CHARLESTON, W.Va. – During a time of year when snuggling under a blanket on the couch seems more reasonable than going outside, West Virginia offers a range of winter activities that promise to turn the cold into memorable experiences.
From winter sports to charming towns to scenic train rides, there are at least five good reasons for visiting West Virginia in the winter, according to Lauren Bodnar of the W.Va. Division of Tourism.
West Virginia's Five Ski Resorts
Though often considered remote, West Virginia and its skiing and snowboarding parks are a drive of only three hours at most from major mid-Atlantic metros.
“Winter sports are the strength of West Virginia,” says Bodnar, director of public relations and strategic partnerships for state tourism.
The woodland scenery and the intensity of some slopes are two chief reasons visitors come to the state in winter, and here they’ll find a wide variety of conditions suited to newbies and advanced skiers and snowboarders.
“It’s exciting—but not too overwhelming,” she said.
Two of the state's resorts are known for their convenience to interstate expressways, and three are prized for their seemingly remote locales.
Easily accessible, Oglebay Park, off I-70, is an hour’s drive from downtown Pittsburgh, and Winterplace, off I-77, is a two-hour drive from metropolitan North Carolina.
Three others are in the state’s interior and are among the highest ranges in the Allegheny Mountains. Snowshoe Mountain, Timberline Mountain, and Canaan Valley State Park are famed destinations among East Coast cities because they’re easy to access and guarantee natural snow long into the spring.
Thanks to the completion of the US-48 expressway, all three mountain resorts are now more convenient to northern Virginia and are at the nearest a 1.5-hour drive from I-81.
Due to their accessibility, all West Virginia ski resorts stay busy with visitors from D.C. and neighboring states, notably Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.
“It’s easier to get to West Virginia, more affordable and accessible than other states in the northeast,” Bodnar said.
Sledding at Blackwater Falls
A West Virginia winter classic, the longest sled run in the U.S. is at Blackwater Falls State Park near the Canaan Valley and its ski resorts. Described as a “magic carpet,” a conveyor belt pulls visitors to the top of the run through a winter wonderland.
“It’s a very popular destination in West Virginia because of the waterfall, and it’s a year-round destination,” Bodnar said.
West Virginia culture is tied inextricably to sledding, as hills and snow are plentiful.
“Sledding is a big tradition in West Virginia. It’s very nostalgic and brings back memories of being a kid, even if you’re not anymore,” she reminisced.
Blackwater Falls State Park, which is best known as the home of Blackwater Falls, the highest waterfall in the state, is a must-see attraction for visitors to the Canaan Valley region.
“The sled run is not the only attraction: the waterfall is a sight to see unfold seasonally. In the winter, the waterfall is dressed in snow due to the excessive amount of snow it receives.
The falls are known for their amber waters, which turned dark because of spruce forests surrounding the Canaan Valley, which the Blackwater River drains. The park also includes a lodge, cabins, and plenty of forest trails that are popular with cross-country skiers.
Off-Roading on the Hatfield-McCoy Trails
Winter is an exhilarating season for off-road vehicle enthusiasts visiting the Hatfield-McCoy Trail system in southwestern West Virginia. Named for the feuding Hatfield and McCoy families who settled in the region along Kentucky and West Virginia borders, the system explores a remarkably rugged mountain region.
All-terrain vehicles, especially enclosed side-by-sides with heaters, are ideally suited for mountain adventures in the region, peppered with ghost towns, remnants of the coal mining industry in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
“It’s a ‘must’ experience in the winter that you can’t find anywhere else,” Bodnar said.
More than 1,000 miles of off-road vehicle trails now climb through the mountains, and while most visitors seem to prefer to run the trails themselves, guide services are available. “I prefer guided tours just so I can relax and enjoy the scenery,” she said.
The trail system is popular year-round, though winter is an ideal time to visit, notably because the region’s mountains are in the southern state, and winters are milder than in other areas.
“It doesn’t get unbearably cold in the winter because it's in the southwestern part of West Virginia, so it’s often at above-freezing temperatures.”
She also recommends visiting in the winter to see more mountain views than in summer, when lush trees obscure the view.
The legend of the feud, the history of coal mining, and the excellence of the trail system have combined to draw thousands of adventurers to the region year-round.
“People come from out-of-state because we have one of the most famous trail systems in the U.S. due to its size, maintenance, and proper markings,” she said.
The History Channel features a three-part miniseries about the Hatfields and McCoys feud.
Scenic Train Rides
Scenic train rides on the Mountain Rail and Potomac Eagle provide passengers with memory-making journeys through winter wonderland in West Virginia.
“It’s a very nice way to do something with the family for fun in the winter and holidays,” Bodnar said.
Both trains offer different but similar excursion options, including heated cars, and run year-round except in January, February, and March.
They also come with activities and other amenities for families and couples. The rides often drive by Christmas lights and go through remote forests.
Charming Mountain Towns
West Virginia’s mountain towns are evocative and relatively uncrowded, even during the busiest times.
Lewisburg is among the best known and seems ideally suited to a Hallmark movie with its quaint streets and shops full of books, cheeses, and wines. In winter, it also offers horse-drawn carriage rides.
Davis and Thomas, near the Canaan Valley ski areas, are well-known small-town destinations renowned for their shops, restaurants, and music scenes tied to the region's outdoor recreation industry.
Bramwell, near the southern end of the Hatfield-McCoy off-road trails, is filled with Victorian homes and celebrates Christmas with a well-known tour of historic homes.
At the northern end of the New River Gorge National Park, charming Fayetteville is a top U.S. destination for hiking, bouldering, and rock climbing year-round, though increasingly so in winter, when trails in the lower parts of the gorge are warmer and often free of snow.
Other must-visit small towns in winter include the historic villages and Shepherdstown and Harpers Ferry, both in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle and not far from Washington, D.C.
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