Davis / Thomas Winter Wonderland

The DC-Region’s Premier Winter Escape for Downhill, X-Country, Snowshoeing, Frozen Waterfalls, Breweries, and More!

Davis and Thomas, West Virginia. Two small mountain towns less than a three-hour drive from DC that provide a gateway to: 2 downhill ski resorts, the largest cross-country ski area in the Mid-Atlantic, Dolly Sods Wilderness area, Blackwater Falls State Park, Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, breweries and bluegrass bars.

This region of West Virginia is an outdoor playground any time of year. I’ve visited in the dead of winter for snow sports, for the fall colors (which are amazing), and to escape the summer heat of the city. No matter what your fitness level, there’s something for everyone including the kids. I’ll provide photos from all these trips as you read. But regardless of what time of year you visit, many of my recs will remain the same:

• Stop 1: The Towns of Thomas and Davis, West Virginia
• Stop 2: Blackwater Falls State Park
• Stop 3: Canaan Valley Resort and State Park, Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Timberline Resort
• Stop 4: White Grass Cross Country Skiing and Snowshoeing
• Stop 5: Dolly Sods

Bird’s-eye view of the area

Stop 1: The Towns of Thomas and Davis, West Virginia

Six minutes down the road from one another, both towns are great destinations for food, drink, and music. Booking an Air BnB, or cabin through one of the local companies like MountainTop Realty, close to either town will provide endless day trips and adventures.

In Thomas, Mountain State Brewing Company is an excellent choice for Après-ski. For breakfast and coffee visit TipTop café. There are a range of other shops and restaurants along a charming historic riverside downtown, with a scenic walking trail along the river itself.

But no trip to Thomas is complete without a stop at the one-and-only Purple Fiddle — an Appalachian-style acoustic bluegrass venue, bar, and restaurant. Purple Fiddle has live shows almost every Fri-Sun night year round. Artists come from all over to perform and the mountain music vibes complement a long day on the slopes or trails perfectly!

In Davis, for a hearty breakfast visit Milo’s Cafe. For lunch, nothing beats Hellbender Burritos. Stumptown Ales or Wicked Wilderness Pub to wet your whistle. And to stock up for the weekend with high-quality groceries visit Highland Market.

Stop 2: Blackwater Falls State Park

The outdoors is why you came right? Well, even for the least experienced of hikers, Blackwater Falls State Park should be the first outdoor stop. You can also rent great cabins in the park (they book up fast so plan ahead!) or stay at the lodge which is very nice and has its own restaurant and hiking trails.

The state park has 20 miles of hiking, mountain biking, and cross-country ski trails, the longest sledding magic carpet on the East Coast and, of course, the namesake waterfall. According to WV State Parks website:

“Located in the Allegheny Mountains of Tucker County, Blackwater Falls State Park is named for the amber waters of Blackwater Falls, a 57-foot cascade tinted by the tannic acid of fallen hemlock and red spruce needles. The falls, along with a few of the park’s other features like Elakala Falls, Lindy Point and Pendleton Point Overlook, are some of the state’s most photographed spots.”

The hike to the falls is very short and just down a few flights of boardwalk stairs from the falls parking area. I would also highly recommend the slightly longer Lindy Point Overlook 1 mile trail that begins on the other side of the park across the river. For more information and full trail maps, visit: here.

The magic of Blackwater Falls in Winter.

Blackwater Falls and Lindy Point Overlook in the fall / mid-October.

Stop 3: Canaan Valley Resort and State Park, Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Timberline Resort

Yet ANOTHER place to stay in this region is Canaan Valley Resort and State Park. This is, as the name implies, both a WV state park (with publicly accessible trails) and resort. It is also one of two downhill ski resorts in the area so it is a very convenient place to stay if shredding powder is your primary goal.

According to it’s website, the resort “has been named one of America’s Best Parks by Arthur Frommer’s magazine, and has been listed among the 50 Great Places to Stay by Washingtonian Magazine.” Easily accessible trail maps are: here.

There isn’t much more I can say about the resort and state park they haven’t already put on their website. But one thing I’ll mention is that, even though the ski trails are limited (compared to western ski resorts) this area of WV tends to get good quality snow. In fact, I’ve had some of my best snow condition days anywhere in the East Coast here.

This isn’t to take anything away from Timberline Mountain — the second downhill ski resort in the area and less than 10 minutes away from Canaan Valley Ski Resort. Timberline is another excellent choice to expand the downhill options.

Fresh powder at Canaan Valley Ski Resort.

This may get confusing, but in addition to Canaan Valley Resort and State Park and Canaan Valley Ski Resort, there is also Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. This is operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is over 16,000 acres of grasslands and high-elevation wetlands.

There are 23 different kinds of wetland types found in the refuge including bogs, shrub swamps and wet meadows — making it the largest wetland complex in West Virginia and one of the most ecologically diverse and important high-elevation wetlands in the Appalachians. This all supports 580 species of plants and 288 species of animals. There are miles of hiking trails and incredible birding opportunities.

For more refuge information and trail maps visit: here.

There’s also an incredible situation that provides excellent photography (pictured below) that happens many mornings when the clouds hugging the surrounding mountains overnight move down into the valley. This creates a carpet of cloud and fog you can look down on from above on a number of ridgeline roads and hiking trails.

Morning, above the clouds looking down into Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

Evening, looking down into the refuge from one of the ridgeline roads near Davis.

Stop 4: White Grass Cross Country Skiing and Snowshoeing

Nestled in-between Canaan Ski Resort and Timberline Ski Resort, is one of the best (and largest) cross-country ski areas anywhere in the East — White Grass. When the snow is good, there’s nothing better than White Grass.

One of the best descriptions of White Grass was actually written by my friend John Briley in the Washington Post — “Skiing West Virginia’s ‘Canadian Valley’ in a banner season.” I highly recommend reading.

The White Grass trail map is epic and connects in multiple points to Dolly Sods Wilderness area which expands endless backcountry x-country skiing, backcountry snowshoeing, and 4-season wilderness backpacking options.

Stop 5: Dolly Sods

Many might argue that Dolly Sods should be the FIRST stop for anyone visiting the Davis / Thomas region of WV. They would be right. It is magnificent and one of the most unique hiking areas on the East Coast. I will do a whole separate trip blog just on Dolly Sods.

But even for the weekend warriors looking to experience many different things in the region in one trip, the wilderness of Dolly Sods can still be accessible as one of the days’ options. I will cover a couple quick things now to this regard.

1. The 17,000+ acre Dolly Sods Wilderness is, wild — as the name implies. Cell phone service is unreliable, there are no bathrooms or other services, the roads in and out are bumpy gravel forest service roads. Some roads are closed in the winter so be aware of any travel alerts or closures on the USFS website. In general, and particularly in the winter, all wheel drive vehicles should be considered. 4x4 if there is a lot of snow / ice or if there’s been a lot of rain. Even at the high altitude, drainage is poor so always be prepared for wet / muddy conditions and potentially blocked roads.
2. Accessing Dolly Sods from Davis or Thomas can take over an hour just to reach trailheads. So even when planning just a couple-miles day hike, bring plenty of water and whatever sandwiches or other supplies you need for a full day. LEAVE NO TRACE.
3. One of the easiest and most photogenic trails is located at Bear Rocks Preserve in the North of Dolly Sods. You can park right next to the popular trailhead. The fire-red colors of the blueberry bushes in fall are out of this world (see photos below). Bear Rocks Trail, nearby to but separate from Bear Rocks Preserve, is also an excellent option for a day hike that will take you deeper into the heart of Dolly Sods.
4. Detailed, weatherproof trail maps are essential. I highly recommend this one which covers the entire area — Purple Lizard Maps Dolly Sods and Seneca Rocks Lizard Map.

Dolly Sods also boasts world-class Rhododendron blooms in the summer and much more to explore. More to come in a follow up post! But for now, here are some of my favorite photos:

The banner image of Hackman Guided Adventures — a snow-free winter’s day in Dolly Sods. This photo was not edited.

Fall colors along Bear Rocks Trail.

Fall colors near Bear Rocks Preserve.

As always, these guides are intended to just offer a taste of the many options for adventures each place provides. The Davis / Thomas region of WV contains truly limitless outdoor options for whatever the heart desires. It is one of my favorite regions anywhere.

Will Hackman, Hackman Guided Adventures

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