The shortest, darkest days of winter are upon us, but there are plenty of ways to get in a little sunshine, fresh air and exercise—all within a 4-hour drive of the DMV. Ski and snowboard season is off to an early start this year, thanks to cooler temperatures, and those aren’t the only options for frosty fun. If precipitous drops and moguls aren’t your thing, you can always leave the slopes to the speed demons and opt for bucolic cross-country skiing or low-key snowshoeing. Or get your thrills with snow tubing, sledding and snowmobiling. Here are 14 places to enjoy powder on a quick day trip or weekend getaway.
Blackwater Falls State Park
Drive time from Arlington: 2 hours 45 minutes
Half the fun of the sledding experience at Blackwater Falls is the ride on a Magic Carpet conveyor belt along a picturesque wooded incline. Once you reach the top of the hill, let gravity do the work as you race down more than a quarter mile of fresh mountain snow on the longest sled run on the East Coast. (The park provides the sleds and all the necessary equipment.) Kids 8 and under must ride with an adult. Open Thursday through Sunday from mid-December until mid-March, this sled run is close to the Canaan Valley and Timberline ski resorts (more on those below), making it a nice side trip if you’re in those areas for skiing. For a more docile winter outing, try renting cross-country skis or snowshoes and tackling some of Blackwater Falls’ 10+ miles of groomed, snow-covered trails. The park has a full-service cross country skiing and snowshoeing center that offers lessons and equipment rentals. You can make a weekend of it by renting a cozy cabin. //1584 Blackwater Lodge Road, Davis, West Virginia
Bryce Resort
Drive time from Arlington: 2 hours
Cozy Bryce Mountain has fewer skiing and snowboarding runs than most other mid-Atlantic resorts (just eight, with two lifts and two Magic Carpet areas for beginners), but the upside is a more intimate experience. The family-friendly, 400-acre resort calls itself a “little mountain with big character.” All the trails feed down to one main gathering area at the base, so it’s easy to keep an eye on little ones. Join the parents-with-bags brigade at the bottom of the slopes, where you can enjoy music, hot food, snacks and drinks (both alcoholic and non). Bryce also offers snow tubing and ice skating, and hosts one of the largest children’s ski racing teams in the Southern Region, with more than 60 racers. Check the resort’s events page for festive happenings and seasonal entertainment. //1982 Fairway Drive, Basye, Virginia
Canaan Valley Resort
Drive time from Arlington: about 3 hours
This mountain offers 47 runs with snowmaking machines on 75% of them. Of course, the terrain is at its skiable best after a natural snowfall—particularly the longest run, which covers 1.25 miles. For beginner skiers, there are two Magic Carpet conveyors. This resort has a little something for every snow lover, so if skiing and snowboarding are not your jam, try tubing or ice skating. The Canaan Valley Resort State Park also offers more than 19 miles of marked, ungroomed cross country trails with cross country ski and showshoe rentals ($20), lessons and guided tours. //230 Main Lodge Road, Davis, West Virginia
Liberty Mountain Resort
Drive time from Arlington: 1.5 hours
Located just over the Maryland line in Adams County, Pennsylvania, Liberty is easily doable as a day trip, but because of that it can get very busy. (If you can manage to play hooky for a weekday visit, the payoff will be more time on the slopes and less time waiting in lift lines.) The resort’s modest size—100 acres—makes it easy to navigate with large groups or young kids, and there are snowmaking machines on 100% of the terrain. Liberty, now owned by Vail Resorts, also offers night skiing, on-site lodging and an indoor pool. //78 Country Club Trail, Fairfield, Pennsylvania
Massanutten Resort
Drive time from Arlington: 2.5 hours
Massanutten was hard at work this summer adding new slopes, more snowmaking equipment and new lifts. It kicks off the winter season with a new black diamond run (extremely difficult), two new blue trails (moderately difficult) and a high speed chairlift, Peak Express, that replaces the former Peak quad lift. The resort’s snowmaking capacity will also be augmented this year thanks to 12 new snow guns. The ski and snowboard slopes are just one part of a 6,000-acre resort that also offers snow tubing (day and night) and an indoor water park for those who’d rather slip and slide in H2O that isn’t frozen. //1822 Resort Drive, Massanutten, Virginia
Omni Homestead Resort
Drive time from Arlington: 3 hours 45 minutes
At Omni, let your little ones take a whirl on mini snowmobiles sized just for them. Helmets are provided; no driver’s license necessary. This activity is only for kids ages 6-12 with a 120 pound weight limit. The resort also has ice skating, tubing and a small downhill ski area with ten runs and three chairlifts. After a brisk day outside, warm your bones with a dip in the area’s natural hot springs. //7696 Sam Snead Highway, Hot Springs, Virginia
Roundtop Mountain Resort
Drive time from Arlington: about 2 hours
Another popular destination for day-trippers, Roundtop, with a top elevation of 1,340 feet, boasts “more snow for longer” thanks to its north-facing slopes. The resort that first opened in 1964 with just one lift, two rope-tows and four slopes has since grown to offer 22 runs, nine lifts, four terrain parks and snow tubing. Today the property is owned and operated by Vail Resorts. // 925 Roundtop Road, Lewisberry, Pennsylvania
Savage River Lodge
Drive time from Arlington: 2 hours 45 minutes
Snowshoeing and cross country skiing enthusiasts can explore more than 13 miles of trails across 700 forested acres at Savage River, which offers both groomed and ungroomed trails, and equipment rentals and lessons. You can stay overnight at the lodge and warm up and refuel in the restaurant. //1600 Mt. Aetna Road, Frostburg, Maryland
Seven Springs Mountain Resort
Drive time from Arlington: 3.5 hours
This all-season resort has an elevation of about 3,000 feet with 285 skiable acres, including 33 trails serviced by 10 chairlifts, two of which are high-speed six-seaters. Newbies can ride up the bunny slopes via a rope tow and three Magic Carpet areas. Seven Springs also offers night skiing and tubing. Staying overnight at the resort? There’s no shortage of apres ski activities, including swimming, ax throwing and roller skating. Seven Springs became part of Vail Resorts in 2021. // 777 Water Wheel Drive, Seven Springs, Pennsylvania
Snowshoe Mountain Resort
Drive time from Arlington: 4 hours
You’ll find 60 ski and snowboard trails crisscrossing 244 acres, plus two terrain parks and snow tubing at this popular ski resort equipped with 14 lifts, including two high-speed quads. Two trails, Shay’s Revenge and Cupp run, have a 1,500 foot vertical drop—the highest in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic. At dusk, 12 trails open up under the lights for night skiing. Another option? Book a daytime or nighttime backcountry snowmobile tour. The 1.5-hour adventure takes you deeper into the mountain’s wilderness and through a variety of terrain, including narrow hill climbs, old growth spruce forests and frozen creek crossings. Shorter evening rides are also available, and children are permitted to ride as passengers on some of the tours. There’s winter horseback riding, too. //10 Snowshoe Drive, Snowshoe, West Virginia
Timberline Mountain
Drive time from Arlington: about 3 hours
If you haven’t been to Timberline Mountain in a while, it might be worth a fresh visit. The resort was auctioned off in 2019 and is now owned by the Perfect family, which has invested more than $15 million to improve snowmaking, extend the season and install a new, high-speed, six-person ski lift (the first of its kind in West Virginia). Timberline offers terrain parks, night skiing and 20 runs with a peak elevation of 4,268 feet—one of the highest elevations in the East. //254 Four Seasons Drive, Davis, West Virginia
White Grass Ski Touring Center
Drive time from Arlington: 3 hours
No reservations are needed for this cross country adventure, open December through March in West Virginia’s High Alleghenies. Explore 30 miles of maintained trails and rolling hills that rise more than 1,200 vertical feet. Then fuel up and recharge at touring center’s White Grass Cafe. //643 Weiss Knob Ski Road, Davis, West Virginia
Wintergreen Resort
Drive time from Arlington: about 3 hours
Tubing and snowmaking are now underway at this Virginia resort on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Wintergreen maintains nearly 20 slopes, including about 10 black or double-black diamonds for those who want a challenge. It also has a small glades area, a freestyle terrain park and a tubing park. The mountain is equipped with two 6-person lifts to expedite the uphill ride and maximize skiing time. //39 Mountain Inn Loop, Nellysford, Virginia
Wisp Resort
Drive time from Arlington: 3 hours
Tucked away on the northern edges of Deep Creek Lake, Maryland’s only downhill ski resort has 137 acres of skiable slopes with 34 runs and 12 chairlifts. Wisp also offers a terrain park, snow tubing and one bowl, which is only open if it receives enough natural snowfall. There is snowmaking on 90% of the runs. Yet another way to get your thrills? Book a ride on Wisp’s Mountain Coaster—a cross between an alpine slide and roller coaster that allows you to control your own speed with hand brakes (max is 28 mph) through 3,500 feet of corkscrews, dips and plunges. //296 Marsh Hill Road, McHenry, Maryland