Wisp Resort is the only ski resort in Maryland, drawing most of its crowd from the DC area and Baltimore. Wisp is my home mountain, and I've skied every square inch of Marsh Hill. Here, I analyze every trail for Wisp first-timers or anyone interested in learning more about Maryland's lone ski mountain.
Green Circle. Beginner Level
Blue Square. Intermediate Level
Black Diamond. Advanced Level
North Face
Summary: These are some the first trails to open and the last to close. They’re the first thing you see when entering Deep Creek Lake on Rt-219 South.
Wisp Trail: Very long. Frequent snow making ensures good snow quality year-round. It’s one of the steeper greens, but most beginners still frequently ski it. For advanced skiers, there are plenty of access points and lines through the woods, especially towards the top on the right. There’s a spot called “The Bowl” where Roadrunner meets Wisp Trail that is steeper than the rest of the trail. Possum doesn’t have this steeper feature if you want to avoid it.
Easy Street: You can see where it should be, but it just doesn’t exist yet. I asked ski patrol and they didn’t know either. In 4 seasons it’s never been listed as open on the trail report, and as of 2020 it disappeared from the map entirely.
Possum: Another long trail great for those just learning. My first run! It is skinnier than Wisp Trail, so faster skiers should take Wisp Trail to give beginners some space.
Sunset Boulevard: The bunny slope. Staggered magic carpets allow you to exit wherever you feel comfortable. For first-timers, take all 3 carpets to the top for the flattest surface, the bottom is actually steeper. It also slopes to the left, so turn up the hill to the right.
Bear Paw: A wide trail great for a learning skier’s first blue. One of the first blues to open. Starts at midstation.
Beaver: This is the only regularly open trail that takes you straight from the top to mid-station. Because there’s no greens at mid-station, it’s listed as a blue (many mountains do this to prevent beginners from being stuck on trails they can’t handle), but the trail literally has an uphill section just before midstation, so it’s really just a service trail. Below midstation, it's an average blue that leads to Boulder Run and East Ridge.
Boulder Run: Wisp’s signature blue. Right where the giant curve starts, there’s a mountain bike trail on the right that skiers can follow down a very steep drop-off with natural snow. It has very heavy traffic, so it gets icy and bumpy very fast. It also bottlenecks as it approaches the Mountain Coaster, so slow skiers and fast skiers don’t mix well on this trail. Grouse Way to Boulder Run is the one of the best long, curvy blue runs skiers can find on the mountain. Usually one of the second wave trails to open.
Deer Run: Only opens with natural snow, so if it’s open, the conditions are great. It’s skinny and funnels towards the middle of the run, so there isn’t much turning. If the snow base on Squirrel Cage is deep, getting on Squirrel Cage may be impossible, forcing you to ski the natural terrain underneath Chairs 2 and 3.
Fox Way: Also sparingly open, it’s a flat woods cut-through into the bowl on Wisp Trail.
Grouse Way: The main access trail to the black diamonds on the front of the mountain and East Ridge. Tends to get icy quickly. It has a sharp turn but really any beginner can do it.
Longview: A connector between Wisp Trail and Possum named for its spectacular view of the valley below and into West Virginia. Usually opens later than most blues now.
Muskrat: This trail is a lot of fun. The woods on the skier’s left are skiable, with a famous large rock people jump onto the trail from. You can ski and jump behind the mounted ski guns on the left. The right is left for natural ungroomed snow, so it’s great for carving fresh powder. There’s also tons of little jumps and chutes onto the groomed section from the right. A few chutes exist that lead into the bottom of Bobcat Bowl.
Randall’s Run: Like Beaver, which it is parallel to. The joke is it’s named because you have to run down it. The section below mid-station has good slope but also some natural springs that melt snow, so it’s one of the least open runs. Many use it to get to Squirrel Cage.
Roadrunner: Steeper than Bear Paw, it drops into the small bowl on Wisp Trail. Best access to the Northern Glades. Groomers used to lay down a strip of moguls off to a side but it's been awhile.
Devil’s Drop: Wisp’s most difficult trail is probably between Devil’s Drop and the Face. Devil’s Drop only opens with natural snow, so it rarely opens. If it is open, the conditions are great. There are two main access points. The first is to the right of the Face, leading to the top of a ledge that looks over Devil’s Drop. The second is next to the Mountain Coaster at the end of Grouse Way, where Beaver and Muskrat intersect it. This entrance is very narrow and dumps right into the steepest section of Devil’s Drop. Prepare for lots of brush to stick through.
Northern Glades: I actually helped clear trees to make these glades! They are rarely open but are meant to attract very advanced skiers. The most cleared sections are between Roadrunner and Deer Run, as well as between Squirrel Cage and Deer Run. Next to Wisp Trail, the glades are less steep but thicker. There aren’t many boulders, downed trees, or cliffs to worry about, but the trees are thicker than the glades at some other nearby mountains, like Blue Knob. As of 2020, they were removed from the map, but the terrain is some of my favorite on the mountain.
Squirrel Cage: Wisp’s signature run, the first thing you see when you drive into Deep Creek Lake from Rt-219 South. It’s short but wide, allowing for wide turns and lots of space. With natural snow, ski under the chairlift for an added challenge. The middle is the steepest section, so keep that in mind if you’re looking at it from the top.
The Face: Runs parallel to Squirrel Cage but is usually left ungroomed for more advanced skiers. It’s steeper than Squirrel Cage and usually has moguls and large mounds from snow guns.
North Camp
Summary: Wisp’s newest trails are mostly catered towards beginners and are almost always open.
Backbone Pass: Typically opens before the rest of North Camp. Flat beginner trail with little slope. It ends with a little bowl down to Chair 6 that can suffer from heavy traffic.
Big Dipper: A beginner’s favorite and an advanced skier’s nightmare. It’s looooong and extreme winds from the valley below can you bring you to a stop. See if you can spot Mountain State Brewing Company down there! You may have to skate down it just to finish, especially with wind. This trail is critical because it’s the only way to reach the blues and blacks in North Camp.
Happy Camper: The access trail to North Camp and Possum. Check out some off-trail lines behind the snow guns on the skier’s right.
Little Dipper and Logger’s Way: These two trails are together because they’re specialized and some of the last trails to open. Little Dipper is mostly used for races on weekends, and Logger’s Way houses a medium-sized terrain park. Both are a little steeper than Backbone Pass. Edit: Lately, Logger's Way has been left to natural snow without a terrain park.
Ridge Run: Takes skiers from the top of Chair 7 to Chair 6. Access trail for Ace’s Run, Whip Saw, and Over the Edge. Lots of people ski the right side of the trail for added fun, but this face is a rocky ledge in the summer, so look out for damaging rocks and thin cover.
Ace’s Run: This trail suffers from heavy traffic but is one of the most fun blues. It can get icy and also slopes to the right, so try to keep uphill on the left. Not much room for jumps and woods skiing, but great for getting speed and practicing wide turns.
Whip Saw: It opens less often than Ace’s, but when it does it’s less icy and less crowded. It’s also steeper. Alternates between steep and flat sections.
Over the Edge: As the name suggests, the top is very steep and usually icy. Even though it’s near beginner trails, skiers should be comfortable on Squirrel Cage before attempting it.
East Ridge
Summary: The most challenging side of Wisp tends to open later than the rest of the mountain and have shorter lift lines.
Bobcat Bowl: There are many entries to it off of Muskrat, but the main entrance is next to the top of Odin’s Chute. It only opens with lots of natural snow, so look out for brush sticking through. It has black diamond caliber steepness at to the top before emptying into a vast powder field. Lean back to avoid falling forward as powder covers your skis.
Down Under: The most popular trail to reach East Ridge. Take Muskrat, Beaver, or Grouse Way to reach it, taking a right at the Boulder-Down Under fork in the trail. The upper section is curvy and steep, eventually going down around a sharp right turn. Beyond the turn is very flat, so get speed on the steep section to make it around the turn. This trail is unique because it goes through a tunnel.
Eye Opener: The easiest black diamond at Wisp. It’s also one of the least skied, so conditions stay better longer. It is skinnier than most other trails and it also slopes to the skier’s left, so try to stay high on the right.
Highline Pass: A cut-through from the top of Main Street to Eye Opener. For some reason it always seems icy, but it’s the only trail option other than Main Street from the top of Chair 5.
Main Street: One of Wisp’s signature runs. The first 100 yards are flat and lined with houses that usually build their own jumps for skiers. It’s not uncommon for college kids to stand on the porches rating jumps out of 10 on paper plates. Very similar to Squirrel Cage, but longer. The skier’s right is usually a mogul field and skiing ungroomed natural snow under the chairlift is another option, but the majority is kept groomed. There are a few chutes along the tree line next to the chair lift.
Odin’s Chute: Contrary to it’s name, it’s very wide. It’s steeper than Squirrel Cage and sometimes, but not always, has moguls. A straight, wide run directly down the face of the mountain.
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