Winter is here, and with that comes a whole new set of fun activities! Fairfax County and Northern Virginia are just a short drive from many popular ski resorts in Virgnia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia that offer skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing for guests of all ages. The resorts listed are less than three hours away from us, and some are just slightly over an hour’s drive.
Bryce Resort – Basye, Virginia
Just a little over an hour’s drive away, this resort boasts that it has the slopes closest to Northern Virginia. Love winter sports? Bryce is well-known for its teaching programs, and has great options for ski training for kids and adults (both beginner and experienced), as well as classes in snowboarding and ski racing. Looking for something that you don’t need training for? Its 800-foot snow tubing lanes offer fun for grown-ups and kids ages four and up (and at least 36 inches tall). Please note that Bryce has a restaurant and shop but no on-site accommodations, though there are several hotels nearby.
Liberty Mountain Resort – Carroll Valley, Pennsylvania
Very close to Gettysburg (just 10 miles or so; a good way to combine a couple of visits over a weekend!) is Liberty Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania. The resort has skiing, snow-boarding, a hotel, and a tavern. It offers several ski packages, lessons (ski and snowboard, for all age levels), and multi-day programs, plus a terrain park for snowboarding and freestyle fun. For snow-tubing, there are up to 15 perfectly carved lanes you can enjoy day and night, plus Pebble Ridge Kiddie Tubing just for children ages two to four — having a dedicated snow tubing area for tots is a nice way to introduce kids to snow tubing early on (Liberty, in fact, was the first place our son tried snow tubing at age two and loved it!). If your kids don’t want to do any of this, no worries – you still can hit the slopes while the kids (ages 6 months to 10 years) enjoy full-service day care.
Whitetail Resort – Mercersburg, PA
Another resort offering hourly child care while you are on the slopes is Whitetail, less than an couple of hours away in Pennsylvania. But if they want to join in, there is plenty for them! This resort has skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing, lessons, and more. The tube park has 10 lanes for riders ages 5 and up; kids ages 2-4 are welcome at their kiddie tubing park, a nice plus.
Roundtop Mountain Resort – Lewisberry, Pennsylvania
Roundtop, another popular “getaway” spot for Northern Virginians, offers skiing and snowboarding (and lessons for both), plus snow tubing on up to 14 wide lanes (800 feet long) for adults and children ages 5 and older. A separate kiddie area is available for younger riders ages 4 and younger. Kids not up for fun on the slopes? Children ages 18 months through 12 years can enjoy “playcare” while mom or dad are on the mountain. https://www.skiroundtop.com/children-center/play-care
Massanutten Resort – McGaheysville, Virginia
Popular year-round (an all-season resort), Massautten’s winter offerings including skiing, snowboarding, lessons, and tubing on a 900-foot-hill with day and night hours. Tubing is for adults and children at least 36 inches tall (there is no separate “kiddie” area). This resort also offers ice skating and dozens of activities daily, plus a huge indoor waterpark with multiple big slides, a kiddie play area, and a flowrider. For lodging there is a hotel on site, plus you can find multiple options for rentals from timeshare owners. This resort also is near major Shenandoah Valley attractions, such as Luray Caverns, about a half-hour away.
Wintergreen Resort – Wintergreen, Virginia
Skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing options are plentiful here, another all-season resort. The Plunge, the resort’s tubing park, is the largest in Virginia, with slopes 10 stories tall and three football fields wide. Regular tubing is for adults and children ages six and up (and at least 42 inches tall). Younger children can enjoy Ridgely’s Fun Park, which has a mini-tubing carousel, bear paw snowshoes, tunnels, and a gentle hill for tubing, plus a mascot, Ridgely the Bear.
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Heritage Hills Resort – York, Pennsylvania
Winter activities here are limited to ice skating and snow tubing. The 80-foot-tall lanes at http://avalanchexpress.com/ Avalanche Xpress are plentiful – there are eight of them! – and open day and night. There is no age requirement for tubers but kids must be able to get in and out of the tubes by themselves.
Wisp Resort – McHenry, Maryland
This resort in the mountains of western Maryland offers skiing, snowboarding, and training for both. Its snow tubing park is huge, with 12 lanes that are each 750 feet long; participants must be at least 42 inches tall http://www.wispresort.com/snowtubing.php This ski-in/ski-out resort also offers accommodations, dining, and shopping.
Seven Springs Mountain Resort– Seven Springs, Pennsylvania
A favorite getaway for folks from our area, Seven Springs has it all. This year-round resort in winter offers much fun with seven terrain parks suitable for all levels of skiers and snowboarders, from beginner to experienced. Seven Springs also has the largest snow tubing park in the region, with 11 chutes; kids must be at least 42 inches tall to ride. The resort also has plenty of accommodations and dining areas and hosts special events often, plus hot tubs, indoor pools, spas, shopping, and more.
Canaan Valley Resort – West Virginia
Here, downhill skiers and snowboarders of all levels can take advantage of 47 slopes and trails. With a vertical drop of 850 feet and more than 180 inches average annual snowfall, you can enjoy snowboarding, skiing, XC skiing, and more, including ssnowshoeing, ice skating, and snow tubing. The Tubing Park has the longest lanes in the Mid-Atlantic, at 1,200-feet. Children must be a minimum of 4 years old and 42 inches tall. Canaan Resort has accommodations and hosts special events often.
Blue Knob – Claysburg, Pennsylvania
This all-season resort boasts it has “the highest skiable mountain with the most challenging slopes in Pennsylvania, with the longest and sweetest rides for skiers and snowboarders.” It also offers cross-country skiing trails and, on weekends, snow tubing (weekdays are reserved for groups); children must be at least five years old.
Timberline Resort – Davis, West Virginia
This year-round resort in West Virginia’s Canaan Valley offers 41 slopes and two terrain parks, along with a ski school, daycare, and children’s programs, and hosts several racing events each year. Other activities include cross-country skiing and glade skiing through a wooded clearing (sometimes called tree skiing). No snow tubing is available. This also is the only slope-front hotel, with ski-in/ski-out chalets and condominiums, and ski-in/ski-out home sites, in the area.
The Omni Homestead Resort– Hot Springs, Virginia
This beautiful resort in the Allegheny Mountains offers skiing, snowboarding, and a ski school, plus equipment rental, ice skating, and a snow tubing park. Guests must be 48 inches or taller to go snow tubing. The historic resort offers luxury accommodations and a spa and wellness center.
Snowshoe Mountain Resort – Snowshoe, West Virginia
This resort has skiing, snowboarding, a training school, and snow tubing (five-lane course) plus some really fun extras. Here you also can take an off-road Polaris RZR tour into Snowshoe’s back country (don’t worry – these are enclosed, heated vehicles!) or rent a snowmobile for a special tour, day or night (children ages 6 and up are permitted as passengers if they are at least 46” tall). Also check out the Split Rock Pools with a geyser, slides and indoor/outdoor swimming area for the little ones and a sauna and hot tub with gorgeous views for the adults. Snowshoe offers child care, Kids’ Night Out events, and other youth programs, plus plenty of indoor fun options. During select school break periods, kids age 12 and under can enjoy a free stay and skiing when parents or guardians book a qualifying four-night stay.
Not enough time to hit the slopes? You can always enjoy some fun closer to home! See our list of local sledding hills and cross-country ski trails, and visit our Find the Fun section and Calendar of Events for more ideas!
