Rumored to date back to the 1820s, snow tubing is a fun winter pastime that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and experience levels.
A perennially popular Virginia winter activity, snow tubing uses gravity to allow riders to slide downhill on an inflatable tube, with lanes designed to keep them on course.
Snow in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains region can average up to 52 inches each year, creating a winter wonderland for locals and visitors alike to enjoy.
Most of the big Virigina winter resorts have multiple tubing runs, allowing riders the option of going solo or linking up with friends.
And thanks to the moving belts that allow riders to get back up the hill with minimal effort, it’s a great family activity for winter without the physical demands of snow skiing or snowboarding.
Read on for our guide to the best places for snow tubing in Virginia, including info on the Virginia resorts‘ number of tubing lanes, the cost of snow tubing sessions, and other fun amenities.
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Snow Tubing in Virginia Guide
- Bryce Resort (Basye VA)
- Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre (Lynchburg VA)
- Massanutten Resort (Massanutten VA)
- The Omni Homestead Resort (Hot Springs VA)
- Wintergreen Resort (Nellysford VA)
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1. Bryce Resort
1982 Fairway Drive, Basye VA • (540) 861-2121 • Official Website
Check Rates for Bryce Resort Rentals via VRBO
Bryce Resort is located just over 30 miles northwest of Luray VA, less than 5 miles east of the border with West Virginia.
Opened in 1965, this Virginia ski resort offers plenty of things to do in winter, including snow skiing, ice skating, snowboarding, and snow tubing.
Other amenities include several restaurants and snack bars, a full-service ski/bike rental and instruction operation, a golf course and a golf shop.
Bryce Resort offers three 800-foot-long snow tubing lanes, with 90-minute sessions that are sure to be jam-packed with great memories.
At the end of each run, a conveyor belt transports riders back to the top. So you can slide down the hill over and over again during your 90-minute session.
Bryce Resort is open 7 days a week, and snow tubing tickets start at $33 per person. Note that ticket purchase is only available online.
Also, snow tubers can get add on ice skating for an additional $10, ensuring your trip to go snow tubing in VA will be one the family will never forget!
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2. Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre
4000 Candlers Mountain Rd, Lynchburg VA • (434) 582-3539 • Official Website
Check Rates for Liberty Mountain Rentals via VRBO
The Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre is located in the foothills 50 miles east of Roanoke VA, just 6 miles south of the heart of Downtown Lynchburg.
Part of Liberty University, the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre is open all year-round. The complex offers options for snow skiing, snowboarding, and tubing for students, staff, faculty, and the general public.
In Winter, the surrounding slopes boast the patented Briton Engineering technology known as Snowflex, a synthetic multilayered material that simulates the effects of snow.
Basically, a misting system sprays the surface to help your board/skis/snow tube slide. There’s also a 2-inch padded cushion to help ease any falls on Liberty Mountain’s myriad trails.
The Snowflex Centre operates two Neveplast runs, where snow tubers can enjoy a safe and invigorating ride down the hill all year round.
Liberty Mountain offers $10 Tuesdays for a 2-hour combo pass for rentals, skiing, snowboarding, tubing, and sledding. Hourly tubing passes start at $15, and include the tube rental.
Other amenities that make this a great winter getaway in Virgina include an Olympic-level trampoline, 3,500 acres of hiking trails, and beautiful Blue Ridge Mountain views from the Barrick-Falwell Lodge.
READ MORE: The Best Ski Resorts in the Virginia Mountains to Visit
3. Massanutten Resort
1822 Resort Dr, Massanutten VA • (540) 289-9441 • Official Website
Check Rates for Massanutten Resort Rentals via VRBO
Located 13 miles west of the Swift Run Gap Entrance Station to Shenandoah National Park and two hours from Washington DC, Massanutten is one of the oldest, largest, and most popular VA ski resorts.
Celebrating 50 years of service this winter, the Massanutten Ski Lodge was built in 1972. The ski slopes opened the following year, and their Snow Sports Learning Center was completed in 2014.
Today the 5,200-acre ski resort offers an expansive array of Virginia winter activities, including skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, and of course tubing.
Snow tubers can choose from 16 different lanes that are over 900 feet long, with a vertical drop of 120 feet.
For the 2022-2023 season, they added nighttime tubing slots, with pumping music and colorful lights at their new Northern Lights tubing experience.
Massanutten snow tubing tickets start at $30 for 90-minute sessions. Because snow tubing at Massanutten Resort is so popular, make sure to purchase your tickets online ahead of time to guarantee a time slot!
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4. The Omni Homestead Resort
7969 Sam Snead Hwy, Hot Springs VA • (540) 839-1766 • Official Website
Check Rates for The Omni Homestead Resort via Booking.com
Owned by the same parent company as the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville NC, the Omni Homestead Resort is located in Hot Springs VA, northwest of the Washington & Jefferson National Forest.
Voted the best Beginner Friendly and Family Friendly Winter Resort in Liftopia’s “Best In Snow Awards,” the Omni Homestead is a National Historic Landmark that has been hosting guests since 1832.
In addition to offering visitors access to healing hot springs, the resort is a beloved Christmas travel destination, with lots of exciting outdoor activities in the snow.
Perfect for all ages, snow tubing on their Penguin Slides is a fun and less strenuous choice in comparison to extreme activities such as skiing, snowboarding, ziplining, etc.
A great option for snow tubing in Virginia, the Penguin Slides just before the holidays in December, with day tickets starting at $22.
Other Omni Homestead Resort activities include golfing, spa treatments, hiking, visiting nearby Douhat State Park, and cozying up by the fireplace after wonderful winter day.
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5. Wintergreen Resort
39 Mountain Inn Loop, Nellysford VA • (434) 325-2200 • Official Website
Check Rates for Wintergreen Resort Rentals via VRBO
Located right off the Blue Ridge Parkway just south of Waynesboro VA, Wintergreen Resort is the largest ski resort in Virginia, offering 26 different slopes.
This resort is also home to the state of Virginia’s biggest snow tubing hill, making it one of the most epic places to try the activity.
The Plunge, Wintergreen Resort’s tubing park, is the largest in the state, featuring a hill that allows riders to reach speeds of up to 30 mph. Friends and families can even hook their tubes together for a shared ride down the hill.
Wintergreen Resort snow tubing tickets are available online only and tend sell out fast. So make sure to purchase them in advance of your trip to Virginia. Regular season rates start at $39 for 75-minute sessions.
Other fun activities at this expansive Blue Ridge Parkway resort include scenic overlooks, hiking trails to waterfalls, a full service spa, several great restaurants, summer tubing, and a small lake for swimming. –by Molly Frazier; lead image courtesy of Wintergreen Resort