I love to ski. I have been to Snowshoe Resort, West Virginia quite a few times, including with the kids. It has been the largest ski resort within driving distance for most of my life. There are so many things to do and some things to know about skiing at Snowshoe Resort to make this successful for your family, too.
Because I love it, I have had the opportunity to ski a lot in my life. On this website alone, which started well into my life (ahem) and captures only the past five years, I’ve shared Big Sky, Canaan, Whistler, Steamboat Springs, and Vail (with more to come, so be sure to subscribe!). But Snowshoe holds a special place in my heart.
I find, particularly for our region of the country, Snowshoe Resort to be big enough for a family adventure. It has 244 skiable acres and covers a total area of 11,000 acres, located in the Allegheny Mountains. They can get some great snowfall and usually have a good base starting in January.
They have snowmaking capacity, which they start in November, on most of the trails and do groom every night during peak ski season.
Snowshoe has done a great job, as well, during this time of climate change and new weather patterns, of changing itself into an all-seasons resort. We’ve attended a World Cup Mountain Biking competition here and I enjoyed the Wanderlust Festival when it was held at Snowshoe. The resort boasts beautiful views and plenty of space to enjoy the outdoors.
Some of the photos below have been provided courtesy of Snowshoe Mountain Resort, all rights reserved.
10 Things to Know About Skiing at Snowshoe Resort, West Virginia
1. This isn’t the largest all-around resort in the U.S., but it is a great size for a family!
Snowshoe is a mid-sized resort area. It is certainly one of the largest in the region and (rightfully) boasts some of the best skiing. But if you are at all familiar with places in the Rockies, this is smaller in all ways: smaller mountain, less vertical drop, smaller village. That said, likely due to that, it is extremely family-friendly and accessible to skiers of all ages and abilities.
It is also easy to navigate Snowshoe. Because of it’s small size and consistent bus system, making your way around this resort is a breeze.
2. The resort is fairly isolated: plan ahead!
Getting here requires driving up backroads, through the country, over the river, through the woods…Â Â
As evidenced by the fact that there isn’t much on the way, Snowshoe Resort is the only thing around and you won’t have access to chain restaurants or big box stores. Unlike many of the ski resorts out West which boast moderately-sized cities and towns at their base, Snowshoe sits on top of the mountain and the only visitors are the tourists taking advantage of the amenities
Restaurants are limited even with slopeside options, and grocery options are few.
Load up your coolers and bins at home before you come and rent a place with a kitchen to give yourself the most options. In short – plan ahead.
3. Skiing is good but can be crowded.
We have fun skiing here. We enjoy the Western Territory (which, if you are an expert or high-intermediate skier, isn’t nearly as scary as signage makes it seem). There are a good number of options on the main mountain for skiers of all abilites.
However, as one of the biggest resorts serving the Southeast, it can be crowded without having the acreage and trail system to dispel people into different areas. All skiers converge on two to three main lifts. Try to ski on a weekday if you can, otherwise, enjoy the wait by taking in the beautiful scenery.
4. Natural snowfall can be spotty and unpredictable.
This is West Virginia. This means that some days during the 130-day ski season you will see gorgeous powder and some days you will see 50-degree temperatures and rain. You simply can’t know or predict. Snowshoe does make its own snow, though, so even on warmer days you can still get some runs. Luckily Snowshoe has more to do outside the swoosh of the skis.
5. There can be limited cell service.
You may want to bring some walkie-talkies.
6. The ski school was a great experience.
Our oldest experienced the Snowshoe ski school as a 4-year-old and loved it. It took the “scary” element out of skiing and the “stressful” element out of teaching skiing for us. He was placed in a class with kids his age, all new to skiing. They spent the whole day doing age-appropriate exercises, drinking hot chocolate, and having lunch. While the cost of ski school is expensive at over $150, it does include rentals and lift tickets, a full day of ski instruction for little ones, and food and beverage. While we initially balked at the price tag we were very glad we had made the investment.
7. For the younger kids, daycare is available.
Our 2-year-old desperately wanted to get up on skis, of course, but we weren’t ready. There is a preK “child care” program for ages 2-4 that we paid additional for. Here, where the kids were too little to ski but needed entertain, there were train tables, bounce houses, lunch, snacks, and more. We only paid for a half day but were informed that he would have been able to nap should we have had him stay a full day. Although the website states that there is only care available for kids ages 2-4, we found that not to be the case upon arrival. Just call ahead of time to make arrangements for kids in other age brackets.
8. There are a lot of other activities for families, including snow tubing, sleigh rides, an indoor pool, a teen center, kids’ night out programs, and a bounce house.
The Split Rocks pool was particularly great to have some fun without hitting the slopes. (For snow tubing kids have to be over four years old.) The indoor pool had a fun slide as well as some other water features my boys enjoyed. The water temperature was colder than what we all would have wanted BUT you can swim through a tunnel and get to an outdoor heated pool. They even had floatation devices available for us to borrow.
Snowshoe also has guided snowmobile, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing tours. There is something for everyone here.
9. Come simply to enjoy being outside.
There are shops at the village center that are gorgeous and fun, but it is a relatively small center with limited options. If you want to buy nice, upscale ski and winter gear it is available, but there isn’t a whole lot of diversity.
We personally liked this for its navigability. With having two kids under 5 we weren’t looking for anything with a large nightlife or a plethora of art galleries.
10. You can night ski here!
Snowshoe owns a next-door sister property, called Silver Creek. Here, night skiing happens and if you haven’t experienced this before, it’s a must-try! The skiable area is condensed for night skiing, for a few reasons, but it is pretty fun! (They also offer Uphill Skiing at Silver Creek, but we haven’t tried that yet.)
Where to Stay at Snowshoe Resort
There are quite a few lodging options at Snowshoe. Some of them are going to be somewhat outdated and some of them are going to be luxurious. Some are going to be a bit farther from the slopes and the villages, some right in the spot of all the action! I’ve stayed in a few of the lodges at this point and they’ve all had a completely different vibe, but none have disappointed me.
Even though the bus system at Snowshoe is great, be sure to check a map before booking your lodging. It really does help to understand how much you will need to walk, drive or rely on buses to get around.
Also, again, there aren’t groceries or large stores anywhere in the vicinity. So decide if you want a full kitchen.
You can start at the official Snowshoe site. But even though it is Snowshoe’s website, it is just a management service and most of these are privately owned. This means that AirBnB has rentals in the area, as well. You can compare and pick the best fit for your group!
About Silver Creek
Silver Creek is a sister property to Snowshoe. It is on the same mountain but a different area. It is incredibly kid-friendly here. It has 18 trails and great snowmaking capacity in its own right.
Silver Creek is home to snow tubing as well as night skiing. To visit Silver Creek you need to buy different access passes and pay for different activities. But the bus system will easily take you a short distance to Silver Creek, or you can drive.
In short, no ski resort is ever perfect. But I have to give it to Snowshoe for making our family vacations, regardless of season, so fantastic. There has always been a little something here for everyone and we are thankful to the Snowshoe blue-jacketed staff for making our time enjoyable.
I know that we won’t boast about the epic snowfall or the way we tore up the terrain on the back basin when we ski at Snowshoe. But I do know that when I think of the first time my preschooler got up on skis and absolutely loved it, I am going to feel a softness in my heart for this West Virginia resort. It will always be special to us.
Learn more about Snowshoe Resort:
Find Snowshoe online at www.snowshoemtn.com