At 3220' this area has as much snow on the ground as 4848' Snowshoe. With a 16 inch snowpack & a 17 below 0 reading which was the coldest Temp that I found in the state this morn, Why do we not hear of any X-Country touring there? For its elevation I have argued before that this is the Snow Capital of the State Yet we never see any posts about it...just wondering Has anyone visited Kumbrabow?

Think it's too far west for most of the folks to get to. Maybe I should drive east to check it out... given the alternatives around here, it'd probably be worth it!

-17 degrees, wow! Where can you get all the temp data online?

I need to get out to that area and explore sometime in the near future. I go to Canaan all the time but since it's a long drive from BMore (and I always have some chores to do around my place) I usually just stay within the immediate area when I'm up there.

I've always wondered what THE snowiest part(s) of WV are, regardless of elevation? I know the Canaan area is probably the largest area that gets nailed every year, but there have to be snowier parts, even if they are smaller, more isolated areas.

I have to say, though, single digits in Canaan is cold but tolerable (if dressed appropriately), but single digits here in Baltimore have been unbearable over the past couple days!

I hear Kumbrabow and Pickens, WV mentioned pretty often in discussions about the places that get the most snow in WV. Not sure how the XC skiing is at Kumbrabow. I've been there once but don't remember them having much of a trail system there.

Kumbrabow is a beautiful old growth forest with lots of spruce and hemlock. Definately X-C potential with some long ridge trails and some steeps. Just a little north of SS off 219.

Yeah I've heard Pickens, too, as the snow capital. Sits in something like a box canyon so when the lake effect comes in it just kind of dead-ends there. I think Brad (bawalker) has been out that way a bit and can talk (and has talked) a bit about the topography out there.

I always meant to get out that way but the closest I ever got was just south of Kumbrabow in Monroe County. Helvetia is supposed to be pretty cool to visit, too.

Its so funny that this thread exists because I was just at Kumbrabow yesterday. Took a drive there from Snowshoe (wife and I took a little getaway) -- and yes, the place is spectacular. Just a couple inches of snow on the ground near Huttonsville on 219, and then 4 or five miles later on a back road and the snow is a foot and a half deep. Wonderful trails everywhere and a lot of spruce and hemlock.

The state park headquarters are actually at the bottom of a bowl/valley at 3220. If you follow the road further up you get to elevations around 3600-3700. I'm sure that the location of the headquarters is great for getting cold air drainage on clear nights to get some unbelieveably cold temps.

But I wish that they still took snow obs there because it would be interesting to see -- I know the WV record of 301 inches in one season was recorded there in 1957-58? I think they stopped in the early 70s -- which makes you wonder how much fell there is some of the great winters since then.

They still do some reporting but it is sporadic. This morn they Cked in with 8 more inches that brought the snowpack to 21 inches at 3220'.Besides having the Snowiest year on Record they also had the Heaviest 24 hour snowfall ever recorded in the State(Anybody Know that Stat?) I didn't know that the forest went on up to 3700'...Prob got over 2 feet up there which would be the deepest snowpack in WV if it wasn't for MPC ..... This morn a 21 inch snowpack is being reported at Canaan(9 inches yest!!),,Kumbrabow & Snowshoe( 7 new yest).For years the conventional Wisdom was that SS was the Snowiest place in WV...but with the age of the Internet I know better!.......Oh & PS. Pickens recieved 6 inches yest which adds up to a 14 inch snowpack...I Tried to tell Roger & Baywalker that Pickens wasn't the S-Spot!