Hit the hills for a snowshoe adventure
Plenty of trails to blaze in the Rockies, so why not enjoy the outdoors this winter in B.C. and Alberta?
Do something that moves you this winter. How you look at winter may shape your spirit. Now it’s time to break free and play, enjoying nature’s fresh kiss.
It’s time to try something different, develop a new habit that’ll have you following trails through the green sticks of a wild valley, with glimpses above to pickaxe carved crags of the extreme topography that the Canadian Rockies region is famous for. Stop hibernating and head out on your own snowshoe adventure.
GET STARTED
Take a learn-to-snowshoe workshop at your local outdoor shop, Mountain Equipment Co-op or your university outdoor recreation program, many of which offer programs on how to snowshoe and provide day trips for first timers.
WHERE TO STOMP SNOW
Kananaskis Country in Alberta offers a bounty of first-timer trails. Easy starts begin with the 2.5-kilometre Village Loops trail around Kananaskis Village or for more adventure, but still short and sweet, head to the Chester Sawmill area and enjoy a flat-valley walk on the Hogarth Lakes Loop Trail, a 3.9-km loop departing from Burstall Pass Day Use Area.
Afterward, stop in or stay at one of Canada’s Top 10 Hidden Gems by Trip Advisor, Mount Engadine Lodge, a car-accessible backcountry lodge experience.
Stay mountainside at one of the few places in Canada where you can rent a million-dollar home in the mountains. When you put your crew of eight to 10 together, it works out to a better deal than that hotel stay.
Lush Mountain Accommodations offers a variety of trailside alpine homes where you can step into your snowshoes, visit the Morning Glory or Ridgeline loops at the Golden Nordic Club without getting into your car.
And after your snowy stroll, step into your own private outdoor hot tub. Now that’s bliss.
Visit one of Canada’s largest city parks on snowshoes. Kimberley’s Nature Park beckons. Pick a trailhead, immerse yourself in winter under the forested canopy and be back in time for a tasty sample from the Powder Highway’s newest craft brewery, Over Time Beer Works, at The Shed.
Nestled close to Radium and at the edge of Kootenay National Park, get your own cabin in the woods and snowshoe to your heart’s content at Nipika Mountain Resort.
Get Out There Magazine just picked Fernie as Canada’s best outdoor town and for good reason. There are trails abound there. A tasty pick, leaving from Mount Fernie Provincial Park, is the Lazy Lizard trail. It will give you an up-anddown challenge for an out and back in the big woods.
Experience history, meet good ghosts and enjoy great food at the Hume Hotel in the lakeside community of Nelson. Explore the streets, let the art and culture in, step into a new frame of mind here. Get snow time at Whitewater Nordic Centre to enjoy 10 km of designated snowshoe trails. (Fido friendly.)
REMEMBER, BE SAFE
Stay in the flat, forested area, avoid terrain with potential avalanche danger, wear appropriate winter clothing, bring extra water and energy foods. Check Avalanche Canada updates at avalanche.ca and view pre-departure weather updates from The Weather Network or your favourite source.
Be community aware. Heed signage at all trailheads. Please stay off the tracks set for cross-country skiing trails, use designated snowshoe trails if available and if not then head out on un-tracked area and enjoy.