The Snowshoe guide
the mountain, explained by the people who host it
Snowshoe is West Virginia's biggest ski resort and its best summer mountain, four to five hours from DC, Pittsburgh, and Richmond, with a Village on the summit at 4,848 feet and the lifts running down from it. This guide is how the seasons, the neighborhoods, the drive, and the food actually work, written by a family that has hosted here since 2020.
The seasons
Most mountains have a winter and an off-season. Snowshoe has a real summer too, and two short closures between them. The resort shuts its lifts from early April to late May and again from mid-October to Thanksgiving week. We still host during both closures, at lower rates, for guests who like empty trails, fall color, and a fireplace with no one else around.
Ski season
Thanksgiving week to late March
Both mountains open, night skiing at Silver Creek, the busiest weekends of the year around the holidays and Presidents' Day.
Spring closure
Early April to about May 21
The resort closes for maintenance. We keep hosting at lower rates. Golf opens mid-April.
Summer season
About May 21 to mid-October
Bike Park, Shavers Lake, festivals, and 70-degree afternoons. Ends on the Bike Park's closing weekend.
Fall closure
Mid-October to Thanksgiving week
Leaf season without the crowds. Lifts are off, trails and rivers are open, and rates drop again.
Exact opening and closing days move with the weather and the resort's calendar. The mountain report shows what is open today, first-timers explains the layout, getting here covers the drive and the last hour up, and groceries and gas tells you where to stop on the way.
The neighborhoods
it changes the whole trip
Five areas, five different mornings. Our seven homes sit in three of them on purpose: ski-in/out on South Mountain and Silver Creek, and a five-minute walk to dinner at the Summit.
South Mountain
Ski-in / ski-out and walk-to-lift
Soaring Eagle Lodge, the Timbers, and the quieter streets served by the Soaring Eagle Express. Mostly ski-in/out, a short drive or shuttle to the Village.
Our homes here
The Village
Walk to everything
The pedestrian core at the top of the mountain: restaurants, shops, the Rink, Split Rock Pools, and the Ballhooter lift. Busy on holiday weekends.
None of ours here, but the Summit condos are a five-minute walk away.
North Mountain
Walk to the Village and the slopes
The Summit, Whistlepunk, Powderidge, and Camp 4. Quieter than the Village core, a five-minute walk to dinner, and the closest side to the Western Territory.
Our homes here
Silver Creek
Ski-in / ski-out, night skiing
Its own lodge and lifts a few minutes from the main Village, with night skiing, the Coca-Cola Tube Park, terrain parks, and the lodge pool. The family side.
Our homes here
The Base
At the bottom of the mountain
The Inn at Snowshoe and the base-area lodging, roughly 15 minutes below the Village by car or shuttle. Convenient for early departures, not for a ski-in morning.
None of ours here.
The guide
In season nowThe lift-served Bike Park, the flat Greenbrier River Trail, and the road climb up the Highland Scenic Highway.
How the upside-down mountain works, what to book ahead, and the mistakes people make once.
Every activity on and around the mountain, by season, with prices and our tips.
Twenty-plus restaurants, breweries, and coffee stops from the Village to Elkins.
Live summit weather, the 7-day forecast, what is open today, and road advice.
Cass Scenic Railroad, Green Bank, state parks, waterfalls, and the essentials list.
An easy lake loop, the fire tower climb, Falls of Hills Creek, and Seneca Rocks, with real distances.
Our pinned resort map, the exact Google pin for each home, and the official trail maps.
Drive times from DC, Pittsburgh, Richmond, and Charlotte, airports, and the last hour up the mountain.
The one store on the mountain, the last full grocery on each route in, delivery to the door, and the only gas.
Who will cook in the house, what it costs, how much notice they need, and the plan B when nobody is free.
Who actually sells lift tickets and rents gear, and a form that routes your request to the right place.
Two homes welcome dogs, across the street from each other in a quiet neighborhood, with a walk loop, the one dog-friendly event, and the nearest vet.
Six trout rivers within 90 minutes, licenses, guides, and when to come.
The beach, the dock, kayaks and paddleboards, and the Boathouse deck.
The heated indoor and outdoor pool in the Village, and how our guests get in.
Plan ahead
The mountain is small enough that the good things sell out. This is the list we send guests the day they book, so nothing on the wish list is gone when you arrive.
| When | Book ahead | Why |
|---|---|---|
| December to March | Lift tickets, ski school, tube park sessions, snowmobile tours | Tickets are cheaper in advance and sell out on holiday weekends. MLK and Presidents' Day homes go months ahead, so book the home first, then the tickets. |
| Late December and February | Dinner at 10 Prime or Appalachia Kitchen | Both are reservation-first. Book the table when you book the home for a holiday week. |
| April and May | Nothing on the mountain; a tee time if you golf | The lifts are off and most of the Village is closed. Raven Golf Club opens mid-April and the rivers are at their best. Rates are the lowest of the year. |
| June to September | Bike Park rentals and lessons, Cass Scenic Railroad, festival-weekend homes | Rental fleets run out on Saturdays. Cass trains sell out on peak days. Festival weekends (4848, Ballhooter, GNCC) fill the mountain, so book the home early. |
| October | The Cass Bald Knob run, a fall-color weekend home | Peak color usually lands the second and third weeks of October, and the Bald Knob train is the best seat for it. The Bike Park closes mid-month. |
| November | Thanksgiving week if you want opening weekend | The lifts usually turn Thanksgiving week. Village restaurants come back one at a time, so plan the first dinner before you climb. |
Lift tickets, passes, and activity bookings are the resort's. Dinner reservations are the restaurants'. The homes are ours, and the live calendars show exactly what is open. Where to eat is on the dining guide, a chef who will drive up needs two to four weeks on the private chefs page, and the grocery stop on the way in is on groceries and gas.
Plan the trip
Every month on the mountain, what is open and how busy it gets. Or give the planner your dates and group, and it puts the homes, the mountain, dinners, events, packing, and the drive on one page to share.
Questions people ask
On the mountain right now
Mostly Sunny
This Afternoon at the summit · wind 7 mph
Thu
70° 56°
Fri
69° 54°
Sat
56° 51°
Sun
55° 47°
Mon
54° 35°
Today's season
About May 21 through the second week of October
The Bike Park, Shavers Lake, scenic lift rides, golf, the festivals, and the coolest summer air in the Mid-Atlantic.
Lifts are scheduled to run.
Who is writing this
We have hosted at Snowshoe since 2020 and drive up in every month of the year. Every page in this guide is what we tell our own guests, updated when the mountain changes. If a question is not answered here, text or email us. We answer within the hour, and we would rather you ask than guess.
Questions we get every week
Straight answers, including the ones the resort does not publish. Anything else, .
No, Split Rock Pools is only free for guests who book their lodging directly through Snowshoe's own reservations system. Since you're staying with us, it's $15/day per person, or covered if you buy a Fun Pass ($39-$49/day depending on the date). It's worth it, indoor/outdoor heated pool, a waterslide, hot tub, and a sauna, right in the Village.
The lift-served Bike Park and most of the outdoor summer activities (zipline, disc golf, RZR tours) run roughly Memorial Day through mid-October, and the ski season doesn't start until winter, so April/May and most of October/November fall in a real gap for those. What does stay open: The Rink at Mountain Lodge (indoor ice skating, year-round), the Adventure Playground (indoor, year-round), Raven Golf Club (opens mid-April, runs into early-mid October), and most restaurants and shops in the Village.
You can walk to most of Snowshoe Village, restaurants, shops, the rink, the pool, or take the free resort shuttle, which loops to every neighborhood, including the Summit, the Timbers, and Soaring Eagle. But quite a bit of what makes this area special is a drive away: the state parks (Watoga, Beartown, Droop Mountain), Cass Scenic Railroad, the Highland Scenic Highway, and any of the breweries or restaurants outside the Village all require a car. If you're not renting one, the shuttle and what's walkable cover the resort itself; plan a car, a rental, or a rideshare for anything off the mountain.
Yes, anyone 15 or older fishing for trout needs both a WV fishing license and a trout stamp. Both take a few minutes to buy online at WVfish.com, worth doing before you leave home rather than trying to find a shop that sells them locally.
A few genuinely good indoor options right on the mountain: the Adventure Playground and The Rink at Mountain Lodge (both year-round), the Mountain Lodge Arcade & Movie Room, and The Spa at Snowshoe. Off the mountain, Cass Scenic Railroad's town/museum, the Beverly Heritage Center, and the Pocahontas County Historical Museum are all indoor stops.
Where to stay
Seven renovated homes across South Mountain, the Summit, and Silver Creek. Book direct with Austin and Sarah and skip the platform fees.
WALK TO SLOPES - GUEST FAVORITESleeps 12 · Walk to the slopes · private hot tub · pet friendly
4 bed · 3 bath · 2,000 sq ft
South Mountain
5.00
8 reviews
SKI IN/OUT - TOP 10%Sleeps 10 · Ski-in / ski-out · hot tub
3 bed · 2 bath · 1,400 sq ft
South Mountain
4.96
126 reviews
5-MIN WALK TO VILLAGESleeps 8 · Walk to the slopes
3 bed · 2 bath · 1,100 sq ft
North Mountain
4.94
128 reviews
