Explore region’s woodlands with a brisk winter hike

The familiar woodlands, once partially obscured with summer greenery or fall foliage, are now wide open, quiet and seemingly barren. Stark vertical tree trunks rise from a brown forest floor. When there’s snow the same spot of land suggests another world, different but the same, beckoning hikers to explore it.

Off the path is where the action is. In the unseen distance a persistent caw alerts wildlife of your presence. Touch the soft curls of thin oily bark and identify the tree. Ponder what bird left the tiny footprints under a juniper bush, still green and spotted with bluish berries. What mammal dropped tubular 2-inch scat at a trail crossing, and what do the protruding hairs reveal about its recent prey? In soft, fresh snow follow the tracks of a gray squirrel and the feather-like strokes where its bushy tail swept as it sat up on haunches scouting for an intruder.

A few steps away cloven split-heart-shaped prints reveal the direction traveled on a well-trodden deer trail. The degree of melt on the prints’ edges show when the tracks were made. Beside the trail broad deep prints paired with the marks of smaller, lighter hooves paint a picture of a moment, unseen by human eyes, when a spotless 6-month-old fawn drew nearer to its 3- or 4-year-old mother.

To explore the world of the winter forest with an experienced activity guide, register for one of the following winter walks:

Dec. 9 — L.L. Bean Family Friendly Hike, North Park. Open to everyone, but children 14 and younger require adult supervision. The group walk meets at Pie Traynor Field Parking Lot and stops for nature exploration. Free, 2-4 p.m. Register at 1-888-5525571 or llbean.com.

Dec. 13 — Meteor Shower Hike, Deer Lakes Park. Turn off the flashlights and look up. This night hike occurs at the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, one of the most impressive annual celestial shows of the year. During the moderately difficult winter walk of 3 to 4 miles, hikers will have a chance to see about 120 meteors per hour. $12, Venture Outdoors members $8. Register at ventureoutdoors.org.

Dec. 27 — Winter Wonder Walk, Jennings Environmental Education Center. It’s a family event scheduled to impress holiday visitors and give the kids something productive to do during the long school vacation. Located near Slippery Rock in Butler County, Jennings contains Pennsylvania’s only publicly protected prairie ecosystem. Free, 1011:30 a.m. 724-794-6011.