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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Davis
Davis, West Virginia
Base in Davis for 2–3 nights: it is the cheapest bed near Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley, and Thomas is 10 min away by car.
Davis is the highest incorporated town in West Virginia, at about 3,200 ft, and the practical base for Blackwater Falls State Park, Canaan Valley and the Dolly Sods backcountry. The town itself is a few blocks of restaurants and lodges; the reason to come is the land around it. Two nights covers the falls and one hike; three or four if you ski, bike or want a full day in Dolly Sods.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Davis, West Virginia
- Best months
- Jun–Oct for hiking and waterfalls; Jan–Mar for skiing
- Avoid
- Mud season in late Mar–Apr; check for winter road closures on the mountain roads
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $120–200 excl. bed · High $220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · West Virginia State Police (non-emergency) 304-746-2100 · Blackwater Falls State Park 304-259-5216
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–5 |
| Burrito or sandwich lunch | $10–16 |
| Dinner main in town | $14–28 |
| Draught beer at the brewery | $6–8 |
| State-park entry | free to enter; some activities charge (check) |
| Ski lift ticket, Canaan Valley or Timberline | $40–90 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- PIT · Pittsburgh International
- About 3 h by car; the usual rental-car arrival
- IAD · Washington Dulles International
- About 3 h by car via I-66 and US-48
Typical fares
- PIT → Davis by car
- about 3 h, roughly 300 km (186 mi) (check)about 3 h, roughly 186 mi (300 km) (check)
- IAD → Davis by car
- about 3 h via I-66 and US-48 (check)
- Davis → Elkins by car
- about 1 h on US-48 (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
You need a car. Davis sits at the junction of WV-32 and WV-93, with US-48 (Corridor H) running east to I-81 and I-66. There is no useful public transport between the town, the parks and the trailheads. Fill the tank in Elkins or Moorefield; mountain stations are few and prices are higher.
See and do
Known for
- Blackwater Falls State Park
- Canaan Valley
- Dolly Sods Wilderness
- Skiing at Canaan Valley and Timberline
- Monongahela National Forest
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Blackwater Falls State Park | Drive Blackwater Falls Road from Davis, about 10 min | 15 min |
| Thomas | WV-32 north, about 10 min | 10 min |
| Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge | Drive south on WV-32, about 20 min | 25 min |
| Dolly Sods Wilderness | Drive via WV-32 and Forest Road 75, about 40 min to the trailheads | 45 min |
| Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob | Drive south via WV-32 and US-33 | 1.5 h |
| Elkins | US-48 west, about 1 h | 1 h |
Sleep
- Davis town centre (William Avenue)
- Walk to dinner and the brewery; inns and a motel, the shortest drive to Blackwater Falls.
- Thomas
- 10 min north on WV-32; historic buildings, more cafés, a second brewery.
- Canaan Valley and the resort strip
- 15–25 min south; ski-in lodging and larger hotels, but you drive for every meal.
- Blackwater Falls area
- Lodge and cabins inside the state park; quiet, closest to the falls, few services.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the trailhead? | Where is the trailhead? |
| Is the road open in winter? | Is the road open in winter? |
| Do you take cards? | Do you take cards? |
| How far to the falls? | How far to the falls? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Cell signal drops fast outside town, and in Dolly Sods it is often gone: download offline maps before you drive.
- Mountain weather turns quickly at 3,200 ft: carry a rain shell and a warm layer even in July.
- Some forest and park roads close in winter; check conditions before committing to a backroad.
- Deer and, at dusk, larger animals on the roads; drive slowly after dark.
- Restaurants in a town of about 660 people keep short hours and close on some weekdays: check before you count on dinner.
A small, quiet mountain town and generally safe. The real risks are the drive, the weather and the isolation: no signal in the backcountry, ice on the roads from Nov to Mar, and long waits for help if you get hurt on a trail.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Davis yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Blackwater Falls State Park
- Canaan Valley
- Dolly Sods Wilderness
- Skiing at Canaan Valley and Timberline
- Monongahela National Forest
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- West Virginia State Parks — Blackwater Falls: wvstateparks.com/park/blackwater-falls-state-park/
- US Fish and Wildlife Service — Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge: www.fws.gov/refuge/canaan_valley/
- US Forest Service — Dolly Sods Wilderness: www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mnf/recarea/?recid=12366
- West Virginia State Parks — Canaan Valley Resort: wvstateparks.com/park/canaan-valley-resort-state-park/
- Wikivoyage: Davis (West Virginia), revision 5172241 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5172241
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
DavisDavis, West Virginia
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- West Virginia State Police (non-emergency)304-746-2100
- Blackwater Falls State Park304-259-5216
No consulates in Davis; the nearest are in Washington, DC. US visitors: your own embassy is in DC.
Cell coverage is patchy outside town; save the numbers before you drive.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/davis-west-virginia). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.