Five Day Trips for Winter Fun Close to Reston

Winter isn't going to last forever. There are still a few more weeks to find some winter fun close to Reston.

There are 10 nearby ski resorts: Wisp Resort in Maryland; Blue Knob All Seasons Resort, Hidden Valley Resort, Liberty Mountain Resort, Roundtop Mountain Resort, Seven Springs Mountain Resort, and Whitetail Resort, in Pennsylvania; and Bryce Resort, Massanutten Resort, and Wintergreen Resort, in Virginia.

But they are not just for skiing. Here's what else you can do while it is still snowing.

1. Tubing  - All 10 resorts offer tubing. If you head to one of the closer resorts, you can make it a day trip. The resorts usually offer it to anyone age five and up, but this may depend on the kid – and helmets are recommended.

2. Snow coaster - Wisp is the only area resort that offers a ,snow coaster a type of winter roller coaster – a cousin to the summer alpine slide.

The Wisp Mountain Coaster zooms 3,500 feet downhill over 350 vertical feet on the eastern side of their mountain. One ride costs $10 for one person and $15 for doubles, while a three-pack of rides costs $25 for singles and $40 for doubles. 

3 . Winter zip line - On Wintergreen's winter zip line, you can zip over the snow covered landscape for 900 feet.   The Zip costs $10 per ride or $15 for two rides for one person (non – transferable).

4.  Dog Sledding, Mid-Atlantic Style - Ever imagine that you were competing in the Iditarod Dog Sled Race across Alaska? There are two places you can dog sled in the Mid-Atlantic region:  Husky Power Dog Sledding in Accident MD, and Maryland Sled Dog Adventures in Baltimore County.

5. Sleigh rides - Horse-drawn sleigh rides are another fabulous way to get out and enjoy the beauty of winter. At Hidden Valley, Double K Stables has sleigh rides.  Near Deep Creek, Pleasant Valley Dream Rides also offers sleigh rides.