Canaan Valley State Resort Park
| Canaan Valley Resort State Park | |
| West Virginia State Park | |
Blackwater River in the park.
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Tucker |
| Coordinates | 39°01′25″N 79°27′57″W / 39.02361°N 79.46583°WCoordinates: 39°01′25″N 79°27′57″W / 39.02361°N 79.46583°W |
| Area | 6,015 acres (2,434.2 ha) |
| Opened | 1971 |
| - Land acquired | 1957 |
| Management | Regency Hotel Management Company |
| Owner | West Virginia Division of Natural Resources |
| Nearest town | Davis, West Virginia |
  Location of Canaan Valley Resort State Park in West Virginia
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Website: wvstateparks |
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| Canaan Valley | |
|---|---|
| Location |
Canaan Valley Tucker County West Virginia, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Davis |
| Coordinates | 39°01′25″N 79°27′57″W / 39.02361°N 79.46583°W |
| Vertical | 850 ft (259 m) |
| Top elevation | 4,280 ft (1,305 m) |
| Base elevation | 3,430 ft (1,050 m) |
| Skiable area | 91 acres (0.37 km2) |
| Runs | 39 |
| Longest run | 1.1 miles (1.8 km) |
| Lift system | 3 chairlifts, 1 tow |
| Lift capacity | 6,000 per hour |
| Terrain parks | 2 |
| Snowfall | 150 inches (380 cm) |
| Snowmaking | 75% of trails |
| Night skiing | Fri-Sat to 8 pm 50% of trails |
| Website | www |
Canaan Valley Resort State Park is a state park in the eastern United States, within Canaan Valley in Tucker County, West Virginia. Located in the highest valley east of the Mississippi River, the park contains the second-largest inland wetland area in the United States. The valley featured the first commercial ski development in West Virginia.
In 1950 and 1951, members of the Washington Ski Club identified the Canaan Valley side of Cabin Mountain as an opportune place for ski development, based on pilots' reports. Because of its protection from the sun, snow on that side of the mountain often remains until April or later.
The club began slope development in the early 1950s, signing a ten year operational lease with local landowners in 1954. Their slope, named Cabin Mountain Ski Area, featured two rope tows on 40 acres (0.16 km2) of terrain stretching from route 32 to a height of 3,600 feet (1,100 m). Runs extended .25 miles (400 m) down a slope with a vertical drop of 300 feet (91 m). It was the first commercial ski establishment south of the Mason–Dixon line. The ski area closed in 1962.
In 1955, University of Virginia School of Law student Robert Barton established Weiss Knob Ski Area, climbing the slope of Weiss Knob above the Cabin Mountain site to a height of 3,900 feet (1,200 m). It featured 60 acres (0.24 km2) of terrain serviced by a T-bar as well as three rope tows. This site was acquired by the state of West Virginia in 1959, so Barton reopened "Weiss Knob Ski Area" at a new site on Cabin Mountain's Bald Knob. Opening in fall 1959, the new site featured four rope tows and the first snowmaking equipment in West Virginia; in its first season, 412 inches (1,050 cm) of snow fell, burying the equipment and closing the facility for the year. The resort remained open until 1970, when the impending opening of Canaan Valley Resort prompted Barton to go out of business. This new ski area was actually a redevelopment of the original Weiss Knob site; the second Weiss Knob site would be re-opened as the second home of White Grass Ski Touring Center in 1981.
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Wikipedia