Mountain Biking
Snowshoe Resort
Snowshoe, West Virginia
Beautiful surroundings, great facilities, varied trails, downhills and lots of climbing make for a great weekend!
7/15/04 - by Christopher Burk, Outdoor Travels
Ever since I was about ten years old, I have been enjoying an occasional winter ski at Snowshoe Resort in West Virginia and have always wondered what the ski runs looked like without any snow on them. Were they nicely manicured meadows winding through the trees like fairways on a golf course or were they simply a swathe of dirt and rocks looking more like scars than a thing of beauty? Well, I was about to find out.
An Outdoor Travels guy’s long weekend was planned as Dana, Jeff and I decided to visit Snowshoe, WV for our 2004 West Virginia bike outing. Jeff and Dana had never been to Snowshoe before and although I had been there many times in the winter, this was my first time there during the summer, and my chance to fulfill a childhood dream. I was finally going to see what the mountain looked like without 180 inches of snow on it.
Snowshoe has gone through a tremendous transformation since the first time I skied there. At the time, the only building that existed at the top of the mountain was the modest Shaver Center. There were no condominiums, lodges, coffee shops, restaurants or bars.
For those who are unfamiliar with Snowshoe Mountain it is not your typical ski resort. Unlike a traditional ski resort, all the amenities are at the top of the mountain rather than the bottom. This “upside down” layout has its benefits and drawbacks. Being at the top of the mountain offers wonderful sunrises and sunsets. And the first thing you do in the morning is either bike or ski rather than ride the lift or shuttle. On the other hand, the last thing you do is either ride the lift or the shuttle. Trying to get to the top of mountain in the middle of winter can also be quite an adventure.
Over the past 20 years, Snowshoe has expanded the “Island on the top of World.” They have literally built and rebuilt just about every building there. What once started out as two lodges, a restaurant and the Shaver Center has been expanded, renovated or bulldozed into an entire alpine-like village. Only two buildings still remain from the original expansion: the Shaver’s Center and Spruce Lodge. And after staying at Spruce Lodge for three days, I would say it’s in desperate need of being renovated or bulldozed itself.
But lounging around the lodge is not why we came to Snowshoe. We came to ride, and ride we did. We spent two days dodging trees, crashing over rocks and splashing through streams. We rode everything from fast-paced double track and technical single track to some serious downhill that just about melted our brakes. We even went for a spin on the terrain park. About the only area we didn’t get a chance to check out was the new freeride park. But when all was said and done we had sampled a small but representative portion of Snowshoe’s 120+ miles of trails spread out over 11,000 acres of backcountry.
The nice thing about Snowshoe’s trail system is it offers a wide variety of trails. Everything from moderate fire roads and double track to technical single track and gut wrenching climbs. This diversity of trails provides the perfect playground for any level above rank beginner. And if gravity is your friend, the 1,500-feet drop of the Western Territory offer the downhill enthusiasts some of the most technical and challenging trails I’ve been on.
Surrounding areas such as Slatyfork, Tea Creek and Cranberry Backcountry offer additional riding opportunities, but let’s face it -- once you’re on top of the mountain, you pretty much stay there. And based on what Snowshoe has to offer, there really isn’t much of a reason to leave.
Granted, Snowshoe may not equal some of the year-round resorts out West, but it has definitely improved over the past couple of years. It has done a pretty good job of capitalizing on the growing popularity of mountain biking and other X-game type activities and created a summer-time resort where the sky’s the limit in sports, literally.
Oh, and what did the ski slopes look like without snow? I can report that beneath the cover of the fluffy soft snow I’ve grown accustomed to in the winter, their summertime undersides are indeed made up of grass, roots, rocks and dirt…and one paved road that runs the entire length of the bunny slope. Who knew?
Trail snapshot
Trail(s): 120 miles of double track, fire roads and single track. Surfaces vary from gravel to dirt to rocks and serious drops.
Difficulty: Advanced beginner to expert in order to get the most out of Snowshoe
Outdoor Travels Rating:
4.5 bikes out of 5. You could spend a week at Snowshoe and not run out of trails to ride.
Thumbs up:
- You name a type of trail Snowshoe probably has it.
- Beautiful Scenery
- Very few people
- Easy access to beer and good food at the end of the ride.
- Bike wash, rentals, repairs and bike shop are nice features.
Thumbs down
- The bike shop and Guest Services close at 6:00 PM. If you check in after 6:00 you have no way of obtaining a map or any trail information until the next day. This REALLY sucks.
- The promise of a free gift for filling out their survey is a coupon that is only good for about three months.
- The trail map is not very accurate making it tough to find specific trails.
Nuts & bolts
Location: Snowshoe Mountain is located in the middle of Pocahontas County about 30 miles north of Marlington on US-219.
Directions: From the East - West on US-250 then South on 42 to Goshen, VA, then WV-39 West to Marlinton, WV, then 26 miles North on US-219 to Snowshoe. From the South - North on I-77 from Charlotte to Beckley, WV, then I-64 East to White Sulphur Springs, then 92 North to WV-39 West to Marlinton, WV: then 26 miles North on US-219 to Snowshoe. From the North - I-79 South to Weston, WV, then East on US-33 to Elkins, South 48 miles on US-219 to Snowshoe. From the West - US-50 East to Clarksburg and I-79 South to Weston, WV, then East on US-33 to Elkins, then South 48 miles on US-219.
Facilities: 1,400 lodging units ranging from hotel-type rooms to backcountry huts. Snowshoe also offers several restaurants, pubs, shops and a local grocery store.
Activities: mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, skeet shooting, canoeing, picnicking, golf, rock climbing, skateboarding and of course skiing during the winter.
Admission: Varies depending on activities, lodging and package deals
Maps and stuff
Lots of great photos to give you a good idea of what riding here is like!
Snowshoe video:
