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Favorite Ski Trails:
Stables
A family favorite, offers gentle, open hills and gladed woods, good sledding hill for kids
White Dot Trail
Accesible from Girls Camp Road and Blueberry Ridge Cabins, it swooshes along the northen face of the mountain before turning left and onto Upper Doe Run to the old golf course for a nice downhill glide
Lower Jungle Trail
Connects the stables to the hotel and is a gentle climb or descent perfect for beginners or as a warmup to more technical trails like Old Turnpike
Old Turnpike
Rising and falling over more technical terrain this trail connects with Bald Knob Road and Homestead Trail
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Recreation: Cross-country
Skiing
XC Skiing has quite a history at Mountain Lake. Sitting above 4,000' of elevation and with our trails concentrated on the northern face of our mountains, we tend to attract and hold snow when the hills down below are wet from rain. Though it hasn't been promoted since about 1986, a few of the locals have spent many a secret winter's day sliding through our woods.
We have added a parking area for day-use near the stables. When there is suffficient snow, our trails are ideal for back country skiing and snowshoeing. We do not currently groom the trails or make snow, just provide an opportunity to enjoy nordic skiing as it was traditionally envisioned. There is a $5.00 parking fee per vehicle that funds improvements to our trail system and access parking lot.
Our brand new custom trail maps are now available at the Conservancy office next to the hotel, East Coasters Bike Shop in Blacksburg & Roanoke, Run About Sports, Backcountry Ski and Sports, Tangent Outdoors and Blue Ridge Mountain Sports at First and Main. These 1:24,000 scale, shaded USGS topo maps have all of our trails precisely GPS traced in custom colors and include difficulty and length.
You are welcome to visit our Conservancy office next to the hotel during normal business hours to buy a year-round trail access sticker for $20 or you can become a 'Trail Lover' member which includes it all!
You can rent cross-country skis at Backcountry Ski and Sports in Blacksburg, VA. Rentals are $25 per day.
Please read our visitor use policies before planning your visit to Mountain Lake.
Trail Updates:
Attn XC Skiers: If you visit ML, please park in the horsebarn parking lot located 1 mile past the hotel entrance. It is now plowed and accessible for parking. Please do not park in front of the hotel, towing will be enforced. Please do not block any access gates on Mountain Lake property.
A note to beginners...
We recommend folks interested in trying cross-country skiing for the first time make a special trip out to White Grass Touring Center in the Canaan Valley of West Virginia. Their experienced and friendly staff will put you on the right track, and set you up with gear appropriate for our trails. Make sure you make reservations there for dinner on Friday night.
To check on current conditions, visit our Facebook page...or call the Conservancy at 540.626.7121 x444 for information. You can also join the Cross Country Skiing (XC) Google Group for skiing in the New River Valley to find out ski conditions and find other folks in the area who cross-country ski.
In the News:
WSLS 10, "Mountain Lake Looks Like a Winter Wonderland"
Roanoke Times, "Cross Country Skiers Spend a Secret Winter's Day"
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