Massanutten Chair Lift Review

The Massanutten Chair Lift is one of our favorite day trips from DC in the Fall! Massanutten Resort is located in McGaheysville, Virginia and which is 2.5 hrs from DC (125 miles). Located close to Shenandoah National Park, it could also be a great addition to visiting Skyline Drive. All the opening dates, ticket info, my review, and tips are below.

2023 Opening Dates and Times:

Fall 2023:

September 1 - October 29 the chair lift will be open on Saturdays & Sundays from 10 AM - 3 PM.
Closed October 14

Please note: The chair lift is weather-dependent so I recommend calling the General Store to make sure before you arrive. All the ticket info is on their website.

Advanced Tickets must be purchased online by 12 am on the prior day. In-person tickets are available starting at 9:30 am at the General Store. All tickets must be purchased or redeemed at the General Store.

Ticket Prices:

(Good news, prices are reduced this year as in 2022 it was $15 per adult in 2022!)

Adults - $8
Children 12 & under - $5
Children 5 & under (36" minimum height requirement) | Free

Massanutten Chair Lift Review:

This was an incredible ride and truly feels like a world away from the beltway! I would highly recommend it for kids who are the minimum 36 inches and higher. It is a ski lift so it is completely open on all sides. We held my son very tight the whole way.

The ride to the summit is actually 2 separate chair lifts with a halfway point. There are picnic tables, vending machines, and portable restrooms at the halfway point.

The chair lifts are pretty slow and take about 15-20 minutes each. Allow about 45 minutes to go from the base to the summit. The views on the way down were stunning! We also saw a lot of deer and 1 groundhog.

Massanutten Chair Lift Tips:

There are NO food options at the stops just a drink vending machine at the midway point. We brought a picnic lunch and ate it at the halfway point where they had picnic tables.⁣
There are 2 portable potties at the halfway point and none at the summit. ⁣
The Summit is at 2923 feet and there is a short hike to an overlook. We got to the Summit too close to the 3 pm ride deadline, so we couldn’t make it to the overlook this time. Our only line of the day was a 15 min line to go down. ⁣
Next time, we would get on the mountain earlier in the morning and go all the way to the Summit first and hike and eat lunch there, then we wouldn’t have to wait in line at the top. ⁣(And we would bring our new hiking poles which are under 25 dollars and adjustable so our kids and I can share them!)

Restrooms and Parking:

There are 2 portable potties at the halfway point and none at the summit. ⁣
There are clean restrooms tucked behind the Ski Lodge.
Lots of parking lots as it’s a resort but be careful, the first lot we found was actually just short-term.⁣

Other Things to Do At Massanutten Resort

There are lots of other non-ski activities at the resort and the best place to check it all out is their website here. You could spend a week with all their activities from mini golf, carriage rides, bumper cards, go karts, hiking, fishing, mountain bike riding, Indoor Water Park and more.

Since the chair lift took a while, we only had time to do the go carts. They were a ton of fun!!