White Grass Ski Touring Center

This is one of my most favorite places to go to in the winter. The food is far beyond excellent and the whole atmosphere is awesome. XC skiing at white grass is lot of fun.

Awesome staff, fantastic trails, and a café that has wonderful food. Great place to spend a few days xc skiing

What a great place if you enjoy Nordic skiing. Something for everyone!
Parking is limited and the lodge is small and old school, but great. Everyone is friendly, the food is great and is a true gem. Well worth the visit — I will, be back!

A group of friends and I visited from Washington, DC and our consensus is that this is a magical place. Before I say anything else, let me tell you that as we were leaving, we asked if we could buy some of the delicious maple syrup we had tasted, and they refused our money and gave us a small jar for free.
The ski trails are well marked and so fun, the rental equipment is in good shape and fairly priced, the staff are unbelievably nice and the lodge has a great atmosphere — we didn’t want to leave. We had a wonderful time. Thank you!

White Grass is a one of a kind gem. The atmosphere in the quaint lodge is worth the trip alone. There are few places left in the East as laid back (and as fun) as this place is, no big corporate resort vibe, just you, your skis and the woods.
We usually will rent xc skis, but on a good powder day we’ll bring our own alpine touring gear and skin up through the woods and get some great runs in. The lodge can be quite crowded, but the food is worth the wait. The quality of the lunch and dinners served are above and beyond your typical ski lodge fare and the prices are better.
Its amazing to wake up in Winchester on a normal winter day with no snow in sight, drive just an hour and forty-​five minutes and be in a winter wonderland. You can go from bored in town to skiing in Scandinavia in less time than it takes to watch a movie.
Even if you know nothing about xc skiing, just come out here and give it try. If you don’t love gliding through the snow covered trails at White Grass, immediately seek medical help — you may have a serious condition.

Great place for cross country skiing. I highly recommend this place. Great trails, great rental gear, great food in their lodge. This place is excellent! :-) Ski in the day then hang out and enjoy the live music!

Just spent an amazing weekend at Whitegrass. The staff is so down-​home and friendly and it spreads to everyone on the trails. Way to keep it real!

White Grass is a true gem. We drove through snow and ice on a January night to find this remarkable and most unlikely of restaurants. We are so glad we did!
Despite a busy Saturday night we were greeted immediately and were seated at a table where we could watch the Celtic musicians play nestled amongst t-​shirt racks and cross country ski shoes in this house that doubles as a ski shop when not serving top notch meals. The atmosphere is cozy, warm and so inviting we returned the next night as well.
Friendly and cozy is all fine and well but White a Grass is serving up the meals to match. I had a beef and Guiness kind of stew that made me feel like I was back in Ireland. There is also a terrific wine and beer list — I never thought I’d be drinking Chimay in West Virginia (no offense).
If you find yourself anywhere near to Davis, WV go out of your way to visit this unique, delicious and inspiring spot!

We had a great dinner at Whitegrass last night.
Wasn’t sure we would like the new format. But it was the same great food, atmosphere & music that keep us coming back.

This place has a great vibe. I think the type of folks that are drawn here are what make the place nice. People are courteous and generous which is helpful, especially in the cozy, and at times cramped, lodge.
Rentals and day passes are reasonably priced when compared to an alpine ski resort but a little more expensive than other nordic ski centers. There aren’t that many centers in the area so you pay a premium, see gouge.
If you rent skis for more than one day, you can take them to your hotel or cabin so that you don’t have to go through the rental process all over again. There are also nearby trails you can ski.
There is a marked parking area for folks with dogs by the entrance near the dumpsters. Dogs are allowed on two public trails near the parking area that WG maintains (you don’t need a WG pass to use these). Bring poop bags.
Bring a shovel and sand or kitty litter and pickup some cold weather washer fluid for your car before you travel here.
Consider bringing a balaclava or scarf. The open area near the lodge can see some fierce and artic winds.
Snow shoe rentals are included in your ski rental price. It’s written on their pricing sheet but no one will tell you.
Ski equipment for purchase is WAY overpriced and I don’t think it’s cool how they mislead people on pricing. I had bindings installed and was charged three times the price of what I could have bought elsewhere. I had called ahead but they wouldn’t give me the «final price». Should have been a sign to look elsewhere. I drove three hours to get there and didn’t have a strong negotiating hand so ended up just paying. Chip, the owner will, do some voodoo math on a receipt pad and tell you how you are getting 30% off or some whatnot on the rental stuff he sells. You’re not.
My wife and I have had dinner there once. It was an a la carte meal unlike the «buffet style» that I believe is normally offered. The food was fine, nothing memorable, but way overpriced, especially considering some of the excellent and reasonably priced food you can get in the area. Think $ 8 for a small salad. It’s probably something that is fine to do once, but I’d suggest checking out nearby restaurants like The Purple Fiddle, Hellbender Burritos, Sirianni’s, and Mountain State Brewery.
If you are in the area for more than a day, check out Black Water Falls State Park, just down the road. The trails aren’t as well groomed but the scenery is even nicer than WG. BW has ski rentals and a day pass there are only $ 5!

We went here recently. We are completely new to snow sports (Floridians), as a disclaimer. I am willing to admit that our snow sport ignorance played a part in this, BUT…
It says it’s $ 15 a piece for snow shoes. But, it’s also $ 20 a piece for using the trails. We got the shoes, attempted to walk in them, and soon discovered that the type of snow that day was bad for snow shoes and easier to walk in with hiking boots. We took them back. The guy who originally rented them to us and took our $ 70 said, «Oh yeah, today’s a terrible day for snow shoeing.» They kept our money.
I was upset so we left. In our haste, we also left my husband’s license that they held for the shoes. So, we called back the next day. They had it and said they would mail it. We called 3 – 4 times and eventually talked to the owner who said he would ask around to see who mailed it. 2 – 3 weeks later, license shows up. We already bought another one, but meh.
Meh.

This place is like a true diamond in the rough. I love the nearby skiing and groomed trails, that I can’t get enough of. Cross country trails abound of levels (easy, moderate, difficult) with majestic scenery. You can also try Telemarking and snowshoing also. Rentals are availalbe and occassional lessons too.
However, the food here and the staff are just some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Lately the snow has been sparse, but luckily the time I went it was in buckets. Because of the lack of snow though in past warm winters, the place has really been hurting for business.
That being said, this is place more so worth going for dinner. You need to make reservations for this incredibly quaint and popular place ahead of time, so make sure you do it’s well worth the effort.
The place has a few basic beers and wines, and just makes down home simple comfort food. The lunch break I took after skiing was filled with a light oatmeal stout and a tasty shrimp jambalaya that burst with andoulie sausage and flavors. There are several soups, and they are all homemade and my friends all raved about them (particularly the turkey and lentils).
A real basic warming meal is prepared for dinner service. It’s a sidebar which means they let you try a little bit of everything through some trays, but unlike a buffet the food doesn’t sit there forever as groups are called up when it’s time to take the items that are freshly then plated by yourself or your server. While the moroccan chicken was a bit of a dud, everything else excelled.
Maple vinagrette dressing on the appetizer salad was incredibly tangy, so was the basic seafood dip with horseradish which was plentiful and served with many crackers.
The sidebar items of pork tenderloin were cooked perfectly. Some tofu was done nicely, as were some side vegetables. The most impressive though is the steamed kale the place makes. It is seriously to die for, with hints of garlic, a light chewy sweetness, and it bursts in green color while not turning to a gray darkened mess.
I still think about that kale, I could eat buckets of it, and I am not a big fan of vegetables, but cook kale regularly (mostly with a lot of bacon, garlic and vinegar). But the white grass kale is a whole nother surprise.
There is also a cookbook for sale here, which includes recipes for many of the items served. I suppose I could learn how to make that kale, I am sure it’s easy, but I would rather they kept their own little secret.
There’s also a tucked away corner for a simple place for musicians to play while you eat. While you are in really cozy, the band doesn’t play too loudly, it’s at the perfect level, and you almost feel like you are being serenaded.
After the evening ended, one of the staff members, this real old guy came in during the massive dump of snow, no doubt looking for stragglers on the trails. Just in time before the set ended, he jumped on stage and started blowing a mean harp.
Then they brought out the moonshine for anyone to try, as 4 at a time grabbed a skiboard and all lifted and were forced to take a swig, everyone just beamed.
A new highway has been constructed which shaves an hour off your driving time from DC. It’s easily worth a stay and a visit for a weekend to come down to this truly unique place. Being back in a brown and gray winter wasteland in DC here I just can’t stop about coming back here someday.
Well worth the visit.

A really kewl place with a great vibe. This was a pleasant surprise. Never been cross country skiing and the kids and I had a blast. The staff are genuine caring ski bums. The ski facility is small with a large wood burning heater. The have a great kitchen that make some awesome soups. The kitchen is open for limited service for weekend dinners. They seem to specialize in organic/​natural cooking
After skiing Tiberline (downhill) and White Grass (cross country) The kids said they enjoyed white grass more. They said White Grass was more natural and less repetitive (up the slopes/​down the slopes).
The atmosphoe 5 star
the Food 5 star
the Staff 5 star
the Value 5 star
This would be a great place just to hang out and eat dinner.

My family and I visited here today at my D.C. Daughter’s recommendation. There was enough snow for skiing and snow shoeing and the crowd was quite enthusiastic. The staff was so attentive and considerate. We took the snowshoe tour with Chip and had an entertaining hour and a half trek topped off with a great meal in the café. We will replay the skiing tomorrow and will definitely return anytime we visit in the winter.

This place is great. The people are nice, the site is beautiful and well maintained. And the Café is warm and cozy.

In spite of the fact that there was very little if any snow this season, White Grass still managed to become one of my favorite places on the planet this winter.
The owner, Chip, is warm and welcoming as is the entire staff. You feel like you are part of a wonderful commune (I mean that in a good way) when you spend a day or two at White Grass. The trails are filled as many poets and photographers as hardcore adventurers and everyone you meet seems to have a smile for you as you pass. Make sure to stop at the warming huts — you never know who you’ll meet (or what kind of wonderful trail snack they may have to share!).
And of course there’s the Café. It’s amazing. Really healthy food — think Moosewood cookbooks — reasonable prices and terrific service. Love it!

After a surprisingly warm (and rainy) week left the neighboring downhill slopes in disarray, we decided to pursue a slightly less vertical challenge. We were greeted warmly by a gentleman who seemed to be a manager or owner. Sadly, the weather had also forbid XC activities however we were allowed to hike (for free) which you cannot normally do here. We really enjoyed hiking to the top of two knobs and enjoyed great views in solitude.
The main hut was cozy and had great food! After a nice long hike, we relaxed by the stove, threw back a beer, and relished the view up towards the snowy hills. …can’t wait to come back with more snow cover to try cross-​country skiing!

My family and I had a blast at this place. Super friendly and helpful on all accounts. A casual attitude and warm feel. I didn’t get to see many of the trails farther out, was just skiing with little ones (7−3yo) around the lodge and nearby trails. Plenty of snow on the trails even though the total coverage was slim; they have cool little fences that «farm» the snow as it blows around. Honestly I probably shouldn’t be Unilocaling this place so that it doesn’t get ruined.

I love Cannaan Valley, but I love White Grass more.
I’m a down hill skier, but I’ve recently enjoyed learning to cross country ski and this is the place to do it. A wide range of trails in all difficulty levels and always the best snow in the area, due to a unique system of «farming» that uses fences to stack up snow and keep it where they need it .
They also have the best, most accurate and comprehensive forecast and snow reports of the entire valley, so stop by the website for an idea of what to expect before you hit the slopes, anywhere in the area.
They also have an amazing kitchen, with wonderful food, and a cook book for sale so you can cook the recipes at home.
Go here, drink great drinks, ski great snow, and enjoy great food, try the chili you won’t be disappointed.
Its a bit undiscovered, maybe I shouldn’t be posting a review of it here

I didn’t eat, but I did try my feet at cross-​country skiing.
The price is right, the staff is cool, laid-​back and friendly (with a touch of West coast vibe). This place seems a little undiscovered, in fact later in the afternoon while I was cozily reading my book inside waiting for a friend to finish up, I overheard one of the owners say that «D.C.‘s finally found out about us.»
We did Gandalf’s Glen or something, a pretty easy trail that took me about two hours. The weather was beautiful which made for a great day, but the skiing conditions were not optimal as the snow was a bit slushy.
The scenery was just what I needed – lots of trees, even some farms and horses. Ahh!