Hello All,
We are a family of four and have booked a trip to Snowshoe (staying at Allegheny Springs) to start the new year off! We are all novice Ski'ers, just have one trip under our belt from last season at Wintergreen. Have enrolled the kids into their all day lessons program and we are taking the "Intro to Skiing" package for us so I think we are all set (hopefully) after we get there!
I've been reading about how the drive can be challenging and I wanted to get some advice on it from the group. I found some old threads talking about it but nothing recent. Snowshoe website lists the following route:
1-64 West to I-81 North to Staunton, VA.
West on US-250
At Bartow, take WV-92 S to GreenBank
Then WV-84 West towards Green Bank to 28/92.
Follow through Green Bank and turn right on RT 66.
Follow through Cass and up the mountain.
Entrance to Snowshoe will be on the right
Is this the best route to take? I have also read about possibly going further south and then driving up north but that would add another hour to the drive time? We are not necessarily looking for the shortest/quickest route but would like to avoid as many windy roads as possible as one kid is pretty prone to motion sickness. Which route would you guys recommend? We plan on leaving by 9:30am-10am so the plan is to arrive there long before it gets dark. Also, we are renting from Casago so we need to stop by their office at the base of the mountain to pick up the keys - will that stop nudge one route over the other? Also, where is the last gas station in the area to get diesel before heading up the mountain? (We will be driving an X5 diesel).
Any inputs/pointers on the drive/stay at Snowshoe to make our trip successful will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance for your time!
Since you are trying to make the drive easier for someone who gets carsick, I wouldn't recommend taking US250 from Staunton. The route with the least curvy mountain sections goes thru Buffalo Gap on RT42, then west to Warm Springs. From there, not a clear choice between US220 or RT92 going north. There are plenty of curves near Cass, no matter how you get there. But US219 north of Edray also has a curvy section.
I've driven just about every way to/from Snowshoe from Massanutten or Raleigh. I have very clear memories of making the drive in a 2WD minivan with snow on the roads. Even without snow, it's a tough drive with a passenger who gets carsick.
For future reference, a major advantage for Massanutten is that it's right off US33. If you take US64 across from Richmond to I-81 at Staunton, there is essentially no mountain driving at all. Meaning don't go north on US29 from Charlottesville and cross then Blue Ridge Parkway on US33. Massanutten is a 4-season resort with plenty of non-skiing activities. It had great terrain for beginners and an excellent ski school.
Thank you for your response! We did look at Massanutten but their ski school information was not up online and I might be wrong but atleast when we were looking to book there wasn't an all day ski school option for the kids (which was a must for us since we are not in a position to ski with them after their 1-1.5 hr lessons). Wintergreen had that option but they are notoriously hard to get a hold of on the phone and no online booking option hence we ended up at Snowshoe - we are hoping it'll be a good experience for us (fingers crossed)
I found this old thread (from 2005) about driving from Richmond, VA
Is it the same route that you were suggesting?
neo_ny wrote:
Thank you for your response! We did look at Massanutten but their ski school information was not up online and I might be wrong but atleast when we were looking to book there wasn't an all day ski school option for the kids (which was a must for us since we are not in a position to ski with them after their 1-1.5 hr lessons). Wintergreen had that option but they are notoriously hard to get a hold of on the phone and no online booking option hence we ended up at Snowshoe - we are hoping it'll be a good experience for us (fingers crossed)
I found this old thread (from 2005) about driving from Richmond, VA
Is it the same route that you were suggesting?
Not really. The 2005 suggestion was: "triski.com recommends US-250 West to Monterey, US-220 South to Vanderpool, VA, then VA-84 to Frost, WV, WV-92 North to WV-66 West through Cass and on to south entrance to Snowshoe via Red Gate Road." I suggested a longer route that does not involve driving on US250 in order to have fewer mountain curves. The following link may work to show the Google maps route.
Massanutten has morning and afternoon beginner group lessons for kids. If you go later in the season when Meadow is open, that has a long magic carpet good for beginners of any age. It's away from where intermediate and advanced skiers/boarders and is a great place to gain confidence.
When the main area of Snowshoe is busy, riding the shuttle bus over to Silver Creek is a good idea.
neo_ny wrote:
Thank you for your response! We did look at Massanutten but their ski school information was not up online and I might be wrong but atleast when we were looking to book there wasn't an all day ski school option for the kids (which was a must for us since we are not in a position to ski with them after their 1-1.5 hr lessons). Wintergreen had that option but they are notoriously hard to get a hold of on the phone and no online booking option hence we ended up at Snowshoe - we are hoping it'll be a good experience for us (fingers crossed)
I found this old thread (from 2005) about driving from Richmond, VA
Is it the same route that you were suggesting?
Not really. The 2005 suggestion was: "triski.com recommends US-250 West to Monterey, US-220 South to Vanderpool, VA, then VA-84 to Frost, WV, WV-92 North to WV-66 West through Cass and on to south entrance to Snowshoe via Red Gate Road." I suggested a longer route that does not involve driving on US250 in order to have fewer mountain curves. The following link may work to show the Google maps route.
Massanutten has morning and afternoon beginner group lessons for kids. If you go later in the season when Meadow is open, that has a long magic carpet good for beginners of any age. It's away from where intermediate and advanced skiers/boarders and is a great place to gain confidence.
When the main area of Snowshoe is busy, riding the shuttle bus over to Silver Creek is a good idea.
The Casago office location doesn't change your route options. There's a gas station 1/4 mile past the Casago office.
neo_ny wrote:
Also, we are renting from Casago so we need to stop by their office at the base of the mountain to pick up the keys - will that stop nudge one route over the other? Also, where is the last gas station in the area to get diesel before heading up the mountain? (We will be driving an X5 diesel).
Thanks in advance for your time!
I agree the slightly longer route ( rt 39 to rt 219), is a bit less twisty than the rt 250 option, but it is still pretty twisty if you are not used to mountain roads. My daughter is also prone to motion sickness and we have found that taking a kids dramamine 30 minutes before the mountain driving helps a lot.
FYI the main twists and turns of the rt 250 option occur in the 20 mile stretch leading into Monterey.
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