Home of Seven Springs — Pennsylvania's largest ski resort, the Laurel Highlands, and an hour from Pittsburgh through the Allegheny ridge.
Champion sits on the Laurel Highlands ridge in southern Westmoreland County — Seven Springs Mountain Resort is the parish-hub property here, the resort's 285 skiable acres on a 750-foot vertical drop are the biggest in Pennsylvania, the Highlands Golf Course runs the summer back-nine through the same ridge, the slopeside Trillium Spa anchors the year-round wellness side, and the 30-minute drive south through Donegal drops you at Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater on Bear Run and the Ohiopyle State Park Youghiogheny whitewater put-in. Pittsburgh is 65 miles northwest — one hour through the Allegheny tunnel.
The 285-acre Polar Bear-and-Tyrol-trail ski terrain, the Highlands Golf Course summer back-nine, the Foggy Goggle Axe House and the Adventure Center mountain coaster, plus the lift-served Seven Springs Bike Park.
Seven Springs runs 33 trails across 285 skiable acres — beginner zones at the North Face and the Snowbeam learning area, intermediate cruisers off the Polar Bear quad and Tyrol, and expert pitches at Lost Boy and Avalanche off the South Face. The 750-foot vertical drop is the biggest in Pennsylvania. Night skiing Monday through Saturday from late November into March; the Foggy Goggle base lodge runs the after-hours après strip.
Eight lanes of lit night-tubing at the Seven Springs Tube Park — magic-carpet uphill lift, no experience required, kids 36 inches and up — at the south end of the resort base. Sessions run 90 minutes, $35 weekday and $40 weekend. The Tube Park's family-friendly alternative to the slopes for non-skiers.
The 18-hole Highlands Golf Course at Seven Springs runs from late April through October — par-71 mountain layout climbing the ridge above the resort, the front-nine carved through the Laurel Highlands hardwoods and the back-nine running the open ski-trail meadows. Greens fees about $69 weekday, $89 weekend; the Slopeside Hotel runs stay-and-play packages.
Lift-served downhill mountain biking from late June through Columbus Day on the Polar Bear chair — six trails from the green-circle Bear Necessities flow line to the black-diamond Tellnstein root-and-rock. Full-suspension demo rentals at the base shop, lessons by appointment, and the Highlands Bike Center next door for cross-country trails. Day passes around $35.
The slopeside spa at the Seven Springs Mountain Resort hotel — 12 treatment rooms, a co-ed mineral pool, and a steam-and-sauna circuit. The 80-minute Hot Stone Volcanic Earth massage is the parish-favorite booking. Walk-ins accepted weekday afternoons; book ahead for ski-week Saturdays.
An axe-throwing lounge in the Foggy Goggle base building — eight lanes, a coaching tutorial for first-timers, kids 12+ on the smaller axes, and the only après-ski axe-throw venue in the Laurel Highlands. About $30 per hour per thrower; the Saturday-night après group booking.
The Seven Springs Mountain Coaster runs a 4,000-foot self-paced gravity track on the Snowbeam learning hill — 30 mph top speed, kids 4+ ride double with an adult, runs year-round (snow-permitting in winter). About $19 per ride; pair with the zipline and the Adventure Center mini-golf for the all-day non-skier circuit.
The Great Allegheny Passage rail-trail runs 150 miles Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland — the closest access from Champion is the 35-minute drive south to Confluence at the Yough River trailhead. Crushed limestone surface, no gradient over 1%, and the Ohiopyle-to-Confluence section is the prettiest 11 miles on the trail. Free; bike rental in Confluence at Wilderness Voyageurs.
Seven Springs is the closest big-mountain ski week the Northeast corridor never thinks about — Pittsburgh-day-trip on Monday, Friday-night fireside in Champion, Sunday morning at Fallingwater. No other resort in Pennsylvania puts a Frank Lloyd Wright house, a Class IV whitewater river, and a 750-foot vertical drop inside a 30-mile circle.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob 30 minutes south, Ohiopyle State Park's Youghiogheny whitewater, Idlewild Park's historic amusement rides at Ligonier, and the Pittsburgh day-trip an hour northwest.
Frank Lloyd Wright's 1935 cantilevered house over Bear Run waterfall — the most-photographed private home in the United States and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019, 30 minutes south of Champion in Mill Run. Guided 1-hour house tours run $32–$95 (the in-depth tour adds the kitchen and bedrooms); reserve 4–6 weeks ahead in summer and fall. The classic Champion-week pairing with Kentuck Knob 6 miles east.
Pennsylvania's biggest whitewater state park, 20,000 acres along the Youghiogheny River 25 minutes south of Champion — Class III–IV whitewater rafting (Wilderness Voyageurs and Laurel Highlands River Tours run trips $80–$130 per person), the Cucumber Falls swimming hole, and the Ferncliff Peninsula loop trail. Free park entry; raft trips season runs April–October.
Wright's lesser-known 1956 Usonian hexagonal-grid house on a Chestnut Ridge hilltop above Ohiopyle — about 8 miles east of Fallingwater, owned by the Hagan family until 1986. Tour about $25, the Lord Palumbo sculpture park on the property's 70 acres, and the Kentuck Knob restaurant for a post-tour lunch on the deck. Reserve 2–3 weeks ahead in summer.
The 1878 amusement-and-water-park 25 minutes north of Champion in Ligonier — Storybook Forest, the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Trolley ride (Fred Rogers grew up nearby in Latrobe), the Wild Mouse coaster, and the SoakZone water park. Day passes around $50; the all-day rainy-or-shine kid plan for Champion-week families.
Postcard village 25 minutes north — the Diamond town square, Fort Ligonier (the 1758 French-and-Indian War fort restored to operating cannon and ramparts), and the Ligonier Country Inn for the Sunday dinner. Pair with Idlewild for the non-skier-day circuit.
Inside the Foggy Goggle base building at Seven Springs — six bowling lanes, billiards tables, and an arcade. Open afternoons and evenings; the kid-bored-rainy-day move on a Champion ski week.
Pittsburgh is 65 miles and one hour northwest of Champion via the Pennsylvania Turnpike — the Andy Warhol Museum on the North Shore, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Oakland, the Duquesne Incline funicular for the city skyline view, and the Strip District Saturday market. The Pittsburgh-day-trip is the standard mid-week Champion break.
Forty-five minutes north — Latrobe is the birthplace of Arnold Palmer (the Latrobe Country Club where he learned the game, the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport on Arnold Palmer Drive), Mister Rogers (the McFeely Stand-In dairy on US-30), and Rolling Rock beer (the original Latrobe Brewing Company). The Palmer's restaurant in central Latrobe is the locals' Sunday-roast lunch.
The reconstructed 1758 French-and-Indian War British fort in Ligonier village — the only fully reconstructed colonial-era fortification of its size in the U.S., with operating cannon firings on summer Saturdays, period uniformed reenactors, and a small museum of George Washington's officer-corps artifacts. About $12 entry.
The Donegal Highlands Outlet Mall on Pennsylvania Turnpike Exit 91 — 20 minutes from Champion, the closest grocery-and-shopping cluster (Sheetz, Giant Eagle, Walmart, the Donegal Diner for the Sunday breakfast). The first-day villa-arrival shop for the Champion week.
The Tyrolian-themed Helen's at Seven Springs, the Foggy Goggle après-and-late-night base bar, the Ligonier Country Inn 25 minutes north, and the Out of the Fire Café in Donegal for the Champion-week date-night.
The Tyrolian-themed signature dining room inside the Seven Springs Hotel — Wiener schnitzel, fondue for two, and the Heidelberg-pretzel breadbasket. Reservations recommended for ski-week Saturdays; the only sit-down option on the resort base after 9 p.m. in winter.
Wood-fired Italian-American 15 minutes from Champion in central Donegal — house-made pasta, Neapolitan pizza, and a tight Pennsylvania-and-Italian wine list. The Champion-week date-night booking; reservations recommended Friday and Saturday.
A 1925 Tudor inn 25 minutes north on Lincoln Highway — white-tablecloth dining room with a fireplace and a long Pennsylvania-game-meat menu (elk loin, roast pheasant, the Sunday prime rib). Reservations recommended; the Sunday-supper Champion-week tradition.
The casual base-lodge bar-and-grill at Seven Springs — wings, burgers, the bottomless tot-and-fry plate, and the largest après-ski room on the parish. The kid-easy first-night-arrival dinner for Champion ski-week families. Cash and card; live music Friday and Saturday nights in season.
The Tyrolian beer hall in the Seven Springs Hotel basement — long wooden tables, German-beer steins, and the Wiener schnitzel-and-spätzle plate. Reservations not accepted; the late-après-walk-down room when Helen's is full.
Classic 24-hour American diner at the Donegal Turnpike exit 20 minutes from Champion — the Champion-week post-arrival breakfast, the late-night-after-Foggy-Goggle Sunday-pancake stop, and the locals' Tuesday-meatloaf. Cash and card; kid-friendly.
Inside the Slopeside Hotel lobby at the Seven Springs main base — espresso, breakfast pastries, and the powder-day fuel-stop on the way to the K-1 lift. Opens at 6:30 a.m. weekdays in season.
A locals' bakery-and-coffee stop on Route 31 east of the resort — fruit pies, the maple-cream donut, and a small breakfast counter. The Sunday-morning-bring-back-to-the-condo move for Champion-week renters. Cash and card.
The pop-up sushi bar in the Seven Springs Hotel during ski season — fresh-cut nigiri and the seasonal omakase, the only Japanese option on the parish. Reservations recommended Saturday nights.
Forty minutes northwest in Greensburg — a 1924 estate-house dining room with a long Italian-American menu, a wood-paneled bar room, and the Sunday champagne brunch buffet. The Champion-week splurge dinner the regulars drive to.
Best season, the Pittsburgh airport drive, where to stay (slopeside hotels, Villages condos, Swiss Mountain), pets, and what a Champion week actually costs.
Every property in our Champion collection is hand-checked, hand-photographed, and backed by twenty-four-hour concierge support. The guide is the warm-up. The home is the trip.
Browse Champion rentals