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Oh what fun it is to ride downhill at West Virginia’s top tubing parks.
Remember trekking up the hill behind grandma’s house, only to fly back down on an inner tube at top speed—screaming all the way? You can relive your childhood no matter what your age at one of West Virginia’s best tubing parks.
You don’t have to be a skier to enjoy this low-impact recreation. There are no heights and few rules—just climb on your tube and let the fun begin! “It’s a silly way to feel like a kid again,” says Laura Parquette, communications manager at Snowshoe Mountain Resort. Laura, 26, looks forward to taking her friends tubing when they come to visit on the mountain. “It’s one of my friends’ favorite things to do when they come here.”
Snowshoe Mountain Resort
After a day of skiing those black diamonds, it might be time to level the playing field for the whole family. Refuel and hit up the six-story tubing hill at the Coca-Cola Tube Park at the Silver Creek area. If you’re reading this, you can probably tube. Anyone 4 years old or older and at least 36 inches tall can do so at Snowshoe.
“It’s really a way that the whole family can enjoy time together,” Laura says. It doesn’t matter whether you’re 5 or 55 years old. “It provides a lot of parents or people who are above the traditional age of tubing with that nostalgic feel. It reminds you of sledding down the hill in someone’s backyard.”
At Snowshoe, you can even tube under the stars at night. Over the next year, patrons will see a new look start to take over the tubing hill, too, as a result of a partnership with Coca-Cola. Laura says the park will become a little more branded and animated with the famous Coca-Cola polar bears and penguins beginning this winter.
Tubing is offered daily December 16 through March 10. Sessions begin at 1 p.m., and tube park availability is weather permitting. Tickets must be purchased at The Depot in the Village, Mountaintop Check-In, Silver Creek, or Shavers Center.
Two-hour session rates are offered for $15 Monday through Thursday ($50 for a family of four), and on Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays for $20 for anyone 13 years old or older, and $17 for 12 and under ($65 for a family of four). Holiday rates apply December 26, 2011, to January 2, January 12 to 16, and February 17 to 20, 2012. Guests must have footwear other than ski boots. Ski boots are not allowed while riding snow tubes.
Snowshoe Mountain Resort, 10 Snowshoe Drive, Snowshoe, WV 26209; 877.41.4386
Canaan Valley Resort
Slide down 600-foot lanes on specially designed tubes at Canaan’s Tube Park. You just have to be at least 42 inches tall and 4 years old to get in on this fun. And, a handle-tow pulls you to the top of the hill. It doesn’t get much easier than this.
Canaan Valley Resort opens for the season on December 10, 2011, but the tubing park’s opening depends on snowfall. Call ahead for more information. The general hours of operation are daily from 9 to 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and 2 to 4 p.m. Peak tubing sessions take place on Fridays, Saturdays, and holiday evenings from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Holiday dates are considered to be December 26 to 31, 2011, January 13 to 15, and February 17 to 19, 2012. A two-hour session is $15, or $20 on peak weekends and holidays.
Canaan Valley Resort, 230 Main Lodge Road, Davis, WV 26260; 800.622.4121
Winterplace Ski Resort
You won’t know where to start at this vast tubing park—the largest in West Virginia, with two carpet lifts that effortlessly return you to the top to experience the thrill again and again.
The tube tracks at Winterplace are one-of-a-kind with curves and walls, known affectionately as whoop-de-doos.
Children must be 44 inches or taller, but there is also a “kiddie park” for kids shorter than 44 inches for just $5. Snow tubing group rates are available. To book a group snow tubing trip you must make a reservation, plus a deposit.
Snow tubing rates this season are Monday through Friday, $28 for a 1 to 5 p.m. session, $36 for a 1 to 10 p.m. session, and $28 for a 5 to 10 p.m. session. On Saturdays, Sundays, and holiday dates, tickets cost $28 for a 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. session or 5 to 10 p.m. session, $40 for 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., $32 for 1 to 5 p.m., and $36 for 1 to 10 p.m. Holidays are considered December 19, 2011, to January 1, January 14 to 16, and February 18 to 20, 2012.
Winterplace Ski Resort, 100 Old Flat Top Mountain Road, Ghent, WV 25843; 800.607.7669; 304.787.3221
