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Blackwater Falls State Park
Blackwater Falls State Park. Rentals on site, groomed and ungroomed options, and the falls in full ice — one of the great winter sights in the state.
Full guide to Blackwater Falls State Park →Snowshoeing
The lowest-barrier winter activity in the state. Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Blackwater Falls, Dolly Sods and the Highland Scenic Highway corridor all hold snow and open to snowshoe travel without special permission.
The cheapest way into a West Virginia winter, and the one that gets you to places skis can't manage.
No permit or instruction required, with rentals available at three locations within twenty minutes of each other.
Our recommendations
Where we'd send you
For wildlife
Canaan Valley refuge
Flat open wetland with tracks everywhere — snowshoe hare, bobcat, deer, fox — and boardwalks under the snow.
Full guide to Canaan Valley →For experienced people only
Dolly Sods Wilderness
Dolly Sods in winter. Wind, no shelter, no marked trails and no cell service, over terrain that's hard to read under snow.
Full guide to Dolly Sods Wilderness →Practical note
Dolly Sods in winter is a serious undertaking. Trails disappear under snow, wind on the open plateau is sustained, and rescue response times are long enough that parties should be prepared to self-rescue.
What to know before you go
- Dolly Sods in winter is serious terrain — navigation is difficult with snow-covered trails
- Rentals are available at White Grass, Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley Resort
Regions that do it best
Every place we cover for snowshoeing
Wilderness · Potomac Highlands
Dolly Sods Wilderness
A 17,371-acre federally designated wilderness on a plateau largely above 4,000 feet, containing wind-flagged red spruce, heath barrens, sphagnum bog and exposed rock.
17,371 ac wilderness4,000+ ft plateau
State Park · Potomac Highlands
Blackwater Falls State Park
A 57-foot falls where the Blackwater River drops into an eight-mile canyon, its water stained amber by hemlock and spruce tannins.
57 ft falls8 mi canyon
State Park · Potomac Highlands
Canaan Valley
The highest large valley east of the Mississippi, at about 3,200 feet — a 14-mile-long bowl of wetland, bog, beaver meadow and northern hardwood that behaves climatically like central Canada.
3,200 ft valley floor17,000+ ac refuge
Ski Area · Potomac Highlands
White Grass Ski Touring Center
The cultural heart of eastern backcountry Nordic skiing — a groomed and ungroomed network climbing the flank of Cabin Mountain from about 3,200 to over 4,000 feet, run out of a converted farmhouse with a soup-and-woodstove lodge culture that people drive four hours for.
50+ km trails4,000+ ft high point
State Park · Potomac Highlands
Canaan Valley Resort State Park
The state's only resort park with lift-served downhill skiing, plus a lodge, cabins, a golf course, snow tubing and cross-country trails, sitting on the floor of Canaan Valley beside the national wildlife refuge.
6,015 ac park850 ft ski vertical
Trail · Potomac Highlands
Canaan Mountain Backcountry
The plateau between Davis and Canaan Valley, from 3,100 to 4,145 feet, built around the eight-mile Plantation Trail with a dozen short connectors hanging off it.
Local knowledge
8.0 mi plantation trail4,145 ft high point
Trips built around it
AdvertiseThis space is available
Guides and rentals for snowshoeing
Reserved for a West Virginia operator serving this activity. The listings above and below it are unpaid.
List your business hereQuestions people ask
Do you need a permit to snowshoe in West Virginia?
No. Snowshoeing is open on state park, national forest and national wildlife refuge lands without a permit, though some state parks charge for rentals or trail use.
Organizations, agencies and resources · 8
Groups that handle access, maintenance, licensing and conditions data for this activity. Starred entries publish updates worth following.
AllTrails — West Virginia
The largest consumer trail database, with West Virginia hiking, snowshoeing and horseback-compatible trail listings and user photos.
Visit onX Backcountry
Hiking
Offline mapping with public/private land boundary data, valuable in West Virginia's patchwork ownership.
Visit Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Birding
Wetland complex in the highest large valley east of the Mississippi — birding, wildlife viewing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
Visit Canaan Valley Resort
Winter
State park resort with downhill skiing, snow tubing, cross-country trails, golf and lodging in the Canaan Valley snow belt.
Visit White Grass Ski Touring Center
Winter
Major cross-country skiing and backcountry Nordic resource — the cultural heart of eastern backcountry skiing.
Visit West Virginia State Parks — Winter Recreation
Winter
Sledding, snow tubing, cross-country skiing, snowshoe rentals and winter lodging across the park system.
Visit Monongahela National Forest Winter Recreation
Winter
Ungroomed Nordic and snowshoe terrain, seasonal road closures and winter backcountry access.
Visit AllTrails — Snowshoeing Trails
Winter
User-submitted snowshoeing routes and winter trail conditions.
Visit
Related activities
Every organization we link to: local tourism offices, the state and federal agencies that manage the land, the nonprofits and clubs that keep access open, and the universities doing the research.
West Virginia has roughly 1.5 million acres of public land and a handful of places that carry almost all of the attention. The consequence is that a great deal of very good ground sits nearly empty, usually for one of three reasons: nobody has heard of it, the road in is gated or rough, or it is undeveloped and has nothing to advertise. Those are the places below — of them across regions.