Whitetail Resort in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania

Whitetail Resort

Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
Vertical drop:935 feet
Base elevation:865 feet
Peak elevation:1,800 feet
Skiable acres:117
Longest run:1 mile
Trails:23

Located in south-central Pennsylvania, Whitetail is a comfortable 90-minute jog down I-70 from D.C. and Baltimore. Skiers and boarders will find 23 trails, a 935-foot vertical, and a high-speed quad. Whitetail’s convenient location to D.C. also means skiers and boarders will often find crowds — on weekends and holidays, Whitetail’s slopes can become as crowded as the Washington Beltway during rush hour. On non-holiday weekdays, the crowds completely disappear and you’re likely to have the slopes to yourself.

Whitetail has a strong track record of continuous capital improvements. Over the past couple decades, it has added new trails, expanded its base lodge, added a snow tubing park, expanded lighting across the slopes, and made significant snowmaking improvements. Whitetail’s state-of-the-art snowmaking system can quickly take slopes from bare to skiable with just a few nights of snowmaking.

Whitetail is now part of the Vail Resorts family after a 2019 purchase. Previously, it was owned by Peak Resorts, and before that, Snow Time. Its new ownership means you can purchase a single Epic pass and ski at Whitetail, Liberty, Roundtop, Jack Frost, Big Boulder, and dozens of resorts across North America.

Skiers at Whitetail are pampered by a modern base lodge and amenities such as free ski check. Food is reasonable, with cafeteria-style food available in the Market Place. Other dining options include sit-down service at the Solstice, and brick oven pizzas at Mountain Hearth Pizzeria.

Whitetail developed a residential village that lines the Northern Lights beginner ski slope, but despite this lodging, Whitetail does not offer many year-round activities except for golf and is primarily a day resort in the winter. In 2019, Whitetail was granted its first liquor license.

Photo by M. Scott Smith.


Key Statistics

Resort Name: Whitetail Resort
Vertical Drop: 935 feet
Base Altitude: 865 feet
Peak Altitude: 1,800 feet
Trails: 23 Trails:
  • 7 beginner
  • 10 intermediate
  • 6 expert
Skiable Acres: 117
Longest Run: 1 mile
Lifts: 9 (1 high-speed quad, 3 quads, 2 doubles, 3 magic carpets)
Night Skiing: Night skiing on all trails
Terrain Park: Two terrain parks.
Tubing Park: Serviced by an enclosed magic carpet and its own lodge.
Address: 13805 Blairs Valley Road
Mercersburg, PA 17236
Phone: (717) 328-9400
Social Media: Facebook link Instagram link
Webcams: View resort webcams
Web Site: http://www.skiwhitetail.com/
Directions: Via Google Maps

Trail Map


Getting to Whitetail Resort

Show directions via Google Maps...


Weather near Whitetail

7:53 pm on September 8 / Hagerstown, Washington County Regional Airport
Fair
78° F
Fair
Humidity:58% Visibility:10.00
Wind Speed:5 mph wind_E Sunrise:6:45 a.m.
Barometer:30.22 in Sunset:7:34 p.m.
Dewpoint:62 °F
Way too warm for snowmaking. No snowmaking
Tonight
cloudy
Low: 62°
Partly Cloudy
Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. Light south wind.
Wednesday
sunny
High: 85°
Mostly Sunny
Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night
cloudy
Low: 68°
Increasing Clouds
Increasing clouds, with a low around 68. Southwest wind around 8 mph.
Thursday
rainy
High: 80°
Chance of Showers then Showers
A chance of showers before 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 11am and 2pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. High near 80. West wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Weather supplied by the National Weather Service. Errors or reporting delays may be possible.


News about Whitetail

Masks, Reservations, and Parking-Lot Lunches: A Mid-Atlantic COVID Retrospective
Article thumbnail September 4, 2026 - Masks, reservations, capacity limits, and parking-lot lunches made the 2020-2021 winter unlike any Mid-Atlantic ski season before it. Six years later, DCSki looks back at how resorts and skiers navigated the pandemic and how that period accelerated the shift toward advance ticket sales, mobile passes, online transactions, and other practices that remain with us today.
How Much Will It Cost to Ski the Mid-Atlantic This Winter?
Article thumbnail September 1, 2026 - How much will it cost to get on the slopes this winter? The question has become surprisingly difficult to answer as date-specific ticket prices, advance-purchase discounts, passes, rentals, lessons, food, and travel send each skier’s total in a different direction. DCSki examines the prices Mid-Atlantic skiers are likely to encounter during the 2026-2027 season and offers some practical ways to keep the bill under control.
Where Can You Still Ski for Less? The Mid-Atlantic’s Best Values
Article thumbnail August 29, 2026 - Skiing has become expensive, but bargains have not disappeared. DCSki looks across the Mid-Atlantic for the season passes, night tickets, family programs, lodging packages, and other offers that can still put skiers on the snow without draining the winter budget.
Epic, Ikon, Indy, or Local? Finding the Best 2026-2027 Ski Pass for Mid-Atlantic Skiers
Article thumbnail August 29, 2026 - Buying a ski pass used to mean choosing a home mountain. And that was pretty much it. Today, Mid-Atlantic skiers must sort through national products, regional passes, reciprocal agreements, limited-day packages, blackout dates, and prices that change several times before winter. It can be overwhelming! DCSki tries to break through the confusion by examining the leading options for 2026-2027 and the skiers each one serves best.
The Pacific Is Heating Up: What a Powerful El Niño Could Mean for the Mid-Atlantic Ski Season
Article thumbnail August 27, 2026 - One of the strongest El Niño events in the modern record is developing ahead of the 2026-2027 ski season, increasing the odds of an active, moisture-rich storm track across the East. DCSki looks at the latest forecasts, lessons from past El Niño winters, and the factors that could determine whether that moisture arrives at Mid-Atlantic ski areas as snow or rain.
Skiing Before the Smartphone: Snow Phones, Paper Maps, and Meeting at the Lodge Clock.
Article thumbnail August 24, 2026 - Before webcams, navigation apps, digital lift passes, and group texts, Mid-Atlantic skiers relied on snow phones, paper trail maps, printed directions, and carefully chosen meeting places. This retrospective recalls the uncertainty and occasional adventure of skiing before the smartphone while considering how modern technology has made trips safer, easier, and better documented.
What’s New for 2026: Mid-Atlantic Ski Areas
Article thumbnail August 19, 2026 - Mid-Atlantic ski resorts are preparing for the 2026-2027 winter season with new lifts, expanded snowmaking systems, improved skier facilities, and major lodging projects. DCSki takes a closer look at the enhancements and upgrades underway across the region at resorts such as Seven Springs, Wisp, Wintergreen, Snowshoe, and Massanutten.
The Mountains That Didn’t Make It: How Mid-Atlantic Skiing Grew, Contracted, and Survived
Article thumbnail July 23, 2026 - Once scattered across the Mid-Atlantic, hundreds of community ski hills, residential resorts, and ambitious mountain developments introduced generations to snowsports. Drawing on DCSk’s Lost Ski Areas archive and readers’ memories, this feature story traces their rise and decline, the forces that reshaped the regional ski industry, and the advantages that helped today’s resorts endure.
When Winter Failed to Arrive: The Brutal 1997-1998 Ski Season (And What it May Portend For This Year)
Article thumbnail July 18, 2026 - The powerful 1997-1998 El Niño brought warmth, rain, abbreviated operations, and lasting financial consequences to Mid-Atlantic ski areas. DCSki looks back at that difficult season, explores the financial risks of betting a year-round business on a few winter months, and considers whether the developing 2026-2027 El Niño might deliver rain, snow, or something in between.
When the Slopes Go Quiet: Summer at a Mid-Atlantic Ski Area
Article thumbnail July 17, 2026 - Once the snow melts and the lifts stop spinning, many Mid-Atlantic ski areas become remarkably quiet. DCSki takes a behind-the-scenes look at the lift maintenance, snowmaking repairs, trail work, construction projects, and advance planning that prepare the mountain for another all-too-brief winter season.

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