Everything You Need To Know About Skiing at Wisp Resort in Maryland

Discover everything you need to know about skiing or snowboarding at Wisp Resort in Maryland, before you go. We will explore all of the slopes by difficulty, as well as lodging, food, and ski lessons. This is your ultimate guide to skiing and snowboarding at Wisp Resort.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SLOPES

Wisp Resort says on their website that they have 33 trails and 15 chair lifts. They are counting conveyer belts on both the bunny slope and terrain park as chair lifts. There are actually 7 chair lifts. Wisp Resort is broken up into 3 sections: The Front Slopes, The East Ridge and The North Camp. The trails are color coded by difficulty:

Green : Beginner

Blue: Intermediate

Black Diamond: Most Difficult

The most important thing to know about the trails is that all colors are not created equal. Within each color is a wide array of difficulty.

If you are looking at the map on your very first time skiing, you will see 9 green beginner slopes. You would make a mistake choosing Wisp Trail as your very first green trail because even though it is a green beginner slope, it is the hardest green trail that there is.

Let’s break down each of the slopes by difficulty level, from easiest to hardest.

GREEN BEGINNER SLOPES

From easiest to hardest:

1. Sunset Blvd: Bunny slope, conveyer belt, no chair lift. The place to start on your first time skiing.

2. Happy Camper: Easy and flat trail at the top of the mountain. A catwalk to the other slopes. The top parking lot opens out onto Happy Camper.

3. Backbone Pass: An easy, wide, long trail with only a slight slope. Perfect for beginners.

4. Big Dipper: Another easy, wide, long trail with only a slight slope. A great slope for beginners.

5. Ridge Run: Pretty easy, a slight slope, good for beginners. Really just a catwalk slope to take you from Chair 7 to Chair 6.

6. Logger’s Way: A little more slope, but still good for beginners.

7. Possum: Fairly easy, long, narrow trail. The end of the trail has some slope. This is a narrow trail that is usually pretty crowded. I feel like I am playing Frogger (or Crossy Roads for the younger generations) every time I ski it, as there are always fallen skiers on the ground. Still, it is the easiest of the 2 green trails that take you down to the lodge and the length of it is nice for beginners that want a long ride.

8. Little Dipper: One of the harder and steeper greens, not usually crowded and is fun to go down for advanced beginners because you can pick up a lot of speed on it.

9. Wisp Trail: The hardest green trail, for advanced beginners only. This is one of only 2 green trails that take you down to the lodge. Usually pretty crowded. It is steep for beginners in both the middle of the trail and at the end. The middle steep part is also like playing Frogger. There will be a lot of beginners on the ground, or falling in front of you on that middle hill. Wisp Trail can also be icy if there isn’t natural snow. When the conditions are good and it isn’t overly crowded, Wisp Trail is a lot of fun for advanced beginners.

BLUE INTERMEDIATE SLOPES

From easiest to hardest:

1. Bear Paw: Easiest blue trail, wide and short with a slight slope. Bear Paw starts at Mid-Station and empties out into Wisp Trail (green) right before the steep part of Wisp Trail.

2. Slider: (I actually thought this was a green all this time but the map says blue) This is a short, narrow trail that has a slight slope. It is a cut through from Backbone Pass to Chair 6.

3. Long View: A pretty easy intermediate trail. A cut across blue slope between two green trails. You take the beginning of Wisp Trail (green) to Long View. Long View opens out onto the middle of Possum (green).

4. Road Runner:

Another fairly easy blue trail. Start at Mid-Station, Road Runner empties out into the steepest part of Wisp Trail (green).

5. Randal’s Run: I don’t know if this should be considered an actual trail. It is the part of the snow that is underneath the chairlift. This is only open with natural snow. It is wide and has a decent slope.

6. Muskrat: A wide intermediate trail. Has a decent slope, but lots of room for turns. Muskrat can only take you to either Down Under or Boulder, both of which are harder and steeper than Muskrat.

7. Grouse Way: A narrow, fairly easy blue. The top has intermediate steepness, but then evens out pretty flat towards the middle. Grouse Way takes you to either black diamonds or harder blues, which is why it is in the middle of the difficulty list.

8. Down Under: The trail of two extremes–pretty steep towards the beginning and the end, then incredibly flat in the middle. The middle is so flat that you have to pick up speed before you get to the flat part so that you aren’t cross country skiing through the tunnel. The flat tunnel opens up onto the bottom of a black diamond. (Eye Opener). Even though it empties out onto the very bottom of the black diamond, it is still steep going down to the chair lift. *Note, this run ends at a chair lift that only services black diamond slopes. If you don’t want to ski black diamonds, you can get off of Chair 5 at the top and ski over to Chair 4 which will take you back to beginner and intermediate slopes.

9. Ace’s Run: Ace’s Run is a lot of fun if it isn’t icy. This is the start of the more difficult intermediate slopes. The trail ends at the chair lift line. It is pretty steep in parts and you will pick up speed going down to the chair lift. If the lift line is long, it backs up onto the bottom of Ace’s Run, which means sometimes you have to make a quick stop at the bottom to avoid the line.

10. Boulder: This is a tricky “Frogger” trail because it starts out wide and steep at the top, and becomes incredibly narrow from the middle to the bottom as it levels out. Because the top is steep, you pick up a good speed going into the most narrow part of the trail. This narrow part is where you will be playing Frogger with all of the fallen skiers. This trail is usually icy, adding another degree of difficulty. If it isn’t crowded and there is fresh snow, Boulder is a lot of fun for advanced intermediate skiers.

11. Whipsaw: One of the harder blues. Whipsaw is the steepest blue trail and best for advanced intermediate skiers.

12. Fox Way: I have been skiing for over a decade at Wisp and have only seen Fox Way open a handful of times. Chances are, it won’t be open. It is a natural snowfall trail that is not groomed. This slope is narrow and empties out onto Wisp Trail (green).

13. Deer Run: This extremely narrow trail is only open with natural snow fall and goes into the middle of a black diamond (Squirrel Cage) with an incline where the trails merge. A lot of people use this incline as a “jump.” Only ski Deer Run if you are comfortable going down a black diamond.

Black Diamond Slopes

From easiest to hardest:

1. Odin’s Chute: The easiest black diamond. The top is pretty steep, but then quickly evens out. It is a very wide, short trail that empties out onto Down Under (blue).

2. Over The Edge: Similar to Odin’s Chute, the top is pretty steep, but the slope evens out in the middle and the second half of the trail could be considered a blue. (Similar to Whipsaw, but with a slightly steeper beginning).

3. Highline Pass A catwalk slope that connects Main Street (black) and Eye Opener. It only includes the flat part of Main Street, but empties into the steep parts of Eye Opener. Highline Pass itself should be considered a blue, but the fact that it starts and ends on more difficult black diamonds makes it a black.

4. Eye Opener: A narrow trail, steep most of the time, can be icy.

5. Bobcat Bowl: A short, fairly steep, trail that is only open with natural snowfall. It empties out onto Down Under. (blue)

6. Squirrel Cage: A wide, steep trail. More crowded than Eye Opener. It can have moguls at times. Squirrel Cage is sometimes closed for race events.

7. Main Street: A wide, steep trail. Main Street is steeper than Squirrel Cage. Can be icy and has moguls at times.

8. The Face: One of the most difficult black diamond slopes, it is steep and not always groomed. For expert skiers.

9. Devils Drop: The most difficult black trail. It is never groomed and only open in natural snowfall. This trail is very steep and for expert skiers.

Knowing the easiest to hardest slopes will make your skiing and boarding experience much more enjoyable-and safer!

Lodging at wisp resort

The Lodge at Wisp is a hotel at the resort, overlooking the slopes. The hotel has a pool, gym and two restaurants. The best part of the hotel, is it walks right out onto the slopes. Click here to view rooms and search availability.

If you want to stay somewhere besides the resort, click here to search vacation rentals and other hotels in the Deep Creek area.

Food at Wisp Resort

There are four choices for food at Wisp Resort:

1. The Main Lodge

Wisp’s website calls this Alpine Eatery, but I’ve only ever heard it referred to as the Main Lodge. This is a food-court style dining option, with a very large room that can hold a lot of people. The food is your typical ski resort lodge food: burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, fries, soups, chili, soft pretzels, and they also have some yogurt and salad options. This is where most of the skiers and boarders eat. Open for lunch and dinner.

2. DC’s Bar & Grill

Located right next to the Main Lodge, you can access the restaurant from within the Lodge. This is a full service bar and restaurant, with better food choices than the Main Lodge. The only downside is that because it is a full service restaurant with wait staff, your meal will take longer than if you ate at the Main Lodge. If you aren’t in a hurry to get back out onto the slopes, this is a great option for lunch or dinner! Click here to view their menu.

3. Wispers Bar & Grill

Located within the Main Lodge, Wispers Bar & Grill is a full service restaurant and bar, known for their delicious pizza. Because it is a full service restaurant, your meal will take longer than if you eat in the food court style Main Lodge. The food is better than the Lodge food and you can grab a drink from the bar while you eat. Open for lunch and dinner. Click here for the Wispers Bar & Grill menu.

4. Pumphouse Cafe

This is a small cafe located in the parking lot at the top of the mountain. It is a fast-casual dining option and is open only during lunch hours. Food options include sandwiches, fries and grab-and-go snacks. A great place to eat if you want to avoid the crowded Main Lodge.

5. Sundown Cafe

For a unique lunch experience, Sundown Cafe is located inside a yurt, close to the bunny slope. It is similar to Pumphouse Cafe, offering a limited fast-casual menu and grab-and-go snacks.

6. Mountain Park Cafe

The Mountain Park Cafe is located in the building where you purchase snow tubing and mountain coaster tickets. It is a limited fast-casual menu, also featuring grab-and-go snacks.

If you are looking for restaurants outside of Wisp Resort, check out my post “The Best Restaurants in Deep Creek, Maryland.”

Ski Lessons & Ski School

The ski lessons and ski school at Wisp Resort are fabulous for adults and kids alike. All three of my kids learned to ski at Wisp in their program. You can choose from private lessons, group lessons, half day ski school and full day ski school. They offer lessons packages that include ski rentals. Be sure to book your lessons well in advance, as they do fill up quickly. Click here for pricing and to book your lessons.

Lift Tickets

Lift tickets can sell out, especially on holiday weekends. So, be sure to purchase them in advance. Wisp Resort offers package deals, like their Mission Affordable Four Packs. The Mission Affordable Four Packs give you four tickets for any date during the season, regardless of whether they sell out. These tickets are offered at a discount price and are the safest bet if you know you want to ski at Wisp but want to wait on the weather reports to decide on a date. Click here to purchase lift tickets.

My family loves to ski at Wisp Resort. We have been skiing here for years and it is our favorite thing to do in the winter together. If you are looking for more winter activities in Deep Creek check out my post “The Top Festive Things To Do in Winter in Deep Creek.” Also be sure to check out “The Top Mistakes To Avoid at Deep Creek in Winter” and “What to Pack for Deep Creek Lake in Winter.”

Click here to view ski trip essentials!