Off-season at Snowshoe
quiet on purpose
Snowshoe closes twice a year: early April to about May 21, and mid-October to Thanksgiving week. The lifts stop and most of the Village goes quiet, but the rivers, trails, trains, and state parks around it never do. Here is what we tell guests who ask what there is to do: what stays open, what is worth the drive, and how to eat and stay put.
Good to know
Hours in these months are not always published and change without notice, so a phone call is the honest answer for anything on the mountain. The mountain report shows what is open today. Our homes stay open through both closures, and rates are at their lowest in these weeks.
The two closures
Spring closure
Early April to about May 21
The lifts are off and most of the Village is closed. Everything outdoors in the county is waking up.
Fall closure
Mid-October to Thanksgiving week
Peak color is the second and third weeks of October, then the mountain goes quiet until Opening Day.
On the mountain
Not much, and that is the appeal. The Village is still a short walk or drive from every home, and a few things keep going.
The Rink at Mountain Lodge
Open every day of the year. Our go-to answer when the weather turns.
Adventure Playground
Indoor, year-round, and next to the Rink. Kids burn an afternoon here while the grown-ups sit by the fire.
Raven Golf Club
Opens in April, before the lifts do, and runs into the fall. A quiet-week tee time with mountain views.
Wildcat Grocery
Usually stays open for basics, coffee, and beer. For a real grocery run, shop on the way in.
What to do
Fish the rivers
Six trout rivers within 90 minutes, and the Elk River is fifteen minutes below the mountain. Spring and October are the two best windows, and both sit inside the closures.
Fly fishing guideHike with no one on the trail
The Shavers Lake loop, the fire tower climb, and Falls of Hills Creek. Spring trails are soft, so wear boots; fall is the better walking season.
Hiking guideRide the Greenbrier River Trail
A flat rail trail with a grade that never passes 1 percent. Watoga State Park is the easy way on.
Biking guideTake a train and look up
Cass Scenic Railroad is about 25 minutes away. Green Bank Observatory is the darkest sky on the East Coast, and its science center is free.
Our three loopsDo the state parks and waterfalls
Beartown boardwalk, Cranberry Glades, Falls of Hills Creek, Droop Mountain, and Watoga. All within an hour, all open when the resort is closed, most of them free.
Every day tripStay in
Every one of our homes has a full kitchen and a grill. A slow breakfast, a long dinner you cook yourself, and a hot tub at the homes that have one is a real plan up here.
See the homesEating
Plan the first dinner before you climb
Some Village restaurants run reduced hours in April, May, and November, and others close outright. Starbucks cuts back to mornings. Every one of our homes has a full kitchen and a grill, so shop on the way in and cook.
The towns down the hill keep normal hours. For a real grocery run, Marlinton is 30 to 40 minutes away and Elkins is about an hour. See groceries and gas for the stops in order, restaurants down the hill, and private chefs if you would rather someone cooked.
Questions
Dates, what is open, and whether it is worth coming. Anything else, ; we answer within the hour and will tell you what is actually open this week.
Twice a year: early April to about May 21, and mid-October to Thanksgiving week. The lifts are off and most of the Village is closed.
Exact dates shift with the weather. Our homes stay open through both closures, at lower rates.
Yes, if you want quiet. The rivers, trails, trains, and state parks around the mountain run all year, and the roads and trails are as empty as they get.
It is not the trip for a guest who wants restaurants and shops on the mountain every night. Fall color in October and spring trout fishing are the two best reasons to come.
The Rink and Adventure Playground at Mountain Lodge stay open, Raven Golf Club opens in April, and Wildcat Grocery usually stays open for basics. Some Village restaurants run reduced hours and others close.
Hours in these months are not always published, so call before you go, and check the mountain report for what is open today.
Fish the trout rivers, hike, ride the flat Greenbrier River Trail, take the Cass Scenic Railroad or the Durbin Rocket, visit Green Bank Observatory, and see the state parks and waterfalls within an hour.
All of it is open when the resort is closed, and most of it is free. Our day trips and three loops are on the off-the-mountain page.
Mostly in the house. Every one of our homes has a full kitchen and a grill, and the towns down the hill keep normal hours.
Shop on the way in, since Marlinton is 30 to 40 minutes away and Elkins is about an hour. Plan the first dinner before you climb the mountain.
Keep exploring
Where to stay
A quiet week is best with a full kitchen and somewhere warm to land. The Timbers homes are the easiest in and out for a car-based trip.
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