Sunset at a mountain overlook on the drive up to Snowshoe

Getting here from Baltimore

Baltimore to Snowshoe

the DC drive, plus an hour of I-70

From Baltimore the shape is the DC drive with more interstate stacked on the front. I-70 west through Frederick and Hagerstown picks up I-81 south, down through Winchester to Strasburg, then VA-55 west, which becomes US-48, Corridor H, in West Virginia: four lanes to Moorefield. From there it is the resort's own printed route for Baltimore and Philadelphia, and the same ending as DC: WV-55 through Petersburg and Seneca Rocks, then WV-28 south through Judy Gap, Bartow, and Green Bank, and WV-66 west through Cass and up the back of the mountain. Google Maps sometimes prefers a different way to the same Corridor H, down through the Capital Beltway on I-95 and I-66, or west on US-50 through Winchester and Romney; both land within a few minutes of the I-70 way, so take whichever your map app is already showing you.

Drive time

4.5 to 5.5 hours

from downtown, normal conditions, no stops

Distance

about 260 to 280 miles

to the Village at 4,848 feet

Check-in

4:00 PM

your code works whenever you arrive

Live road conditions, WV 511 ↗Summit forecast All routes and airports

The route

The way people actually go

Put Snowshoe Mountain Resort in the GPS for the long part. Once you pass Cass, switch to the exact pin we send you; street addresses on the mountain resolve to the resort entrance, not the door.

The other way

The snow ending: stay on Corridor H past Moorefield to Davis and Thomas, then US-219 south through Parsons and Elkins to Slatyfork, and climb Route 66 from Par Mar. About an hour longer, but it keeps you on the plowed truck roads and brings you up the main entrance instead of the steep side from Cass.

1
I-70 west from Baltimore through Frederick and Hagerstown to I-81 south.
2
I-81 south through Winchester to Strasburg, VA, then VA-55 west, which becomes US-48, Corridor H, at Wardensville, WV. Watch the speed limit through Wardensville and Moorefield.
3
Leave Corridor H at Moorefield for WV-55 south through Petersburg to Seneca Rocks, then WV-28 south (shared with US-33 as far as Judy Gap) through Bartow, Arbovale, and Green Bank.
4
Two miles past Green Bank, turn right onto WV-66 west. Through Cass, over the Greenbrier River, and up the back of the mountain to the resort entrance on the right.

Where to stop

The last grocery, the last gas, the climb

In order. There is one small grocery on the mountain and no gas at all, so the tank and the first night's dinner get sorted on the way in.

Every stop, with hours

1 · Last full grocery
Moorefield or Petersburg
Moorefield, WV, at the end of the four-lane on Corridor H, or Petersburg, WV, eleven miles on, both before the two-lane part
Moorefield has a Walmart and a Food Lion; Petersburg has a Food Lion. Either is the last full grocery on this route. Trent's in Arbovale is a real small grocery closer in. On the Staunton ending, shop in Staunton; Monterey has a small market.
2 · Last gas
Petersburg, then Trent's in Arbovale
Fill in Moorefield or Petersburg. Trent's General Store in Arbovale, two miles before Green Bank, is the last gas before Cass
Trent's closes at 7pm and on Sundays. There is no gas between Green Bank and the top of the mountain. If you finish through Elkins and US-219 instead, Par Mar at Slatyfork is the last stop.
3 · The climb
WV-66 from Cass, the climb
From Cass over the Greenbrier River to the resort entrance, about 20 minutes
Steep and narrow with hairpins, and in a storm it feels unplowed. The entrance is on the right near the top. Nothing is open after Cass. In snow we come around by Marlinton and climb Route 66 from Par Mar instead.
4 · On the mountain
Wildcat Grocery
At the Village, a five-minute walk from the Summit condos
Also listed on some map apps as Wildcat Grocery, same store. Milk, eggs, bread, some produce and meat, hot coffee, and the biggest beer cave on the mountain. Resort prices. Hours shrink in the closed seasons.

Best arrival time

Be on the mountain road in daylight

Leave Baltimore by 10am for the 4pm check-in with one stop. In winter, leave by 9am; the climb from Cass is the part you want in daylight.

Cell service is gone for miles around Green Bank (the observatory's radio quiet zone) and on most of the climb from Cass. Download offline maps and our check-in message before you leave, and send the "almost there" text from Petersburg or Monterey, the last towns with a reliable bar of signal.

Parking at our homes

Winter notes

From Baltimore in ski season

the last ten miles are the trip

Whichever way you come, you end the drive climbing about 2,000 feet on a plowed two-lane road. Here is what we tell every winter guest, plus the parts that are specific to your route.

WV 511 road conditions ↗Roads and tires

I-70 and I-81 are interstates, plowed and treated first; nothing to worry about until Strasburg. Corridor H is four lanes and a truck route from there, so it stays open in all but the worst storms. The high, open plateau around Mount Storm and Davis is the snowiest part of the trip and it drifts; WV 511 will show it.
WV-66 from Cass up the back of the mountain is steep and narrow with hairpins, and in a storm it feels unplowed. That is why the snow route is Marlinton: I-64 to Lewisburg, US-219 north, then Route 66 from Par Mar up the main entrance.
The last 10 miles climb about 2,000 feet from the valley to the Village at 4,848 feet. It snows at the top when it rains at the base.
AWD or 4WD with real tread is the honest recommendation from December to March. The resort plows and treats the road; in six seasons no guest has needed chains. Keep a set in the trunk if it makes you feel better.
Check WV 511 for live plow and closure status before you leave, and again at your last stop with signal.
Aim to reach the bottom of the climb before dark. Winter sunset at Snowshoe is about 5pm. Your door code works whenever you arrive, so a late, slow climb beats a fast one.

Questions

Baltimore to Snowshoe FAQ

Anything else, . We answer within the hour, and we would rather you ask than guess on a mountain road.

What is the best route from Baltimore to Snowshoe?

I-70 west to I-81 south at Hagerstown, down to Strasburg, VA, then VA-55 west into Corridor H (US-48), WV-55 through Petersburg and Seneca Rocks, WV-28 south through Green Bank, and WV-66 through Cass. It is the resort's own printed route for Baltimore and Philadelphia. In snow, stay on Corridor H to Davis and come down through Elkins and US-219 to the main entrance instead.

How long is the drive from Baltimore to Snowshoe?

About 4.5 to 5.5 hours from downtown in normal conditions with no stops, about 260 to 280 miles. The resort's own estimate is 280 miles; Google Maps and other trip calculators put the fastest routes closer to 260. Snow on Corridor H and the climb from Cass adds the most.

Where do I stop for groceries between Baltimore and Snowshoe?

Moorefield, at the end of the four-lane on Corridor H, has a Walmart and a Food Lion; Petersburg has a Food Lion. Trent's General Store in Arbovale, just before Green Bank, is a real small grocery and the last gas before Cass, closed Sundays. Wildcat Grocery at the Village covers basics once you arrive.

Coming from somewhere else?