Location: Canaan Valley
Top Things to do in Canaan Valley
Countries
Top 10 Things to do in Canaan Valley, United States
Canaan Valley (locally /kəˈneɪn/) is an oval, bowl-like upland valley in northeastern Tucker County, West Virginia, USA. Within it are extensive wetlands and the headwaters of the Blackwater River which spills out of the valley at Blackwater Falls. It is a well-known and partially undeveloped scenic attraction and tourist draw, associated with the Canaan Valley Resort State Park and the Blackwater Falls State Park.
Restaurants in Canaan Valley
1. Purple Fiddle
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 80 reviews
Reviewed By WVMountaineerFans - Fort Ashby, West Virginia
Went to see Missy Raines. Great atmosphere, music and food. Once again a great trip and now that corridor H is open to Davis a much easier trek. Fiddler platter and chicken salad croissant were great. Sorry but downside was the staff. Not a smile to be found and at the end of the night while outside the guy with the dreads singing "take this job and shove it ". If you hate it that much just quit. It's obvious in how treat guests that you don't like it. This is a great establishment and I hope it stays forever. No place like it.
2. Blackwater Outdoor Adventures
Overall Ratings
5 based on 100 reviews
Offering family friendly adventures, whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, tubing, fishing, flyfishing and camping. Located in historic St. George outside the Canaan Valley and Blackwater Falls State Parks.
Reviewed By WVJohn - Litchfield Park, AZ
Owen, Liz and Kayla provided a professional, friendly and fun experience WW rafting on the Cheat River. The store is well-stocked with wetsuits and wind jackets in case of inclement weather (even though a bit chilly, our trip was awesome), and the rafts are first rate. The Cheat is perfect for families, lots of fun 2-3 magnitude rapids followed by gentle and scenic cruising. This is the second time I have gone with BOA, and they will continue to be my tour company of choice in this area. Thanks again.
3. Blackwater Falls State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 729 reviews
Reviewed By SavantIII_11 - Centerville, Ohio
No worries about rain, snow, wind, sun at Blackwater Falls State Park. Blackwater Falls State Park is a delightful WV State Park.
Blackwater Falls State Park is an Iconic WV state park, with loads of history, trails, viewing, and updating.
Visiting Blackwater Falls is very busy most weekends, and a mid-week visit is recommended.
Blackwater Falls State Park lodge offers a great conference center, dining, sleeping, and recreational opportunities.
This week, we are seeing much water pass over the falls.
We recommend.
Montani Semper Liberi
4. Cathedral State Park
Overall Ratings
4 based on 22 reviews
Reviewed By LoveAGreatBnB - Lambertville, New Jersey
We love scenic parks, so when we read in the Morgantown tourism guide that there were a lot of ancient hemlocks and hiking trails here, we went to the park. There are a lot of downed trees, which I guess some people feel is a way of showing nature the way it is. But, to me it just looked messy and unattractive. We have a woods on our property and we keep it picked up, and it's much more serene to the eye that way. If you don't mind a bunch of fallen trees and limbs and are into hemlocks, go for it. We would not go there again, if it is like its current state.
5. Timberline Riding Stables - Private Tours
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By Rjcestra - Beaver, Pennsylvania
Had a great time horseback riding up the mountain. The horses were well behaved and Christine our tour guide was very friendly, patient and knowledgable. The trail was very safe and the views were amazing.
6. Canaan Valley Resort
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 176 reviews
Reviewed By Joshua R - Olney, Maryland
This place is amazing for skiing, tubing, shooting and hiking! We have come here a few times in summer and winter and this place is great year round. Our friends have annual ski passes and really enjoy the skiing. In the summer they have great hiking and skeet shooting. Great place for the family!
7. Mountain State Brewing Co.
Overall Ratings
4 based on 15 reviews
Reviewed By sisterwifeone - Richmond, Virginia
The atmosphere is really nice, super casual. If you are at the bar, you'll sit on varnished saw horses. They often have live music. There is one part that is open air in good weather. There is food available and I'm sure it's good, but I have never tried it. I really enjoy the beer there. I try and bring some growlers so I can take some back to the motel, or wherever I'm staying, and even brought some home to Richmond. The beer prices are very reasonable and they offer a good selection, all brewed on site. It's a great addition to Tucker Co.
8. Chip Shots FootGolf
Overall Ratings
5 based on 2 reviews
Where Soccer meets Golf in the beautiful mountains of Tucker County West Virginia! We are a small 9 hole Footgolf links. Loads of fun! Come try it out!
Reviewed By Shana824 - Silver Spring, Maryland
We enjoyed playing foot golf while visiting our parents in Dry Fork, West Virginia. Chip Shots is very close to Canaan Valley. The course is beautiful, nestled in rolling hills. Our teenage sons enjoyed playing this for the first time and it was nice to walk around outside while trying to keep up with them! The owners were friendly and helpful, the price was right, and it was an entertaining way to spend some time outdoors. You can either do one round of 9 holes or 2 rounds for 18 holes.
9. Dolly Sods Wilderness Area
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 213 reviews
Located in the Monongahela National Forest, this 10,215-acre area is one of the few wilderness areas on the East Coast.
Reviewed By TravelerTP - Manassas, VA
It was a bumpy ride getting to Dolly Sods, down a slightly narrow, gravel road. There were ample trails all over the place, but I didn't do any hiking. I did take advantage of the scenic overlooks though. The middle overlook is gorgeous. It's just off of the parking area, down a short, rocky path. However, the view is more than worth it. It was stunning, overlooking the valley below. The fall foliage displayed an array of colors and the large rocks along the overlook gave a nice place to sit and enjoy the serenity of the scene. The furthest overlook (Bear Rocks Overlook) was not the prettiest at this time of year, but it was still obvious that in other seasons, it would be stunning.
10. White Grass Touring and Cafe
Overall Ratings
5 based on 49 reviews
Reviewed By raj0302 - Wilmington, North Carolina
1. My Background / Information. This was my fourth time to visit White Grass. I am a snowshoer and not a skier so my verbiage may not be accurate when describing some aspects of the facility. I have searched the Internet for another place to snowshoe (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, etc) but have yet to find a comparable location.
1.a. Details-Overall. White Grass is a Cross-country ski facility with approximately 60 km of trails. Many of these trials are groomed via a snow cat with attachments; others are groomed via a snowmobile with attachments. Other trails are not groomed. The property is very picturesque with a mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees. There are several shelters on the trails. These are not enclosed shelters but rather three-sided structures with a roof (approximately 6 feet wide x 6 feet deep). On one occasion, I encountered one of these shelters that had a small potbelly stove; however, I do not recall seeing it in recent years.
1.b. Snow Farm. They have a "snow farm" on the lower/flat portions of the property. During times of low snowfall, the staff collects snow, places it here and grooms it. During low snowfall, it is common yet strange to see photos on their website of people skiing on a 6 foot wide blanket of groomed snow while the rest of the ground has brown grass exposed.
1.c. Ski Trails. The trails seem to offer skiers a good variety of trails and they seem to be accessible/negotiable whether traveling uphill or downhill. Most of the groomed ski trails are approximately 20 feet wide. Some of the un-groomed trails are as narrow as 3 feet wide.
1.d. Snowshoe Trails. White Grass states on their website that they welcome snowshoers but it is somewhat difficult to stay off of the groomed portion of some of the trails. For snowshoers who do not know what I am talking about:
- Cross-country ski trail groomers are typically a snow-cat that pulls a sled that flattens out the snow and cuts shallow ridges and valleys in the trail (known as corduroy).
- The groomer then cuts two 3 inch grooves into the corduroy (approximately six inches apart) into which cross country skiers place their skis.
- Protocol dictates that showshoers stay off of the groomed portions of the trail. This can be problematic when the snow is deep or when the trail is narrow.
- Once you get away from the lodge, it is fairly easy to get onto ungroomed trails where you can have more freedom of movement.
2. Caveats / Caution / Fair Warning. The snowfall at White Grass can be erratic and unpredictable. If you are interested in going here, I highly recommend checking the "Daily Report" and "Web Cam" tabs on the White Grass website (as well as the local forecasts) prior to/during your trip planning.
3. Volume and days / dates of patronage. It seems that when the snow is plentiful, White Grass gets packed with people who drive to the area on Friday after work; ski on Saturday; and drive back home on Sunday morning. On longer, holiday weekends you will also see a high volume of skiers on Sunday as well. During my four visits, I have never seen it so crowded that I would have considered the trails as being packed, crowded or unpleasant. I would categorize the patrons as:
- 20 % couples (in their 20s-50s).
- 30 % families (parents in their 20s-30s with two children).
- 50 % groups (4-10 people in their 20s to 50s).
- Most of the patrons seem to be from Ohio, Pennsylvania or northern Virginia/Washington D.C.
4. Purpose / Details of Visit. I visited White Grass during the recent "Snowmageddon" that dropped 2-4 feet of snow on the east coast on 22-23 Jan 2016.
5. Location (obtained from the White Grass website). 643 Weiss Knob Ski Road Davis, WV.
6. Directions
6.a. If coming from the South or East on WV Highway 32:
- From the intersection of WV 72 and WV 32, drive 3 miles north on WV 32
- Turn right (east) onto Freeland Road (the identifiable terrain feature will be a white church on the right side of the road).
- Follow the road for 1.3 miles.
- Turn right on Weiss Knob Ski Road and follow it to the lodge.
6.b. If coming from the North on WV Highway 93:
- Turn left (south) onto WV highway 32; drive 10.2 miles.
- Turn left (east) onto Freeland Road (the identifiable terrain feature is the white church on the left side of the road).
- Follow the road for 1.3 miles.
- Turn right on Weiss Knob Ski Road and follow it to the lodge.
7. Vehicle access / status of roads (Winter)
7.a. The State of West Virginia does a good job of plowing the roads to permit access. During the Jan 22-23 2016 snowstorm, the snow was falling too fast for the road crews to stay ahead of the snow and it was somewhat difficult to get there.
7.b. During normal winter weather conditions, it appears that any type of vehicle can get to Freeland Road. Past this point, a front-wheel drive/all-wheel drive/4-wheel drive vehicle is advisable to drive the remaining 2 miles to White Grass.
8. Parking. The parking area is typically plowed to remove the deep snow but you must be prepared to drive over at least 3 inches of packed snow to park.
9. Hours (obtained from the White Grass website). 9:00 am to dark; 7 days per week.
10. Cost (obtained from the White Grass website). The area use fee is $20.00 daily for adults; $5.00 for children.
11. Rental equipment. They offer a wide variety of rental equipment; I recommend checking the White Grass website for availability and cost.
12. Amenities - primarily at the lodge.
12.a. Cafe / Lodge. There is a cafe at the lodge; they offer a wide variety of warm and hearty fare (soup, chili, wraps, etc), local microbrews and hot cider. The lodge has several picnic tables outside and several tables inside. There is usually bluegrass music playing and the entire place (inside and out) has a very friendly/communal atmosphere.
12.b. Trail-side snacks. The ski shelters typically have a metal can full of granola bars and snacks.
12.c. Restrooms. I believe there are restrooms at the lodge; I have never seen any port-johns on the trails.
12.d. Gift Shop. They have a small but very well-stocked gift shop. They carry souvenirs (t-shirts, mugs, caps, magnets) and also carry a line of clothing in the event you forgot something (wool caps, gloves, fleece, sunglasses, sunblock, etc).
13. Recommended supplies
13.a. Water. Do not underestimate how much water you will lose to sweat. Above all, do not use a hydration system with a tube; the water will freeze in the tube and in the mouthpiece and it will be unusable. Use wide-mouth bottles.
13.b. Electrolyte replenishment. Bear in mind that you can lose quite a bit of electrolytes skiing and snowshoeing. It is advised that you bring some type of replenishment beverage.
13.c. Snacks. It is wise to bring some type of snack to keep up your blood sugar while on the trial.
14. Recommended Equipment & Clothing. Since I am not a skier, I will only elaborate on snowshoeing gear.
14.a. Sunglasses. The glare off of the snow can be overwhelming.
14.b. Chapstick, Dermatone and/or skin moisturizer. The sun, cold and wind can take a toll on your exposed body parts.
14.c. Gaiters. Since snowshoers will most likely be in deeper snow (knee deep), gaiters are highly recommended.
14.d. Snowshoe or trekking poles. Many of the snowshoe trails are very steep, necessitating poles.
14.e. Hat and gloves.
14.f. Clothing. Even though you will most likely be outdoors in very cold weather, you will most likely want to be a little cold starting off. Once you start moving, you can quickly become overheated if you overdress. I have found the following to be sufficient:
- Lightweight to midweight wool long underwear.
- Lightweight wool undershirt.
- Midweight wool zip neck sweater/shirt.
- Waterproof/windproof shell pants.
- Waterproof/windproof shell jacket.
- Waterproof hiking boots (and insulated depending on how cold it is).
15. What you can reasonably expect to accomplish in one/two days.
15.a. One Day. Traverse a portion of the trail in a clockwise direction in the morning; return to the lodge for lunch; traverse another portion of the trail after lunch.
15.b. Two Day. Day 1. Traverse the entire facility in a counter-clockwise direction (eat on the trail). Day 2. Traverse the entire facility in a clockwise direction (eat on the trail).
16. Lodging. There is no lodging available at White Grass. Their website has quite a few links to recommended lodging. I can personally recommend the following:
16.a. Bright Morning Inn B&B in Davis (11 miles). This is a two story house with 8 guest rooms and was a boarding house for loggers back in the day. The rooms are clean, warm and comfortable. The breakfast options range from healthy to hearty. The innkeeper/owner (Susan) is very friendly and engaging.
16.b. Cooper House B&C (Bed & Cocktail) in Thomas (14 miles). This is a two-story house with 4 guest rooms. They do not serve meals (there are a couple of options for breakfast, lunch and dinner within walking distance) but instead offer cocktails in the evening. It is a very enjoyable place to stay - more like staying with a friend or relative than staying at a hotel. The innkeeper/owner (Joy) is very pleasant and accommodating.
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