Resort Profiles

Snowshoe Mountain Resort
Snowshoe, West Virginia

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Photo by M. Scott Smith.

Snowshoe Mountain Resort is located in the middle of West Virginia. Despite its southern location, Snowshoe receives an eye-raising average annual snowfall of 180 inches - even in El Niño years. To that, Snowshoe adds plenty of manmade snow. Snowshoe is a year-round destination resort, offering numerous lodging options, from economical to upscale. During the summer, Snowshoe is known for its excellent mountain biking, drawing bikers from all over the country. DCSki readers have consistently rated Snowshoe the top resort in the area in terms of snow quality, diverse terrain, nightlife, family events, and more. In the Mid-Atlantic region, Snowshoe is the best of the best.

In 1995, Snowshoe was purchased by Intrawest. Since then, Intrawest has made significant investments in the resort — over $80 million has been invested in improvements, including terrain expansion and the installation of three high-speed quads.

Snowshoe offers some of the best skiing south of New England and even a suprising amount of nightlife for its secluded location in the mountains of West Virginia. That seclusion makes Snowshoe somewhat difficult to get to - it is approximately a 5-6 hour drive from Washington, D.C. Those willing to make the trek are rewarded with beautiful scenery, great snow conditions, and 60 trails spread over a 1,500-foot vertical. The drive became more palatable a few years ago, when Snowshoe opened a new entrance road to the resort from the town of Cass. This shaves about 30 minutes off the drive from the D.C. area.

Snowshoe has 60 trails, and they’re usually all open by early January, with a handful opening before Thanksgiving. The trails are spread across three distinct areas: the main Snowshoe area, with 41 trails and an 800-foot vertical drop; the Silver Creek area, with 17 trails and a 660-foot vertical; and the Western Territory, with 2 trails and a 1,500-foot vertical. The Western Territory features Cupp Run and Shay’s Revenge, two 1.5-mile expert slopes serviced by their own high-speed lift. The Western Territory is just across the street from the main Snowshoe area. Silver Creek is down the road (and reached by a free shuttle), featuring tamer trails and usually less crowds. Silver Creek is home to the Ruckus Ridge tubing park, a snowboard park, and is lit for night skiing.

On weekends, the main Snowshoe area can become crowded (with the base of the Ballhooter Express chairlift becoming a choking point), but the Western Territory and Silver Creek areas are rarely crowded. The installation of a third high-speed quad in 2006, replacing the older Widowmaker lift at the main Snowshoe area, has helped to reduce crowding. Three additional trails were cut off of this lift for the 2007-2008 winter season, including one gladed run. If you can swing a trip to Snowshoe mid-week, you’ll find significantly discounted prices and might have the slopes to yourself.

As a full-blown destination resort, Snowshoe doesn’t lack amenities. There are 21 dining establishments, including one nightclub. Snowshoe rents out over 1,400 condominium and lodge rooms, covering a variety of price points from economy to luxurious. There are also many winter activities that do not involve skis and snowboards, such as snowmobiling and snowshoeing.

Snowshoe usually opens for skiing and boarding around Thanksgiving.

In the summer, Snowshoe has hosted events such as the 24 Hours of Snowshoe mountain bike race. Photo by M. Scott Smith.

Although Snowshoe’s winter season frequently lasts over 130 days, the fun doesn’t end when the snow melts. Snowshoe offers some of the best mountain biking on the east coast, with 100 miles of maintained trails winding through the resort’s 10,000 acres. Trails range in difficulty; some trails follow scenic backcountry roads and old rail trails, while others are hair-raising, advanced singletrack. Races such as the popular 24 Hours of Snowshoe (covered by DCSki in 2002 and 2003) have been held at Snowshoe in the past.

Two mountain biking centers offer trail maps, bike rentals, clothing and equipment sales, and bike tours. When you’re done biking, you can give your bike a wash with supplied hoses.

If mountain biking isn’t your sport, Snowshoe also offers golf, tennis, horseback riding, swimming, hiking, fishing, canoeing, or sightseeing. Snowshoe’s high elevation (nearly 5,000 feet) helps it escape from the scorching summer heat found in D.C. Not far from Snowshoe, you’ll find other attractions such as the Cass Scenic Railroad and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

The Raven Golf Club (formerly known as Hawthorne Valley Golf Course) is an 18 hole, par 72 Gary Player signature course set into the mountainside. Golf Magazine has declared the course as one of the “top ten new courses you can play in the U.S.”

Snowshoe added new activities several summers ago, including a skate park, a climbing wall, fly fishing, and more. Snowshoe also began offering scenic rides on the Western Express chairlift during weekends. Snowshoe is a bustling resort year-round.

Estimated Distances from Major Cities

To view a full-size trail map for Snowshoe, 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.

A snow condition report for Snowshoe 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.

Snowshoe Mountain, WV	As of 06:03:00 on 2011-03-27
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.

The past five articles related to Snowshoe 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.

Firsthand Report: Snowshoe in the Rain (January 22)
Can skiing in the pelting rain at Snowshoe be fun? If you’re DCSki Columnist Matthew Graham, it sure can be. He describes his recent rainy adventure in this Firsthand Report.
(1 reader comment)

Firsthand Report: Snowshoe Mountain Resort (January 13)
Connie Lawn and Charles Sneiderman spent the weekend at West Virginia’s Snowshoe Mountain Resort. They filed this Firsthand Report.
(7 reader comments)

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.

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 Snowshoe, click here.

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

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