|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Frozen Fun
Water - whether it's downy snowflakes, raging whitewater
or mirror-calm lakes - is a key element in the outdoor enticements of the Mountain
State.
West Virginia's mountain ranges stand taller than those in her neighboring states
and are a catch-all for the region's snow. With an average annual snowfall of more
than 15 feet in the highlands, the state is the winter playground of choice for
the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
|
Canaan Valley Resort State Park , Snowshoe Mountain , Timberline Four Seasons and Winterplace are prime alpine skiing and snowboarding
destinations. Oglebay Resort in Wheeling recently refurbished its ski
run with a three-chair lift system and upgraded snowmaking capacity.
Canaan Valley, Snowshoe, Timberline, Alpine Lake Resort, Blackwater Outdoor Adventures, Elk River Touring Center and White Grass Touring Center all maintain miles
of marked trails for cross-country, tele-marking and snowshoeing. Snowshoe and Winterplace
also have snow tubing parks.
And
Canaan Valley Resort State Park is the first ski area in the country to
offer an Airboard terrain park. Airboards are inflatable sleds with grooved undersides
that make sharp turns and stops easier than traditional sleds. Check out www.wvwintersports.com for more winter fun.
Rivers Run Through It
Come spring, it's time to put the inner tubes to a different use. Snow melt fuels
about 30,000 miles of rivers and streams and fills more than 125 lakes to the brim.
While West Virginia is known for its world-class whitewater rivers, there are many
waterways better suited for canoeing and floating trips taken at a more leisurely
pace. Among the most scenic and accessible are the Shenandoah, Greenbrier and Cacapon
rivers and the South Branch of the Potomac.Floating and fishing go together
on the Greenbrier and New rivers, where smallmouth bass abound. Or, try the Kanawha
River, where your catch may be bass, walleye or muskie. Deep pools on the South
Branch of the Potomac are home to trophy trout.
Fly fishermen stalking trout and solitude favor remote Spruce Knob Lake and the
Shavers Fork of the Cheat.
Native brook trout, as well as rainbows and browns, lurk in the waters of the Elk
River, but it is the 27-mile-long Cranberry River that boasts the most trout per
acre of water. The cold waters of the Gauley harbor muskie, trout, walleyes and
smallmouth bass. All told, more than 180 West Virginia streams are stocked, and many are catch-and-release
fisheries.
Rapid Fun, From Mild to Wild
|
|
|
Travel Tips
|
|
West Virginia's whitewater rivers - natural thrill rides in spectacular wilderness
settings - draw about 200,000 rafters, kayakers and canoeists annually. Local outfitters
guide trips on rivers with varying challenges, from technical Class V+ rapids to
family-friendly Class Is and IIs.
The Gauley, ranked among the world's top six whitewater rivers, is a raging beast
during fall water releases. At full flow the Lower New River (which is actually
older than all but the Nile) can be daunting, but in summer it's a gentle family
venue, like the Upper New. Drawing from an unrestricted watershed, the mercurial
Cheat can be a tiger one day and a pussycat the next.
Check out www.wvriversports.com for more information.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
