Snowshoeing is one of the great, lesser known, winter activities that people look over far too often. While most folks tend to stick to snowboarding or skiing in the snowy areas of the world, snowshoeing isn’t quite as showy but is still great fun.
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There are plenty of places to go snowshoeing and it is incredibly easy to get into. You only need your equipment and a trail to go through. The rest is basically the same as hiking normally.
Not to mention, snowshoeing rentals are much cheaper than most ski rentals. You will also never have to worry about crowded mountains or waiting on the lift. Finding the best trails is half the fun.
Here are a few of the best places we’ve found for snowshoeing:
Banff National Park – Canada
Banff National Park sits right on the Canadian Rocky Mountains and is a beautiful spot for skiers, snowboarders, and snowshoers alike. Of course, the snowshoers get to take in the best views of these famous mountains.
There are plenty of resorts to stay at if you plan to visit the park. Take a look atSunshine Village, Mount Norquay, and Lake Louise. In particular, the Lake Louise Lakeshore Trail is a perfect trail for those looking for just a day hike. You could even go on a guided tour to really take in all the sights of the national park.
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore – Wisconsin
This gorgeous, yet lesser known snowshoeing spot is best known for its sea caves and, during the summertime, kayakers tend to be the ones taking a trip through these sights. The best time to see these caves is in the winter though. There will be plenty of icicles that hang in bunches throughout the cave. It can create an almost mystical landscape to trek through.
These ice caves can be reached by taking the Lakeshore Trail around Meyers Beach. Be sure to hang on to a trail map and prepare for cold weather because this trail has confused beginning snowshoers before.
Bryce Canyon National Park – Utah
This national park located in Utah is a great site for snowshoeing beginners. The park offers lessons and gear and it is not quite as extreme as hiking in the cold mountains but still has beautiful scenery.
Snowshoers can walk along the rim of the canyon where you can look out at the park’s light red rock formations and huge hoodoos. Also, between November and March you can go out on guided tours at night where the landscape of this vast canyon has an even more incredible feel.
Algonquin Provincial Park – Canada
Heading up to the snowy tundra of northern Ontario, we run into Algonquin Provincial Park. This park is full of backcountry and maintained trails and snowshoers of all experience levels are welcomed to try out their trails.
Algonquin Provincial Park is the oldest in Canada and is a popular spot for campers of all kinds, especially winter campers. The campgrounds there are great for those looking for a home base to come back to while the backcountry is always available for the more rustic campers.
Plenty of the regulars at this park boast about the Old Railway Bike Trail right around the Mew Lake Campground. It is a relatively easy hike but with some beautiful scenery, especially in a thin layer of winter snow.
Lake Tahoe – California
Northern California is another great place for snowshoe trails and some of the best in the world surround Lake Tahoe. Stargazing excursions are a regular occurrence for snowshoers on these trails and some of the most memorable winter sights can happen on these excursions.
One great location is in Bijou Park which is located around South Lake Tahoe. This park is at lake level so it may take time for snow to really accumulate but, if it does, the trail around this lake makes for some beautiful scenery and a leisurely hike.
What’s more is there are plenty of other attractions around the area other than the trails. Great food and leisure activities surround the area of Lake Tahoe and people of the outdoors from all around gather here to enjoy the off season winter months.
Gros Morne National Park – Canada
Now, to wrap up this list of the best places to go snowshoeing, we will head back to the east coast where you will find Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, Canada.
While Newfoundland is mostly known as a fishing spot in the summer, snowshoers come from all over in the winter to try out Southeast Brook Falls or the six-mile trail surrounding Stuckless Pond.
However, be weary of the trails around the coasts of this national park. They usually are not maintained during the winter; so this excursion will certainly give you the true wilderness feel when you’re out there.
Be sure to check out our beginner’s guide to snowshoeing before you head to the mountains!
