Pipestem Resort State Park - Cross-Country Skiing

Review

Intro

Intro Pipestem Resort State Park is one of southern West Virginia’s most scenic parks, with year-round recreation along the Bluestone River. With more than 4,000 acres of land, most of which is undeveloped forest, it’s a cross-country skiing and snowshoeing paradise. It’s also great for beginners, since the 18-hole golf-course is open for cross-country skiing in the wintertime.

What Makes It Great

Pipestem Resort has 7 cross-country trails across 15 miles of terrain you can explore by ski and snowshoe. The trails are ungroomed and have beautiful scenery, from mountaintop overlooks above the valleys to a lake that usually freezes in the wintertime, which gives you several different types of terrain to explore.

The 7 trails have options that are well-suited for beginners and intermediates, but there is also challenging terrain for skiers with more technical skills. Most of the trails are wide, spacious and open, which gives you room to learn, perfect and play.

There are 2 restaurants and lodging at the resort if you decide to make a weekend out of your trip.

Who is Going to Love It

Pipestem Resort is a perfect place for first-time cross-country skiers and snowshoers, families and children. Most of Pipestem’s winter visitors use the 18-hole golf course to learn the ropes before hitting actual trails. The golf course has plenty of obstacle-free space for skiers who’ve never tried cross-country snow sports, aren’t comfortable with the backcountry quite yet or are teaching children.

Outdoor lovers will appreciate the quality of the 7 backcountry trails as much as the beautiful scenery.

Directions, Parking, & Regulations

Pipestem Resort State Park is at 2405 Pipestem Drive, in Pipestem, WV— 14 miles north of Princeton and 12 miles south of Hinton on West Virginia Route 20. From I-77, take exit 14. The park entrance is 14 miles north on WV Route 20. From I-64, take exit 139. The park entrance is 22 miles south on WV Route 20.

Pipestem Resort only rents ski equipment to use on their golf course when there are 5-8 inches of snow on the ground. The only fee is the cost of rentals. There is no fee to play in the park or on the golf course. Ski rental is $5 for the first hour and $2 for each additional hour. They do not rent snowshoes.