Snowshoe Mountain first popped on my radar when I was invited on a press trip to the mountain years ago. I spent some time Googling and clicking thorough stunning pictures and was bummed when I couldn’t make the trip at the time. Ryan and I talked about visiting Snowshoe Mountain ever since and when I received another email inviting us up to spend a long weekend in the picturesque mountain town this summer, we knew we had to make it work!
My friend Lauren’s family has a condo in the village and raved about Snowshoe, so I was more than excited to explore a place I’ve heard so many wonderful things about from a close friend. I was a little concerned about finding enough things to do on the mountain since it’s primarily a ski destination, but since there’s not much Ryan and I love more than spending a day hiking, I figured that even if we filled our days with hiking, we’d have a blast!
With Chase and Sadie along for the ride, we kept most of our activities baby and dog-friendly, which meant we spent a lot of time simply exploring the town, hiking and enjoying the gorgeous 75-degree weather.
Arrival
Ryan and I weren’t sure how to tackle the five and a half hour drive to Snowshoe Mountain but figured that leaving a little before Chase’s bedtime on Thursday night would likely work best. Chase was such a champ during the drive and even though it was a pretty hands-on experience (I spent the majority of the ride in the backseat rotating through toys, books, food and baby songs), he eventually dozed off for around two hours toward the end of the drive. Oh! And just in case you ever happen to make the drive up to Snowshoe, it’s not the best drive for those with weak stomachs. I’ve always been prone to getting a little car sick and I honestly felt like I might puke for the last hour of the curvy mountain drive up to the village. Yeesh! I missed my Quease Ease nausea relief stick from my pregnancy days!
We arrived a little before 11 p.m. and after checking in at the main desk in the village hub at Allegheny Springs, we drove to our townhouse rental in the Stemwinder complex to unpack and settle in for the night. We were grateful to find dog-friendly lodging because we knew Sadie needed to join us on our outdoor adventure trip!
Hiking and Shavers Lake Swimming
We slept in until around 7 a.m. on Friday and spent the first 30 minutes of the day packing a backpack and getting organized for our first hike of the trip. Chase was up soon after we were and by 8 a.m., we found ourselves in the village where I popped into Starbucks to grab breakfast sandwiches, juice and iced coffee for us for a quick, on-the-go-breakfast.
Our intent for our first hike of the trip was to simply explore and see how Chase would fare in our new hiking backpack. We set our expectations fairly low and were pleasantly surprised by how well Chase did on the hike! He seemed incredibly comfortable in the hiking backpack and we managed to hike for four miles before returning home for his morning nap.
Once we made it back to our townhouse after our hike, we ate peanut butter sandwiches with Chase before he was ready for his nap. (Side note: Chase loves peanut butter sandwiches and therefore the number of peanut butter sandwiches I eat every week is borderline ridiculous.) Chase thankfully went down quite easily and slept for nearly two hours!
By the time Chase was up again, we were ready for some more outdoor fun and put on our swimsuits before taking the Ballhooter Lift down to Shavers Lake.
The water was quite cold and, honestly, I probably would’ve skipped swimming altogether but I couldn’t resist all of the amazing inflatable floating toys they had in the water! I’ve never tried a water trampoline and the 16-foot inflatable slide simply called to me!
Ryan and I took turns sitting on the shore with Chase and cheering each other on as we attempted ridiculous water tricks on the trampoline and had way too much fun on the giant slide. It felt like summer camp for adults and we had a blast!
(Chase was clearly thrilled with the sunscreen I put all over his face!)
Dinner
Once we were done swimming, we hung out on the shore for a little while until we knew Chase was in need of a late afternoon nap. We took the ski lift back up to the top of the mountain but not before we heard the lift attendant yelling after us. Apparently Ryan’s wedding ring dropped out of his backpack (he always takes it off to swim and work out) and she was kind enough to send it up the lift in a bag behind us. Since we’ve already replaced Ryan’s ring once before when it fell off in the lake by our house, we were obviously quite grateful to her! Phew!
We arrived back at our townhouse ready for food and naps. Chase went down for a nap while Ryan and I snacked on some of the food we brought from home and grabbed showers before dinner.
I love visiting destinations that allow you to walk everywhere and once Chase was awake again, we headed out with our little guy and walked into the village to grab dinner at Foxfire Grille.
(Chambray Tie Crop Top: Forever 21 via thredUp / Bralette: Free People / Midi Skirt: Express / Sandals: BC Footwear c/o White Plum / Purse: Marc Jacobs via thredUp)
It was a great recommendation (thank you to those of you who encouraged us to check it out!) and we took advantage of happy hour drink specials ($4 cocktails!) before ordering dinner. We ate outside and Chase had his first coloring experience! He did pretty well until he decided the crayons looked delicious and then coloring fun ended in some tears. Thankfully our food arrived quickly and that served as a great distraction.
Ryan and I gave Chase bites of our meals and he wasn’t a huge fan of my Mediterranean pizza but he did like the corn muffin that came with Ryan’s pork shank.
We were tempted to order dessert but didn’t want to push our luck with Chase, so we walked home, did the whole baby bath thing and put Chase to bed within an hour.
While I was settling Chase down for the night, Ryan went on a dessert mission and picked up some hiking snacks for Saturday’s hike and two pints of ice cream to share on the back patio of our townhouse. Not a bad way to round out the day!
We were both completely exhausted and ended up in bed rather early on Friday night which suited me just fine! We had another full day of hiking and lake time ahead of us the next day and I wanted to be well-rested.
I’ll see ya soon with a recap of our second day at Snowshoe Mountain! Hope you guys had a great weekend!
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What a beautiful place! I think being able to walk everywhere when you have a one year old is key. Mine would have slept more on the car ride there at bedtime, but hates short car rides when awake lol. I can’t wait to see more pictures!! Although sadly, I’ll be seeing them from my first day back at work after a year. My heart is so sad today.
Thinking of you, Laura. <3 I am sure today is a hard day and I hope it passes quickly for you and that you're holding your little one in your arms before you know it!! xoxo
What a fun trip, Julie! I’m so glad you guys were able to make this work, and what better timing after the emotional week or two you had! I can’t wait to hear more 🙂 I live in Pgh and it’s not too far from Snowshoe so I know a lot of people who go there in the winter for skiing.
Looks like a fun weekend. Random but I always find Thredup hard to shop! How do you find such cute things on there?!
I used to find it really overwhelming, too, but now I am just VERY specific when I search. I will search for specific brands or styles of clothing which helps narrow things down a bit and give you a smaller pool to sort through. It definitely helps!!
It looks so beautiful and peaceful there!
And those floating toys! I don’t think I couldn’t been kept off them either 🙂
I get car sick too. I remember when we took a road trip though the Smokey mountains a few years ago. Oh my, every twist and turn too! If I ever take a trip back in the US again, Snowshoe mountain will be on the list!
For real!!! I always got car sick as a kid as well and have many memories of holding a “puke bag” in front of me through winding mountain drives! Ick!
You need to get Ryan a Qalo ring!! It’s a silicone wedding ring that’s meant for people w active lifestyles.. I swap my wedding ring out for my Qalo ring when I’m at Crossfit or on a trip where we will be doing lots of activities where I don’t want my ring on.
I second this! I love wearing my qalo ring whenever I’m doing something active. I don’t have to worry about losing or damaging my real ring!
Sounds like your first day was absolutely perfect!! Can’t wait to hear more about this place!
This looks like such a great trip! Question for you about traveling with Sadie. Do you guys do anything specific to get her settled into hotel rooms or new places? I want to travel more with my dog, but I’m afraid he’ll freak out when we leave him in the hotel room for dinner, etc. He’s super calm and fine alone at home, but I don’t expect the same when we’re in a foreign space. Any advice you have would be great!
Hi Sarah! I totally get your reservations and I was nervous to travel with Sadie at first, too. I think the thing that probably helped us most was bringing her to visit family first… It kind of helped ease her into traveling by going to new places and then revisiting these places a few times. We didn’t crate train Sadie, but I know a lot of people also find it helpful to bring the dog’s bed or crate along on travel adventures so they have a “safe space” they know and love in a new environment.
What a fun day. I am so glad to see the family out together, laughing and loving life. You guys deserve some down time after your stressful time waiting for results on Chase. Love places that are pup friendly, too!
Hi Julie! Thanks for posting about your trip. It is nice that you and Ryan are able to get out and do some of the things you loved to do pre-baby. My daughter is 8 months old and until recently we were pretty scared to take her out to restaurants or long excursions because she was sensitive and would get (understandably) very moody if we delayed a nap. Now that she is getting older she needs fewer naps and she seems to be a lot more easy going so you are inspiring us to get her out and maybe even do a family vacation of our own!
Oh man, it’s so hard to figure out what will and won’t work with a baby! I feel ya! We just try to be flexible and keep our expectations pretty low – haha! If Chase ends up doing well, we are pleasantly surprised and take it as a win! We were really happy with how much he seemed to enjoy hiking! He did well on dinner the first night but on our second night we ended up getting sandwiches and salads to eat back in our townhouse because he was fussy. I think going with the flow is key! <3
I go to Snowshoe Mountain several times per year and have been visiting regularly since 1999. Love it! I could tell from your pictures on Inst where you were right away. I’m so happy you can spotlight it on your blog, so everyone can see what a beautiful state we have and visit more often. WV Proud:)
Snowshoe Mountain looks so pretty and it seems like you had a great time. I’ve never heard of it before but I would love to go now.
It looks so nice there! We just took a road trip with our 7 month old and one of us sat in back the whole time haha!
Sounds like you guys had a fun weekend away. I love weekend getaways like that – spending as much time outside as possible.
I love your sunglasses! Where are they from??
Hi Samantha! I knew I would forget to share something! Ha! They’re Kenneth Cole and I bought them from Nordstrom Rack a few years ago. I did some Googling and couldn’t find the black color in stock online anywhere, but here’s the specifics I found in case you have better luck: Kenneth Cole REACTION Women’s KC2720 Wayfarer Sunglasses
Thank you so much for the reply! I will hunt them down 😉
What a beautiful destination! So glad you had a fun family vacation girl!
You are one fashionable mama, Julie! 🙂
Thank you so much, Hillary!!! <3
That looks like so much fun! I’ll have to keep this on the radar for a fun family vacation. Glad you had a fun time. 🙂
This sounds like such a great time! I’m always AMAZED by the hiking families our here in Denver. Hiking up a 14er with a newborn on my back? Sure, why not! Ha! (I’ve already told my now husband that he’s responsible for wearing the baby backpack in the future, ha!)
Sounds like an amazing trip! I’m excited to hear about day 2. 🙂
XO, Jessica
http://www.semisweettooth.com
My friend Michaela and her husband do a lot of hiking (they also live in Denver) and I am SO impressed!! Two hours was just about our limit with Chase at this point! 🙂
I know! It looks super intense! (I think I may actually know Michaela from Fremd, though it’s been a while. Fellow Viking over here that’s good friends with Ryan and came out here to Denver to visit him several times before moving here. It truly is a small world. 🙂 )
What a cool adventure with a baby!
How you handle Chase’s meals when you are out like this. Do you take him pouches, or is he ok eating table food? My 1 yr old is really picky so I always have a backup puree or pouch, of course my preference is for her to eat table food but doesn’t always happen. Even milk she doesn’t love unless she’s really hungry.
Hi B! I always try to have something he typically enjoys on hand (usually a peanut butter sandwich or apple slices) but when we’re out he’s typically pretty curious about what we’re eating and seems to want to try pieces of our food more than his usual food. He’s never been overly into the pouches (he’ll suck them down but I have to basically follow him around with them) — it’s definitely a guessing game and a LOT of trial and error. What works one day often doesn’t the next. These little ones sure do keep us on our toes, huh!?
I notice it looks like you let Sadie off leash when you hike sometimes. Do you ever worry about coming across another dog that isn’t friendly?
It’s crossed our minds for sure but Sadie is definitely “velcro dog” through and through and doesn’t wander too far from us. Whenever we see other people/dogs approaching, we call her back and leash her up. On these trails, however, we didn’t see anyone else!
ThredUp is the best 🙂 Thank you for always sharing such detailed reviews about your travels – this place sounds LOVELY!!!! We are trying to find a place for a winter girls’ getaway and I’m going to check this place out!
Wishing you a happy Monday and a great week 🙂
What a beautiful location. Looks like a lot of fun in the water! I always get a little nauseous in the backseat.
I really love these vacation/excursion recaps, because just like watching the Travel channel, we all get to live vicariously through the traveler (and get ideas for our own travels). I love how you talk about the activities AND the food – yum and fun! It looks gorgeous there! And that cute backpack for Chase looked so adorable on Instagram! I would have loved those water toys, so much fun!
Love the recap, looking forward to the others! 🙂
Looks beautiful!! Looks like you guys had great weather too! I love that chase loves pb sandwiches–he’s definitely half you! 😀
How gorgeous is that resort?! I’ve never heard of Snowshoe Mountain, but it looks so perfect for a weekend of hiding away and relaxing.
Try taking Dramamine and using Sea Bands to help with the car sickness!! I recently rode for 14 hours to Kansas City for a wedding and felt great the whole time….. except for my sore butt from sitting for so long! Lol I got my Sea Bands at Target. They are little cloth bands that have a plastic dot that applies pressure to your wrists to help with car sickness….I dont know how it works but it does!!!
What a great weekend! Love doing little trips with my little family!! 🙂 Chase looks like he loved every second!!
What a fun weekend! Those inflatables look so fun. I would make the trip just for that 😉
Hi Julie – I know you said you stayed in a townhome rental, can you share more information about that? We have a 9 month old and would love to rent somewhere that gave us enough space to enjoy for a long weekend. Thanks!
Your family’s affinity for pints of ice cream speaks to my soul. Dessert is the best meal of the day.
-> http://www.poweredbysass.com
This looks like my kind of trip! So relaxing and beautiful!
Looks like so much fun! I’ve never heard of this place until now!
Your trip inspired me to add this to our short list of semi-nearby vacation locations! Thank you!
Also, had you ever looked into Qalo rings for you and Ryan? My very active husband gave us a scare with loosing his ring & was so grateful for his Qalo for workout days and nursing school..