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Snowshoe Mountain Travel Guide

WELCOME

  • Snowshoe Mountain is the perfect year-round destination for adventure-filled vacations in West Virginia.

    This is Snowshoe - part pure adventure, part cushy comfort, 100% contagious happiness. Our three distinct areas all have personalities worth getting to know. With the perfect amount of vertical in all the right places. A slew of kickers, rails, and other flip-worthy features. Plenty of runs groomed with the same attention paid to top show dogs. And enough variety to keep things interesting from the first chair to last. Plus, our innovative learning program is anything but old school. And our some-say-too-generous snow guarantee always has your back. Believe it or not, things get even friendlier at our mountaintop village. From well-earned apres' and lick-your-plate-clean meals to the lively dance floors and oh-so-relaxing spa, going all-in is as easily said as it is done. For a little advice, simply ask one of your smiling staff members. No one knows how to mountain like they do. And best of all, each new day is your chance to mountain even more than the one before.

Please visit Explore West Virginia Facebook group for more great ideas and conversations on what is happening in the Mountain State.   

Snowshoe Visitors' Guide provided by Snowshoe Mountain

Click Here to Visit Explore West Virginia group.

  • SNOWSHOE HISTORY
  • When Thomas “Doc” Brigham laid his eyes on the Cheat Mountain and Back Allegheny in 1972, he saw more than just a couple of mountains that had been logged barren. His vision was Snowshoe Mountain, a resort that over the years, since it’s opening in 1974 has become one of the East Coast’s top resorts for winter fun.

    Much has changed here at Snowshoe Mountain since opening day on December 19th, 1974. Today our beautiful village has just about everything you could need up here on the mountain, but back then there were only a couple of buildings. The Shaver’s center, the old pump house, a water treatment plant, and dorms for employees. At that point there wasn’t a place for guests to stay, and the closest spot to lodge was over forty minutes away in Marlinton. Ed Galford, now our Vice President of Operations, was here back then in the 74/75 winter season as a snowmaker.

    “That was the thing, we had a great resort but nowhere for guests to stay.” Galford said.

    In 1976 a local businessman, Fred Burford, took over the business and changed everything with projects that focused on the importance of lodging and the importance of expanding ski areas.“We had a big growth year, we built the Powder Monkey lift, we expanded the water facilities for making more snow, we built Timberline and Spruce Lodge, which are both gone now,” Galford said, “We built Shamrock, Treetops, and Leatherbark, which are all still on the mountain today. All of that appeared within a one and half year period.”

    But interest rates were high back then, and in the mid 80’s the resort went back to the bank for a couple of years. When Japanese developer, Tokyo Tower Development Company Limited, purchased the resort in 1990 they had bought Silver Creek, once a rival resort from across the mountain. They built the golf course, they bought the inn at the bottom of the mountain and most importantly they brought skier visits up to 450,000 a year.

    Real change began when Intrawest purchased the resort in 1995. They added snow tubing and night skiing at Silver Creek, and built the first terrain park. Intrawest began phase one of Village construction and opened Rimfire Lodge in 1999. After that, the Village expanded rapidly into what it is today. Now we’re embarking on another exciting time for the resort, as we enter into new ownership yet again. Snowshoe and our sister Intrawest resorts became part of an even larger family of mountains in 2017 with Alterra Mountain Company. And the buzz at 4,848 feet is that the future of Snowshoe Mountain is brighter than ever.
Lake Aerial

Slope Names

  • Visitors to Snowshoe are often baffled by the names of the slopes and condominiums. With names like Powder Monkey, Widowmaker, & Hootenany you begin to wonder just who it was that made up these strange names. In order to set the record straight, some details are needed on the Mountain’s history.

    The land on which Snowshoe now stands had previously been home to loggers and railroaders. 1901-1910 and 1945-1950 were periods of intense activity. A steep railroad up Cheat Mountain from Cass was graded in order to log the virgin forests on the mountain for the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company. A special 40-ton Shay locomotive was developed to negotiate the steep grades of 5 to 10 percent. The Cheat River was so named because its wilderness reaches many miles downstream, and has cheated many a man of his life. The same was true of Cheat Mountain Logging.

    The railway up Cheat, three Shay locomotives, some cars and the old Cass repair shop were later purchased by the State of West Virginia. By 1963 trains were running again-this time as the Cass Scenic Railroad. With the logging and railroading history, the developers of Snowshoe in the ‘70’s naturally turned to these memories for names throughout the resort.
    Ballhooter – A man who rolls logs down a hill to a skid road or landing.

    Choker – A loop of cable used in skidding logs with a steam skidder.

    Cross Cut – Typical big toothed two-man saw used to cut trees, usually six feet long.

    Cupp Run – Small stream named for the family that owned this valley years ago.

    Dinkey – A small locomotive

    Gandy Dancer – A man who lays and maintains railroad track

    Gangway – The incline plane up which logs are moved from the mill pond into the mill.

    Grab Hammer–Hammer with a pointed end or ends used to knock out grabs or couplers from logs.
    Hoot-Nanny – A small device used to hold a crosscut saw while sawing a log from the underside.

    J-Hook – A special type of grab or coupler used on steep slopes. This type of grab permits the skidding teams to step aside (jay off) become disengaged and stand while the logs continue down the slope.

    Knot-Bumper – Man who cuts limbs from a felled tree. This work is done with a double-bitted or pole axe.

    Leatherbark – A shrub, once common along the creek of this same name of the Cass side of Cheat Mountain.

    Powder Monkey – A dynamiter

    Skidder–a machine with winches for skidding logs from the stump to a landing beside a railroad.
    Spruce – 1. Red Spruce, the dominant evergreen tree on the highest ridges in West Virginia. Very common in the forests of Eastern Canada. 2. The now-abandoned pulp mill town just north of Snowshoe.

    Stemwinder – A Shay or other geared railroad locomotive

    Tall Tree – In steam skidding, the tree at the end of the skid road to which the rigging used in skidding logs in attaches.

    Timberline – Height on a mountain above, which no trees can grow. No West Virginia Mountains are quite that high.

    Widow-Maker – A broken limb hanging loose in the top of a tree.

LOCAL AREA AMENITIES

  • TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER
    Pocahontas Visitors Center at Snowshoe Mountain, Located in The Depot. View This Week on the Mountain for weekly operating hours.

If it's not on the mountain, check out what our local area has to offer. OFF-MOUNTAIN SHUTTLE SERVICE


Bus service from Snowshoe Mountain to Marlinton, Pocahontas Memorial Hospital, and Edray, courtesy of Mountain Transit Authority, is available Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm. View bus schedule, fares, and more information here.

Bus service from Snowshoe Mountain to Greenbrier Valley Airport and the Walmart of Lewisburg, courtesy of Mountain Transit Authority, is available every Monday and Friday, from 9:00am to 4:00pm. View bus schedule, fares, and more information here.


MEDICAL FACILITIES
Big Springs Clinic – Slatyfork, WV (Base of the mountain)
Community Care of Green Bank (30 mins)
Davis Medical Center – Elkins, WV. (1 hr 15 mins)
Pocahontas Memorial Hospital – Marlinton, WV (1 hr)

PHARMACIES
Rite Aid – Marlinton WV (30 min)
Green Bank Pharmacy – Green Bank WV (20 min)

TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER

The Depot located in The Village at Snowshoe.

Area visitor centers located in downtown Marlinton, Cass Scenic Railroad, Cranberry Mountain Nature Center, and NRAO.

GUESTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Incase of emergency, your safety is our primary concern. Please inform the Front Desk upon check-in if there is a guest with special needs in the unit.

LIBRARY
Linwood Community Library – Slatyfork, WV (Base of the mountain)
LIQUOR STORE
Liquors & More – Marlinton, WV (40 min)
Par Mar #45 – Huttonsville, WV (40 min)

GROCERY STORE

Par Mar & Exxon – Slatyfork, WV (Base of the mountain)
IGA - Marlinton (40 min)


AIRPORTS & AMTRAK
Amtrak – White Sulphur Springs, WV (2 hrs)
Greenbrier Valley Airport – Lewisburg, WV (1hr 30min)

CAR RENTALS
Avis – Lewisburg, WV (1 hr 30 mins)
Enterprise – Elkins, WV (1 hr 15 mins)
Greenbrier Valley Limo Service – White Sulphur Springs, WV (2 hrs)

FLORIST
Flower Garden – Marlinton, WV (30 min)
Judy’s Flowers & Gifts – Bartow, WV (45 mins)
Rennix Florist – Valley Bend, WV (1 hr)

GARAGE/VEHICLE REPAIR
Back Mountain Service – Marlinton, WV (30 min)
Eddie’s Service Center and Wrecker Services – Marlinton, WV (30 min)
Johnny's Garage – Marlinton, WV (30 min)
Murphy’s Wrecker Service – Durbin, WV (1 hr)

POCAHONTAS COUNTY CVB
The Pocahontas County Convention & Visitors Bureau offers guides to attractions, events and activities. Explore nature's mountain playground. Visit their website for more information.

GETTING HERE

Aerial


Travel Times

See our page Area Maps for more information.

  • SNOWSHOE AREA ATTRACTIONS
  • Green Bank Observatory


  • GREEN BANK OBSERVATORY

        • The Green Bank Observatory designs, builds and runs the world's most sophisticated radio telescopes for scientists, including the Green Bank Telescope, the largest steerable telescope in the world.

          VISIT WEBSITE

  • Cass Railroad


      • Cass Scenic Railroad State Park features an era when steam-driven locomotives were an essential part of everyday life. Trips to Cass are filled with rich histories of the past, unparalleled views and the sights and sounds of original steam-driven locomotives. The park’s 11-mile long heritage railroad and authentic company town are some of the state’s most popular tourist attractions.


  • Mon National Forest
    • Monogahela
      MONONGAHELA NATIONAL FOREST

      Monongahela National Forest, in the north central highlands of West Virginia, is a place where visitors can enjoy breathtaking vistas, peaceful country roads, gently flowing streams, and glimpses of the many plants and animals that live here. This special place was established in 1920 and encompasses one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the United States, with elevations from just under 1,000 feet to 4,863 feet above sea level. The Monongahela is a ‘working’ forest, which provides timber, water, grazing, minerals and recreational opportunities. Explore your Forest!

      VISIT WEBSITE

  • Greenbrier River Trail
      • Greenbrier River Trail
        GREENBRIER RIVER TRAIL

        The Greenbrier River Trail is a 78-mile former railroad now used for hiking, biking and horseback riding. It is the longest trail of its kind in West Virginia. The trail provides many breathtaking views as it passes through several small towns, crosses 35 bridges, goes through two tunnels and cuts through some of West Virginia’s most remote areas. The Greenbrier River Trail is one of 50 Millennium Legacy Trails in the United States, and was rated one of the top 10 hiking trails in the country by Backpacker Magazine. Part of the Greenbrier River Trail lies within a National Radio Quiet Zone so cell phones do not work.

        VISIT WEBSITE