West Virginia’s Canaan Valley is full of beauty and wonder. The valley is surrounded by the Allegheny Mountains and is home to Blackwater Falls State Park and quaint little towns. The Canaan Valley is the perfect locale for a weekend trip.
Canaan Valley
Canaan Valley is located in northeastern West Virginia near the border with Maryland. It is about 3 hours west of Washington, D.C., and 2 hours from Winchester, VA.
Canaan Valley Resort
You won’t find chain hotels here. Lodging consists of small inns and motels, resorts, lodges, bed and breakfasts, and guest houses. During our weekend visit, we stayed at the Canaan Valley Resort and Conference Center, which is also a West Virginia State Park. The resort has guest rooms, suites, cabins, and a campground. It also has its own dining room, cafe, and lounge. Other restaurants are about a 10-15 minute drive away.
The Canaan Valley Resort has tons of activities like swimming (indoor & outdoor pools), golf, a spa, clay shooting range, chairlift rides, and mountain biking and hiking trails. During the winter they also have skiing.
Outdoor Pool 
Game Room
Our family loved the scenic chairlift ride that takes you to the top of the 4,280 foot Weiss Mountain. Rates are $7.00 per adult and $5.00 for seniors and children. At the top of the mountain, you can see the paragliding launch and spectacular views. Another activity that our kids loved was the climbing wall and Eurobungy located at the Recreation Center. The rate is $6.00 per activity or save a bit and get a $10.00 combo ticket.
Ski Area 
Chairlift
Hand Gliding Launch
The resort has 11 trails ranging in length from an easy ⅛ mile to a difficult 3 miles. You can choose from ridgetop and valley floor trails, walk or ride trails, or wildlife and wetlands trails. There is something for everyone. Trail maps can be found in the resort lobby or online.
Spruce Knob
On our way to the Canaan Valley Resort, we stopped at Spruce Knob and Seneca Rocks. Both are a short drive from the resort. Spruce Knob is West Virginia’s highest peak at 4,863 feet. To reach the top you must drive up a narrow, winding 9-mile road with no guard rails. At the summit, there are picnic tables, a vault toilet, grills, and a good-sized parking lot. The ½ mile Whispering Spruce Trail circles the knob and is an easy hike for all ages. Along the trail, you will find interpretive signs that describe the vegetation, geology, and animal life. Spruce Knob Tower is also along the trail. You can climb the 39 steps to the top for a 360-degree view.
Spruce Knob Tower 
Spruce Knob Picnic Area
Seneca Rocks
Seneca Rocks is about 30 minutes from Spruce Knob. The Discovery Center located at the base of the rocks is free and open daily from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. The Discovery Center has a small interpretive area, a gift shop, a theater, and restrooms. Step out the back door for majestic views of Seneca Rocks. A short walk from the Discovery Center is the homestead and gardens. The homestead grounds and gardens are open during daylight hours, but the inside of the home is only open during summer weekends.
We visited during the summer and were able to tour the inside of the house. It consisted of 2 floors with scarce furnishings. It was neat but pretty typical of other mountain homesteads. Close to the homestead, there are picnic tables and the trailhead to the top of Seneca Rocks. The trail is 1.5 miles one way and gains about 1,000 feet in elevation. It ends at an observation platform near the top of Seneca Rocks. We didn’t have time to make the hike but saw people of all ages finishing. It looked like a nice walk.
Blackwater Falls State Park
On our second day in the Canaan Valley, we visited Blackwater Falls State Park which is just outside the town of Davis. Entrance to the park is free.
Boardwalk Trail
Blackwater Falls
We started off with the Blackwater Falls Boardwalk Trail. There is a good-sized parking lot at the Trading Post then you walk down a series of trails to a stone patio. From there you take the boardwalk down 203 steps to the observation deck. Remember what goes down must come back up. It wasn’t too difficult! The view of the falls is worth it. The Trading Post has restrooms and refreshments.
Gentle Trail
Next, we drove across the Blackwater River to the Gentle Trail. This is the trail to take to view the falls if you can not hike up and down the steps at the Boardwalk. The Gentle Trail is a ¼ mile paved path to an observation deck. It is handicap and stroller accessible. The parking area here is very small compared to the one at the Trading Post. There are no facilities.
Elakala Trail
From there we drove on to the Blackwater Lodge and Conference Center. We parked at the far south end of the parking lot so we could hike the Elakala Trail. The trail is ½ mile and moderately difficult. Near the beginning, the trail bridges the canyon and gives you a view of the falls. The trail continues along the canyon rim and ends at the main park road. We found it hard to get a good view of the falls. You can look directly down on it from the bridge, but it’s hard to see further down the trail. There was too much brush and trees in the way. After the bridge, we found this trail to be very narrow and rugged in places. We even had to do a bit of rock scrambling. I wouldn’t suggest bringing small children past the bridge.
After our hike, we explored the Blackwater Lodge. Our kids were fascinated by the old phone booths. Inside the lodge, there is a restaurant, gift shop, and restrooms. I suggest taking a walk out the back. There is an overlook with awesome views of the canyon. See if you can find the Halley’s Comet Time Capsule near the overlook. It’s pretty cool!
Blackwater Falls State Park also has cabins, a campground, skiing, fishing, and boating, and at least 21 different trails. The trails are designated for hiking, biking, or skiing. A trail map can be picked up in the lodge or online.
Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Also, worth mentioning is the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Unfortunately, we found it closed during our visit. Normally the visitor center is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm during the summer. The refuge itself is open daily from 1 hour before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset. It does not charge an entrance fee.
The refuge has approximately 31 miles of roads and trails to explore by hiking, skiing, or snowshoeing. 23 miles are open for bicycling and 22 miles are open for horseback riding.
Antietam National Battlefield
On our final day, we started heading back east towards Washington D.C. On the way, we decided to stop by the Antietam National Battlefield, the site of the bloodiest one-day battle of the American Civil War. The Battlefield is in Sharpsburg, Maryland, and is run by the National Park Service. The visitor center is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Inside it has a theater, exhibits, an observation room, and a museum store. You can also get your National Park Passport stamps.
There is a fee to enter the battlefield and it is collected inside the visitor center. The collection of the fee relies heavily on the honor system. You could easily bypass the visitor center and tour the battlefield without paying. There is no guard shack or car passes. The battlefield does honor 4th Grader Passes and National Park Passes. I would encourage everyone to do the right thing and stop inside the visitor center.
I highly recommend watching the 26-minute orientation film. It is shown on the hour and half hour. The film does an excellent job of describing what went on at Antietam. Our kids stayed engaged the entire time and learned a lot.
Driving tour & walkway
The battlefield also has an 11 stop driving tour. Stops include Dunker Church, North Woods, East Woods, Cornfield, West Woods, Mumma Farm and Cemetery, Union Advance, Sunken Road (Bloody Lane), Lower Bridge (Burnside Bridge), Final Attack, and the Antietam National Cemetery. Since we were short on time we only walked the Antietam Remembered, a ¼ mile paved walkway near the visitor center. The trail passes significant landmarks and monuments, including Dunker Church and the Maryland State Monument.
Antietam National Battlefield does not have a picnic area. The parking area at the visitor center has shade, so we ended up eating our picnic lunch inside our van. Depending on the weather you could spread a blanket on the nearby grass. Keep in mind though that we were warned that there are lots of ticks in the grass.
Final thoughts
Overall we really enjoyed our weekend in the Canaan Valley. Even in the midst of summer, the temperature was perfect. I think we saw more deer in this area than any other we have visited. They were everywhere! After just getting a weekend glimpse of West Virginia, this Florida girl is now ready to explore more of these wonderful mountains.
Looking for more mountain adventures, try A Weekend in the Shenandoah Valley with Kids, Skyline Drive and Upper Blue Ridge Parkway Roadtrip, Mid-Blue Ridge Parkway & Congaree Nat. Park Roadtrip.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own. I was not compensated for this post.
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