Expedition Station
Expedition Station in the Summer
I spent 3 nights at the Expedition Station when I participated in the 2017 USAC Mountain Bike Championship held July 17-23, 2017. It’s located right in the heart of what they call the village so walking distance to shops and restaurants.
It was a little confusing on where to check in as there’s no lobby at the Expedition Station and even the Snowshoe website is unclear. It turned out that check-in was at the Mountain Lodge. Official check-in time is 5pm and don’t expect to get in a room much sooner than that.
I was staying in a Junior Deluxe Studio which had 1 queen size bed, a futon sofa, and small kitchenette. “Deluxe” means the equipment and furnishings are newer than in their junior studio.
The room itself wasn’t much bigger than a standard motel room. However, I was travelling solo so there was plenty of room for me and probably fine for 2 people. I think it would be tight squeezing in another 1-2 people though.
There was a long desk/dresser with several drawers and a flat screen TV. The kitchenette was furnished with a small microwave, 2-burner cook top, and refrigerator, plus dishes, utensils, etc. Also included was a coffee maker and toaster.
The bathroom was nice and included a tub shower and there was a nice supply of bath towels (I think I counted 8).
One thing I learned is as a cost reduction daily housekeeping service is not provided, so if you’re messy and/or expecting someone else to clean up you’ll have to pay extra. It was $22/day for fresh towels and trash emptied and $40/day if you want full maid service. I didn’t have a problem with this because I didn’t have to worry about hiding and/or locking up valuables and I’m also not messy.
Another thing I learned is Snowshoe is part of the National Radio Quite Zone, meaning no cell phone or wi-fi coverage. It’s a 13,000 square mile area covering the eastern part of WV. However, there was wi-fi at the lodging (you needed a password to log-on) and if you have AT&T cell service (it’s the only provider available) you’ll have spotty coverage. I was able to connect to the lodging’s wi-fi for internet use but I wasn’t able to set up my phone for wi-fi calling. Next time I would look into either an AT&T calling card or one of their prepaid phones. There is a land line in the room and supposedly free long distance.
Parking is across the street in a general public lot. You’re given a hang tag to put on your rearview mirror. I believe there is an unloading zone close to the front door, however, it was blocked when I was there because of the bike race.
You need your key card to unlock the front door to the building so it seemed secure.
Snowshoe is a very remote area so there’s no running to the store to pick up things you forgot. There’s a very small “convenience” store with limited stock on top of the mountain so it’s wise to bring anything you think you’ll need before arriving. The closest grocery store is about an hour away.
Despite my average review if I return to Snowshoe I would stay there again.