As a travel writer, I sometimes have to go the extra mile to find the good stuff, even if it is on a pair of snowshoes.  And that’s exactly what happened when I was on assignment at Rocky Mountain National Park, and it was snowing cats and dogs.

It was obvious that the knee-deep powder and hidden ice would make it a tad difficult to investigate the trails (I remember seeing some “tourists” trying to advance in tennis shoes and turning back after just a few yards).  Armed with this knowledge, my travel companion and I headed into Estes Park—Rocky Mountain National Park’s eastern gateway—to rent snowshoes. Never having donned a pair of these contraptions before, it was hard to believe that what looked like oversized tennis rackets could help me climb mounds of fluffy, pristine snow. We stashed the snowshoes in the trunk and headed toward the park.

You need to wear a pair of sturdy boots, but otherwise the drill of strapping the snowshoes on is fairly easy, even for a non-mechanically inclined individual like me. We decided to hit a warm-up trail for our first jaunt, and headed to Bear Lake, an easy half-mile loop that circles the lake of the same name. The flat terrain with gently rolling hills was perfect for getting our footing, so to speak, as we plodded along the nature path. I was pleased that my feet had a firm grip on the turf as I made my way through stands of trees bordering a frozen lake—it was still and quiet, with the falling snow and looming peaks creating a storybook scene. We passed our practice round with flying colors.

Having successfully navigated the Bear Lake Trail, we were ready to move on to a more adventurous route. After studying our park map, we settled on Emerald Lake, 1.9 miles each way, with the trail head at the end of Bear Lake Road. It turned out to be an amazing journey through a winter wonderland, as well as an invigorating cardio workout.

First, we hiked through a snow-blanketed forest, then past two small frozen lakes, gradually gaining elevation. We ventured upward, still, spiraling around a mountain.  At one point the traverse was extremely narrow and technical with a serious falloff—from time to time, we had to take our snowshoes off to avoid skidding across rocks as metal came in contact with stone. These “stairs” were precipitously cut into the mountain, and we bravely soldiered on as the snow dumped like crazy, a proverbial blizzard!

After ascending the stairs, we lost the “trail” due to the snowfall. We picked our way across snow-covered fallen logs as we neared our destination and scrambled across a couple of small, iced-over waterfalls. This was quite sketchy due to the accumulations.  Finally, we were rewarded with a view of enchanting Emerald Lake, majestically holding court in a glistening white panorama of craggy peaks and towering pines. It was great when the sun came out momentarily for a brief bluebird sky! We ate our picnic lunch atop a huge boulder, savoring the view. (Clif Bars taste so much better on a boulder.)

My companion wanted to circle the lake and do some more exploring, but I’ll admit it, I was beat. Plus, I wanted to save some juice for the nearly 2-mile downhill trip back, a bit tricky when you’re wearing snowshoes.

All in all, I have to say that my first snowshoe excursion was a positive experience. In winter, you can get to places where hiking boots alone just won’t take you. And I have some unfinished business—I promised my companion that we will return one day and finish the trek beyond the lake.   

Please tell us about your snowshoe experiences or great trails you have embarked upon.