With central heating, modern furniture and kitchen appliances, cabins in a dozen West Virginia state parks remain open for rental even during the winter months. Several parks offer discounted rental packages for wintertime visitors.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- "It takes a long time to turn people's preconceptions around."
When Sissie Summers said that, she was referring to West Virginians' belief that state park cabins can't be rented during the winter.
"People refuse to believe that [park cabins] aren't closed," said Summers, the parks section's programming services administrator. "Shoot, a lot of people believe that parks themselves are closed during the winter."
But 34 of the state's 35 parks remain open in winter, and 12 of those offer modern heated and insulated cabins for rent.
There is a good reason for the misconception, though: Modern cabins are a fairly recent development.
"Before the late 1980s, almost all the cabins in our system were those built by the [Civilian Conservation Corps]. They had only fireplaces for heat, and some of them had no running water. We had to close them during the winter," Summers said.
The Americans with Disabilities Act changed all that. When it went into effect in 1990, parks officials were forced to provide handicap-accessible cabins. Rather than retrofit the 60-year-old CCC cabins, administrators opted to build brand new ones with all the modern conveniences.
Paul Redford, the parks section's district administrator over lodge parks, said visitors began clamoring for the ADA-inspired cabins.
"They were larger and more modern, and demand was high for them," he explained. "We took the idea and said, 'Let's build more.' "
They built a lot more -- 206 so far, with more to come.
In alphabetical order, the breakout by park is as follows: Beech Fork, six; Blackwater Falls, 39; Bluestone, 26; Cacapon, 12; Canaan Valley, 23; Cass, 20; Lost River, 11; North Bend, nine; Pipestem, 26; Stonewall, 10; Twin Falls, 14; and Watoga, 10.
All of the modern cabins are available for wintertime rental. Not surprisingly, it's easier to reserve a cabin now than it is during the peak tourism months between April and November.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- "It takes a long time to turn people's preconceptions around."
When Sissie Summers said that, she was referring to West Virginians' belief that state park cabins can't be rented during the winter.
"People refuse to believe that [park cabins] aren't closed," said Summers, the parks section's programming services administrator. "Shoot, a lot of people believe that parks themselves are closed during the winter."
But 34 of the state's 35 parks remain open in winter, and 12 of those offer modern heated and insulated cabins for rent.
There is a good reason for the misconception, though: Modern cabins are a fairly recent development.
"Before the late 1980s, almost all the cabins in our system were those built by the [Civilian Conservation Corps]. They had only fireplaces for heat, and some of them had no running water. We had to close them during the winter," Summers said.
The Americans with Disabilities Act changed all that. When it went into effect in 1990, parks officials were forced to provide handicap-accessible cabins. Rather than retrofit the 60-year-old CCC cabins, administrators opted to build brand new ones with all the modern conveniences.
Paul Redford, the parks section's district administrator over lodge parks, said visitors began clamoring for the ADA-inspired cabins.
"They were larger and more modern, and demand was high for them," he explained. "We took the idea and said, 'Let's build more.' "
They built a lot more -- 206 so far, with more to come.
In alphabetical order, the breakout by park is as follows: Beech Fork, six; Blackwater Falls, 39; Bluestone, 26; Cacapon, 12; Canaan Valley, 23; Cass, 20; Lost River, 11; North Bend, nine; Pipestem, 26; Stonewall, 10; Twin Falls, 14; and Watoga, 10.
All of the modern cabins are available for wintertime rental. Not surprisingly, it's easier to reserve a cabin now than it is during the peak tourism months between April and November.
"During the peak season, the occupancy rate for those cabins pushes 75 to 80 percent overall, and even higher than that on weekends," Redford said. "Right now, we're lucky to be doing 25 to 30 percent."
To counteract what Redford calls "a tough market right now," a few park superintendents have decided to offer discount rates for certain rental packages.
"The neat thing about our system is that it allows our superintendents to think creatively and come up with these packages," Redford added.
This year's array of winter specials includes reductions in regular overnight rates, free nights, or some combination of the two. A catchy name for each promotion appears to be a must.
At Bluestone State Park, where bald eagles are often seen, the promotion is called "Eagle Watcher." It offers 20 percent off the published rates for stays of two or more nights. For visitors staying two nights, the third night is free, with a limit of one free night per seven-night rental. Reservations must be made in advance. The offer is good through March 31, but the nights of Feb. 19-25 are excluded.
Three parks -- Twin Falls, Cacapon and Watoga -- are offering a promotion dubbed "Three Dog Night," which offers 50 percent off a three-night stay. The discounted rates apply only to stays from Sunday through Thursday nights, and are good through March 31.
Beech Fork State Park's "Wildlife Watchers" promotion offers 20 percent off published rates on any stay of two or more nights. The third night is free for visitors who stay two nights, but only one free night can be claimed during a seven-night rental. The offer is good for weekends as well as weekdays. Reservations must be made in advance. The offer is good through March 31.
At Lost River State Park, the promotion is called "Retreat to Relax." Visitors who stay two consecutive nights at the regular rate get the third night free. The offer is good through June 3.
The final promotion, called "Leap-Day Leap-In," is good for cabin rentals at Blackwater Falls State Park. Visitors who pay the standard rate on Feb. 28 get to stay free on Feb. 29.
The offer is also good at the Blackwater lodge and at lodges in five other parks: Cacapon, Hawks Nest, Pipestem, North Bend and Twin Falls.
Reach John McCoy at johnmc...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1231.
