Summer is rolling across West Virginia and Snowshoe Mountain Resort - perched atop the woods and valleys of Pochahontas County, has shifted out of its winter togs and has officially welcomed the warm winds of summer.

Escape the cities and suburbs and get up to the mountains. Watch the trout rise or wile away the afternoon on the deck in the Mountain Village. Up here, perched nearly a mile high in the Alleghenies of West Virginia, summer temperatures rarely reach 80 degrees. The air is cool and crisp when the valley's are blistering hot below. As the folks at Snowshoe like to say: "You may never break a sweat high on this mountain ridge, but you'll find plenty to get worked up about."

The resort sits on 11,000 acres of woodland and offers miles of mountain biking, hiking and horse trails. The Raven Golf Club provides world class play and views that make you linger just a little longer over each shot.

Weekends jump at Snowshoe. Visit the annual Fire on the Mountain Chili Cookoff. If four-alarm chili doesn't move your needle head up for the Taste of the Mountains Wine and Jazz Fest, with wines from throughout world and chefs from around the state. Motorcycle fans turn out for the Freedom Fest All Brands Motorcycle Rally.

Getting here is a pleasant journey, and it is best to take your time. Snowshoe sits at the center of 75 million people who are a day's drive away. That includes teeming urban centers such as Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Charlotte; Columbus, Ohio; and Pittsburgh, Pa. The drive is an experience unto itself, as all roads leading to Snowshoe wind through the rugged, ancient Allegheny Mountains. The vistas are unlike anywhere else in the world. Don't rush or you'll miss the most important part of your vacation