 
Hidden Valley Opens Slopes
Hey there snow lovers. I'm Jon E. Snow from Hidden Valley Resort and I have the best news of the season. Hidden Valley will open the slopes and trails on Friday, December 9, 2005 at 4:00 PM to kick off the 2005-2006 winter season.
Early season lift tickets will be just $25.00 each and the snow will be great. We anticipate a base of ten to eighteen inches of packed powder. It could be a lot more with fresh snow starting Thursday night and perhaps adding up to twelve inches by Friday afternoon. Our snowmaking crews have been busy with the man made white stuff and we plan to provide a minimum of six slopes to start things off.
The slopes will be open 4PM to 10PM Friday, December 9, 9AM to 10PM Saturday, December 10 and 9AM to 4PM December 11, 2005.
We hope to have Outback Park open for snowtubing fun on Saturday and perhaps even some of the cross country trails.
Stay up to date with the changes via our all new, toll free, 24 hour, Hidden Valley Snow Report Hotline at 1-866-443-SKII.
See you on the slopes,
Jon E. Snow
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
Hidden Valley continues to have inferior skiing and customer service compared to the other local resorts. They bait and switch. I called one day to find out when the North Summit ski area was closing. The non helpful customer service rep said 8pm. I take off work early to get there by 5 only to find out that it was already closed? It was closed with 15 inches of fresh powder? 5:30 comes and the lift serving Imperial and cobra closes as well. The lift op tells my family and I to go ski Continental. Yeah, that sounds like fun, especially for someone who learned to ski 25 years ago. We skied for two hours and went home early. Deep powder on almost flat slopes makes for very slow runs. I would like to ski the runs they have on their billboard on RT 31 and 711. Too bad it's really not HV. Since when are there huge western pines in Southwest PA? It's pathetic when they have to use pictures of real resorts to attract people to their ant hill. This is just another way Hidden Valley baits and switches. People should call them out as this is very dishonest. It's funny because they can't even afford to keep the whole mountain open during the best conditions of the year. They must have gotten in over their head with all the home building that general mountain operations are affected. I got news for them. People aren't interested in buying mass produced $300k homes in this economy with piss poor skiing. All the food outlets have terrible fried food at outrageous prices. I get an email from Scott Bender after I waste more of my time to make them aware of this situation only to have him send me a generic response. I'm pretty sure they get complaints all the time. They talk about expansion when their only intention is to keep the front side open. STAY AWAY. If you do go, ask them what run is pictured on their billboards because you want to ski it like I did. The customer service rep looked like a deer in headlights. I'm making the attorney general aware of their their misleading ways
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
I have only been going to HV the last two years. The staff has always been great. From last year to this they have made nice improvements. I have been to the nearby resorts which are more expensive. The quick serve food in all of them isn't the greatest but it is concession food. What can you expect? From what I have read and been told by people that own houses there, the place was not kept up by the previous owners. The new owners are sinking money into it and it shows. It can't be transformed in a week. Great place for families!
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
Found HV to be the family resort I remembered (had a pass there years ago).
o Not great terrian but it has been expended.
o Definetely NOT as expensive as 7S and the service / value is SOOOoooo much better.
o Food value is okay (for a resort) and its not over priced "ball park" fare!
o They need to fix up the parking but I can see improvements overall.
Good place to go with a family, with developing skill sets, if your on a budget and know how to manage your expections.
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
Skiing was VERY nice at HV on 2/20. First time in ages I have seen EVERYTHING open and skiible. Only problem was things being a bit crusty in Cobra and other unmarked glades. at 1:30pm I stopped in the office, and heard that there was not a single parking space left in whole resort. In spite of that, the only really long lines were on the north summit quad, and Thunderdraft was less than a dozen chair wait. Hopefully with more weekends like that, the outback slopes will be alot closer to a reality.
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
I Think That You Really Need To Adress Your So Called Nightlife. Every Weekend That I've Been There Everything Shuts Down Way To Early. I Don't Think I'm Alone In Saying This.You Really Need To Look At How Sucessfull Your Sunday Brunch Has Become And Take The Same Approach On Your Nightlife.(Yukon)Turn It Back Into A Sports Bar Instead Of A Boring Dining Room.
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
I have seen the new teraian expansion. What nice slopes they will be. I cant wait till they open the new runs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
Yes, the new terrain does look great and would put HV in a fifferent league, but who knows how long it may be till they install a lift and snow guns to service it. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later, because the whole resort needs a boost to get to critical mass.
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
well I have asked asked HV employees ,"when are the outback slopes(future expantion)going to open?". They say that lift construction will begin in the spring. But it seems like they dont want to answer this question. so idont know if theyre telling the truthe or not. but they wont say when the new runs will be opened to the public. so they dont give an actual date of the opening of the runs.But even if they dont open the runs in the near future I will continue to ski there because of the great atmosphere and skiing. its atleast better than 7sprigs.
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
1 month til ski season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
Disappointed that they lowered the hours. Especially the 7pm end time on Sundays!??! Really? I picked up a season pass, can most go in the evenings when I go it alone. :(

Biggest complaint that I've heard about HV, short runs and start/end times. So, their answer - close down the North Summit with the longest widest runs, no lighting for the trails, and shorten the operating hours.

Yea, seems smart to me.

sigh. Love the mellow environment, only wish they would have thought about this further!
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
Buncher will need to make a decision in the next couple years. Is this a viable ski area, or will 7S be the resort that ultimately services western Pennsylvania once all shakes out? It's hard to make money in the ski business, so owners will need to figure out other revenue streams. Without expansion to the Outback plus alternate ways of making money, Hidden Valley's days are numbered.
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
I Love Hidden Valley! I held a season pass at 7S for 8 years. Now that I am a mother I picked Hidden Valley as my family resort. My boys can have freedom to roam the mountain without danger of being run over by aggresive skiers and boarders. Snow making and grooming was excellent this year, considering the limited help from Mother Nature. Lines are never more than 10 minutes long. Yes, I drink the Hidden Valley Kool-aid. If you are looking for a fun, calm ski experience, try Hidden Valley.
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
Hidden Valley did a terrific job this year with their snow-making system. Kudos to the staff and mountain crew for defying mother nature and providing good to excellent conditions for most of this very unusual season.

That said, offering season passes already for 2012/13??? Does HV have a cash-flow issue?
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
All local resorts begin pre-sale for the next year's season passes around this time. 7S is usually a week or two ahead of HV. One of the major incentives to purchase so early is the ability to ski for free the remainder of the current season, if not already a passholder.
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
Ride HV, - I'm well aware of the pre-season discounts that most resorts offer in order to distribute cash flow - and the free round of golf that comes with it. :-) I'm simply wondering how much money Buncher really has in the bank, and the level of commitment they are willing to make to this resort, particularly given the challenges that they are having in the strip district of Pittsburgh.
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
Had a great time 1-13-2013 at Hidden Valley, Almost all trails were open. NOT THE 13% that this site keeps updating. (1-15-2013)
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
John T.: I checked into the percent open reporting problem, and the error seems to be coming from DCSki's external SnoCountry data feed. I've removed that statistic for now since I don't directly control that data.
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
Rumors are swirling regarding 7springs (Nutting family) purchasing Hidden Valley. I'd worry less about the Nutting's wanted to buy, and more about Buncher wanting to sell.
 
Comments on Hidden Valley
To start, my boyfriend asked for a room with a Jacuzzi suite, the way they answered him made him think that we had it in the room. Therefore booked him for a suite.( which is obviously more expensive) Then they said they were sold out and couldn't book the second night but will put him on a list. They called him one night, left a message and he called back. They said the room was no longer available and will keep him on the list. We got there and they said there is no Jacuzzi suites but we had a fireplace (we had to put 100$ deposit to hold the room, which was already misled because there were no Jacuzzi suites, just at the gym). We were then told that we were booked for two nights, they never told us that so we looked into other hotels for the second night. We were happy about having it but they messed up telling us.

Then she told my boyfriend to talk to the manager the next day about the issues because the person that booked the room was new. He called and I believe her name was Beth? it started with a B. She was rude, basically said it was my boyfriends fault and her staff knows what they are doing and didn't do anything wrong and its his mistake for not understanding them correctly with the second night being added. Also said that her staff is not new but added later on that the girl that send the email conf was new.. therefore that was somehow a lie? Her stories didnt match up. She ALSO hung up on him without saying goodbye or saying they are sorry about the inconvenience. My boyfriend doesn't get really rude, so he didn't deserve the attitude. HORRIBLE customer service. I will never go back there again.
 

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