Standing 3,800 feet above sea level, on the shoulder of the colossal Cheat Mountam and surrounded by nine of West Virginia’s 10 highest peaks and the 901,000-acre Monongahela National Forest, the Cheat Mountain Club has a setting that will always be enough to make
it special among inns. Lovers of the out-doors are sure to appreciate the changing seasons here, whether the lodge is buried in snow, blanketed with wild rhododendrons, or enveloped in a fog so thick that no one bothers to step outside the front door. The grounds include 188 acres, across which the trout-rich Shavers Fork River flows. From it a tracery of old logging roads spirals away into the mountains—one route leading 18 miles south to Bald Knob. Five miles of trails within the club’s boundaries, along which shy black bears are often spied, are groomed for hiking, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing.
Until 1988 this paradise was privately owned, used as a retreat for the executives of a logging company. Later it was sold to a group of five West Virginia families who opened it to the public. Resident manager Cynthia Loebig brings a knowledge of the outdoors and three excellent meals that are included in the club’s daily rate. Fly-fishing—pro Frank Oliverio is called in to teach his delicate art to novices or share his knowledge of local streams with the more experienced.
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