Canaan Valley Resort and Conference Center

Absolutely without a doubt, five stars. The vibe I got there was friendly, professional and helpful. I’m a new snowboarder and had my first lesson at another regional resort. I can’t say that my riding improved as a result of that first lesson. Anyway, I’ve never gone down a run without falling, even broke my wrist last year. Invited by a buddy, who favors Canaan over others in the region, I took advantage of the opportunity and made my way down a couple of greens. Oh, guess what… I fell, fell again, and fell some more. Enough already, I thought. I went to take a break and sat wondering, what the heck. I follow all of the tips and instructions I’ve gotten, but my rides just don’t get the results I think they should. Just as I decided to ask myself what would be so different about lessons at Canaan, my buddy walked in and suggested taking a lesson. He spoke highly of his first lesson at Canaan. I made my reservation for a lesson. When I met my instructor, I jokingly said change my life. Taking his time to instruct, critique, and advise, I felt sure that I made a good choice here at Canaan. It was a Monday and I only had one other person in my class. Fast forward a bit and great changes are in process. (insert big smile here) Between my instructor Bill, Nick in the shop, and my buddy, Chris, the suggestion is to make adjustments to my bindings. Considering lessons? You should know, (in my opinion) Bill is a super cool, very knowledgable, professional, honest, and patient instructor. He lead me the right way and expressed confidence in me. Inside the shop, Nick was my go to guy. Right away, Nick was enthused about getting my bindings set up properly; he also represented Canaan very well. Nick got’er done. I took my board out to Critters Crawl for a test and rode straight down to the lift. I couldn’t stop saying wow. Haha. Rode down Sissy Schuss, another wow. I made it. Did I stop there? Nope. I made my way over to Timber Trail; someone told me it was a gradual ride down. While taking the chair up, I thought, what did I get myself into? Once I got to the top, one look at the map and bindings secure, I quickly found the courage to do it. Flow and smiles all the way. I went up again, this time with Chris. Wowzers. I had the best feeling in the world, flowing down the mountain without failure. I actually feel like a snowboarder now. I will only get better. Oh yeah, that day, those lessons, the adjustments to my bindings, changed my life. Snowboarding is awesome; awesome is 100% welcomed in my life:) See y’all soon.
But wait there’s more. We stayed at Canaan’s lodge. Simply put, it was a good stay. I’d surely return again.

Just got back from skiing there with the family. Arrived on wed evening and skied Thursday, Friday and then the blizzard of 2016 showed upAwesome ! We had a blast and took some lessons from Chip he is an amazing instructor very good skier as well, if your looking for a great friendly place to take the family this is the place, we hope to visit next season

The lodge is very nice and updated! Not at all what I expected. The rooms were very nicely appointed, roomy and comfortable as were the beds. The views are wonderful. The trails are nicely taken care of so far as the hiking goes. Haven’t been in the winter. Will update winter report this February for ski season.

Stayed in a cabin and it was perfect. Just the right balance. Plenty for the kids to do and the area is beautiful.

Just got back from 3 nights there. Plenty to do for kids. Heated pool is great. Refurb was well done.

Just had a fantastic weekend skiing in Canaan March 5 — 8^th. We beat the snow storm into town by driving all night. The skiing was fantastic. We love the Quenches pub at the bottom of the hill. The beer, food & service was great. We ate dinner twice at the lodge. You have to get lucky when eating in the main dining room. Our meal was perfect, but it was on a non buffet night. On Friday, the buffet was being served so we ate next door in the lounge and hate great appetizers. The upgrades that have been made to the lodge are very nice. We didn’t stay there so I can’t comment on the rooms. We also tried the White Grass restaurant which was a neat experience. Fresh powder at Canaan in March!

My experience here was awful! I’ve stayed here 3 times before and I never had a problem but this time the pool was closed the whole time I was here. They said it would be fixed everytime we asked and it was never fixed. And there definitely needs to be more variation of food choices considering the fact that this is the only food place in the area. The only upside was the nice ladies in the dinning room. And the front desk was not very helpful they weren’t welcoming and they just said the pool was going to be fixed to get us off their back and that was very obvious. I didn’t enjoy my stay at all very disappointed.

Went to both Timberline and Canaan Valley last weekend.
Having skied both back-​to-​back, my experience was that Canaan was infinitely better.
While Timberline has some great runs, it really seems run-​down and dilapidated. For instance, it is a little disconcerting to see rust on the chair lift supports. Evidence would show that Timberline’s equipment is dilapidated too. Over MLK weekend, one of their primary lifts was down for long periods of time over two days, creating 30-​minute queues to get to the top. So they charged an extra high holiday rate so we could get in 8 runs for the day.
Canaan was night-​and-​day better. It seemed cleaner, the runs were also great (but no double diamonds if that’s your thing), the lift lines were very fast, etc. The food was much nicer, the parking lot was asphalt and not mud, the people were off-​the-​charts friendly and helpful, the ski store prices were reasonable, etc. Other than having a mountain with twice the elevation, I can’t think of a way that Canaan could be better. Well, okay, maybe one small complaint — is there are some areas that require some major ski pole action to get from point a to point b — but it was never too much.
Anyway, I would HIGHLY recommend Canaan Valley. If you stay at their hotel, they have an ice rink and swimming pool too.
Finally, if you live in the DC area, they have been building a major highway in WVA that will eventually go right through Davis (where Canaan is located). It used to take 4 – 5 hours, last year it took 3.5 hours, this year it took 2 hours and 45 minutes, and next year it should be, at most, 2.5 hours. So the resort is highly accessible.

Great place to get away and disconnect from it all. It was that way when I went as a kid — I recently went back with my girlfriend and since my last visit, they’ve done some major upgrades. All of the rooms are brand new as part of a renovation and speedy Wi-​Fi is available if you do need to briefly reconnect to check e-​mail or the like.
The food was pretty good and the drinks are reasonably priced at the lounge. The staff is all very friendly but some of the administrative staff seem to be a little confused about how to do things (like running a credit card charge for the geocaching activity — I never got a receipt from that because they couldn’t figure out how to do it).
There are a number of fun activities in the area even in the off-​season, but they’re not as well-​maintained. The shooting clays is unavailable most weekend days unless you have an appointment; the spa is closed Mondays and Tuesdays; the antiquated chair lift was broken for two days of our stay — and a few other «odds and ends» that make this three-​stars.
Oh, okay, I’ll give them four. If it was still the same old rickety rooms they had in the 90s, it’d be three stars, but with the renovation I have to give them some credit for really trying to bring the place into today’s modern style.

We really enjoyed our stay here over the Labor Day weekend. They underwent a big renovation in the past year which definitely shows — the guest rooms are beautiful as is the lobby area. They have a variety of deals during the non-​high season (high season is winter for their skiing facilities). For Labor Day they had also put together a bunch of resort activities like guided hikes, a golf tournament, wagon rides, arts and crafts, etc which was kinda crazy because of the small amount of people who were there. We kept seeing the same people over and over again. They have a number of really nice hiking trails (the hike to Bald Knob, though incredibly challenging, has one of the best views I’ve ever seen on a trail and we had it all to ourselves!), an outdoor pool, an indoor pool, a hot tub, sauna, game room, and massages. We ate dinner one night there which was a buffet. The food was surprisingly good though not gourmet, by any means. They have a smaller grab and go spot for food in the lobby which is ok. They also have a shooting range, ice skating rink, min-​gold, golf course, trampoline thing, nature center, etc. You could really never leave the resort if you don’t want to. Pretty neat.
The only reason why it gets four rather than 5 stars is because the service there was sorta hit or miss. We tried to go on a guided hike one morning and ended up getting three different sets of directions from staff members and missed it entirely. Other staff members we interacted with were helpful enough but not super friendly. Maybe it’s the West Virginia temperment.
Overall, I can see this place being really packed and fun during the high season, though it was equally nice and relaxed during the low season. With the new renovations I expect it to become even more popular in upcoming years.

Been here anytime since it opened in’71?
Well it’s time to create a new impression.
I have been vacationing in the cabins here for 35 years, and the lodge has been the go-​to for pool, snacks, gift shop, laundry and all that.
The Main lodge has now been rebuilt, as have. 2 of the wings of guest rooms. The result is a dramatically different appearance.
There are still plenty of large windows overlooking the mountain valley. But instead of the low slung dark building, there are now soaring timbers, plenty of gathering areas, a fireplace and at the valley end of the lobby a very comfortable balcony.
The Sienna Café replaces the former coffee shop and exceeds it by a mile. It is the kind of place you’d like to sit for a snack or light meal while looking out the big windows. Also opens onto the new gift shop– filled with WV must haves.
Dark skies, fresh air, open spaces. The setting is awesome. Oh, and there is golf in the summer. Skiing in the winter.
The reason that they do not get a higher rating is that there is still only spotty WiFi in the main building, and unless you have AT+T cell service you are lost. I have Verizon and have travelled the country with few dead zones yet this is one of them. Now when on a family get away in the woods with family that is an inconvenience. If staying here as part of a conference it would be crippling.

This resort is great and right across the street from the ski area. Stay here out of convenience after skiiing! Really not much else nearby anyways unless you want to risk a long drive back… and potentially not getting through the mountain (like we did)
Its definitely in the snow belt of the mountain so expect a lot of snowy weather. I’ve been here once before several years ago and the weather was similar conditions.
We got caught in an unexpected blizzard after skiing all day and attempted to drive out of the Canaan area but found the steep downhill road conditions completely impassable. The bad downhill drive starts immediately after leaving the Resort and ski area!
Stopped at Canaan valley resort to get a last minute place to stay over the President’s holiday weekend and the staff was extremely understanding and helpful. The rooms were not cheap– holiday rates! The front desk staff called other local motels in the area for us and ultimately gave us a hugely discounted room to stay in at the resort, considering our situation. Thank you soooo much for this, Canaan resort! much love!
other notes: we enjoyed the paya soaps in the bathroom, the co-​ed sauna in the fitness pool room and the «nightclub» bar/​lounge area– and was surprised to find out they had a live (good) dj there mixing things up (same dj who played music all day on the ski slopes) with lights, disco ball, and very reasonably priced drinks. No one was hitting the dancefloor but it was a very fun atmosphere and Canaan certainly put in the effort.
All great ways to destress!

We really enjoyed the resort. We came for a weekend of skiing with our Boy Scout troop and had a blast. We came the weekend when they had almost a foot of snow dump down and everyone enjoyed it.
We stayed at the main lodge which is less than a year old. The place was nice! The service was wonderful. The room was perfect and clean. It was quite roomy as well. Having a tiled front area around the bathroom and a carpeted inner area was genius with all the gear going in & out of the room.
They had a skating rink outside, but with 9 degrees — we didn’t check it out. However, everyone checked out the pool, hot tube and saunas. They were nice. Interestingly they had someone who worked there (to keep the chaos down), but the person was not a lifeguard. I never expect one at a hotel, but why was she even there?
The first night we had the BBQ buffet. It was a pile of great food. Much tastier than I was going to expect. It wasn’t cheap, but we definitely got our money worth. You can’t have anything but the buffet, so drive to Davis if you want something else or get a burger in the café area.
Parking was fine for us. With 10 degrees and breezy it hurt, but that wasn’t their fault, They had a tough time plowing all the snow dumping out of the lot, but that isn’t their fault. In and out as quickly as we could hustle.
We visited the Nature Center and were greated with the first unfriendly nature center person I’ve ever met. Usually they do it for the passion, cause the certainly aren’t there for the fine pay. This person must not have anything else to do and certainly didn’t want us in the place. Probably so she could go back to her iPhone.
We tubed which was a hoot. Two hours was plenty. We were in the first time frame and it is the only way to go. Continuous sliding as fast as we could take the carpet ride back up. They were having serious problems with the carpet /​escalator. They were blaming it on the cold. The cold? Isn’t it a winter lift? Anyway, there were so few people that it didn’t really delay anything. And we screamed down the hill when we went on it. The cold had made everything icy and the snow hadn’t started yet. They had a booth on the bottom & top for shelter of the two watching the slopes. Every time we went by the young guys were in there huddled around their cell phones watching YouTube. You are definitely on your own. Great if you want to just have fun /​terrible if you were the young girl who got plowed (by her own father!) for not getting out of the way in time. We had a blast, but don’t imagine it is well supervised at all.
The resort was certainly a deal. We enjoyed the slopes. The group eating was perfect — cheap, good and plenty. Looking forward to going back next year!

Our weekend at CVRaCC was outstanding. We visited with Special Love, a DC group that supports pediatric cancer patients and their families. This weekend was their annual ski weekend, and it was our first time attending this event… yes, it is a long drive from PA. But, well worth it.
I can’t attest to the before and after of the CVR, but I can say that the final product is fantastic. It’s all new, tastefully decorated, and has so much more on the property than the time– and weather– afforded us to see. Let’s break down the hightlights!
1. Lobby: A. fantastic. Tall ceilings, gas fireplace, flat-​screen TV, comfy chairs, and a great view of the valley. Front desk attendants are nice, helpful.
2. Rooms: A-​. standard sized beds and rooms, with dark toned woods and orange accent colors. Comfortable pillows and matresses. Nice bathroom. All good! Did I mention it’s all new? Fridge and microwave included.
3. Property:? Part of the CV State Park, which was covered with snow. The drive in from the main road is about a mile, so it’s back away from the road, isolated. Golf course was buried under snow. Lots of hiking/​biking trails, and who-​knows-​what back in the woods. Ice skating was available for a small fee during weekend. Several people we talked to stated that this is a great place to stay in summer, with plenty to do. I’d concur. Ski slopes were awesome… se my review over there!
4. Food offerings: B. Can’t attest to the restaurant’s offerings, as we had our own dining area. but, food was pretty good. Sampled the basic eggs/​pancakes/​hash brown offerins, and a dinner consisting of tilapia, chicken, and pork… tilapia was the winner of the three.
5. Other amenities: B+ Pool was nice; hot tub, after a frigid day on the slopes, was better. Fitness room was next door; looked ok. Two arcades for the kids.
6. Accessibility: C. In the middle of nowhere, but a beautiful nowhere to go. When 48 is done, this place will be on a map; but as it was, we were caught in a surprise blizzard on 93 with NOTHING around… no houses, no gas stations, no cars, no guardrails! However, we came here for snow to ski, so I’ll quit complaining. Just not the easiest place to get to;Winchester was 2+ hours away.
7. Gripes? Only one… wifi was way slow. Creeping slow. At least in our hallway, even with a amplifier in the hallway.
Did we like CVR? Absolutely. Beautiful facility. Can’t discuss the price, folks, as it was on the discount rate, but I heard it was in the two-​bill a night club. Can’t wait to come back next year!

Beautiful resort, beautiful views. The only negative is the kitchen closed at 9PM and there are no locations that deliver to the resort. Upon calling the front desk for recommendations, I was told «The closest place that had food is the gas station.» No thanks.
As a conference center, I assumed Canaan had considerable kitchen hours. If you are attending a conference, hope your activity has a full dinner; otherwise, you’re on your own until breakfast the next morning.

So amazing! Beautifully renovated, great location convenient to blackwater falls and dolly sod, pretty close to some food options. Our room was spotless and very comfortable. A little more expensive than other local options, but definitely worth every penny!

We were the first guests in the almost ready new rooms. Apparently this was a very dated and near should have been leveled resort… I stayed for a wedding and while the rooms weren’t completely ready unless the post-​it notes with our door numbers were part of their plan, I was super glad to be in the new rooms. The color scheme is modern with dark woods, burnt orange and neutrals. The rooms are bright and fresh. The stone work looks to be a nice touch for the future.
Unfortunately nothing else was ready, but I can assure you this was a complete overhaul of the facility, and I would be excited to return once completed. Beautiful mountain views and hiking trails at your doorstep.

This is a wonderful place to stay. Feels homey and the staff are very friendly. The rooms are well maintained. Feels very peaceful. Deer roam freely all around. The trails seem more suited to families with young children. I stay here while hiking in Dolly Sods wilderness area or while Nordic skiing in Whitegrass. The buffet dinners at 15 dollars are well worth it and I look forward to them after a day of outdoors recreation. The resort is getting a major facelift with all new buildings and great views. A really great escape from Washington D.C.

***Ski Resort Review****
This is the «Cheers» of ski resorts. Literally everyone will know your name by the end of the day. Especially when you faceplant off the lift on a snowboard in the morning, and later in the afternoon they catch you on blues on a set of skis. Yes, I go both ways (kinda). I’m just gonna let you know that +2 stars is given to the ski patrol, although we passed on the apres ski beer offer from quite possibly the hottest guy on earth, due to an injury, your help was very appreciated. Also +1 for the very professional and attentive first aid responders.
Now onto the skiing, If you’re looking for a quick day ski trip within a few hours of DC this is your place. It’s a 3.5 hour drive, with about 2 hours of the ride being through road kill territory. Be warned, this is a bare bones resort, it has a small ski shop (with no actual ski gear), a small lodge with the fireplace. It’s not quite the hill of mud that Whitetail (aka Icetail) is but it doesn’t really have as many slopes as Seven Springs. At the time we went there was only one operating black, about five green and four blues open. Actually not bad for the global warming type of winter weather we’ve had. But for what it’s lacking in size, it makes up for with friendliness and fun. The rental and lift ticket sales people were great. When I went in after hard morning of snowboard lessons, and explained that me snowboarding any longer would result in mass fatalies on the slopes, they gladly fitted me with some trusted skis. There were no lines for anything, not for rentals, lift tickets or lifts.
In theory, the greens were pretty gentle (ie. the Bunny Buster), unless you’re new and on a snowboard with apathetic instructors (except for Kyle who was very patient and sweet) and have an angled binding position with toes pointed towards each other on your rental board, then it’s like going down Mt Kilamanjaro. The greens are also usually quite packed with airboarders, kamakaze children and lesson takers. Rest assured, the blues and greens off the Timber Run are less crowded and way more scenic.
I actually had a fun action packed day here and would gladly go back here again. With a helmet.

If I had to do it all over again, very few reasons would hold me back from popping my winter sports cherry here. Ski shop was a bit lacking in inventory unless you wanted a souvenir top or accessory clothing. Lift lines are reasonably short. Major annoying point: everything at trailhead elevation was out of the AT&T service range, and even the lift for the Bunny Buster slope provided a fleeting signal. Timber Run was more extensive (and its lift shut down at 4:30), but the easy trail that was attached wasn’t quite so easy to get to.
Pretty clean bathrooms, and a cozy fireplace in the slopeside Quencher’s Pub (BBQ pork is uninspired, they could at least toast the bun; chicken noodle soup average). Amazing customer service with a single exception, the more indifferent of the young snowboarding instructors (Ben?). Kyle was patient about answering questions, and adopted a positive attitude about his role. Rental and ticket sales staff were super accommodating as we toddled around. Stan was very paternal about showing me how to ski, and I felt like I was in good hands when he examined my head injury later that evening. Mickey slalomed the sled back to base like a pro. Props to Shannon for being helpful but not pushy, and to Hottie McHotterson with his dazzling good looks for the tips and preparedness. Eff the concussion, I’ll be back.