By Mariah Cannon

Even though Winter hiking can be hard, it can also be a blast! In this blog post, I’ll share some of my favorite warming shelters to snowshoe into. All of these are also amazing for cross country skiing and some are accessible by snowmobile too.

What You Need For Winter Activities

Layers are so important when venturing out in the cold months. I suggest always at least starting in a base layer and fleece and packing a puffy and waterproof jacket in your bag. It’s always better to start out with your fleece layer so you don’t sweat through and make all your layers cold after you stop moving. I typically will hike up in my fleece and throw on a nice warm puffy jacket for the hike down as I shouldn’t be sweating much.

Pack your ten essentials always. Make sure you have Navigation, Headlamp or light source, First Aid kit, Sun protection (sunscreen, shirt, hat, etc.), Knife, Fire Starter/Matches, Shelter of some sort (emergency bivy is a great option), Extra food, Extra Water and I always like a small water filtration system, Extra clothes!

I know it seems like a lot, especially if you know the area well or have done the trail several times, but it only takes one wrong step to make one of the ten essentials life saving! A lot of things look different covered in snow, so make sure you do your research prior and always let someone you trust know where you’ll be heading and a good ETA back home.

Reminders

Please leave no trace and recreate responsibly so these areas can continue to be enjoyed by generations after us!

Some common snow shelter etiquette is to share the area, if there’s only a couple of you in there, allow others to enjoy it also.

Please put your fire out completely before leaving the shelter.

Finally, remember to close the door/canvas/tarp/etc. This is to keep snow and large animals from getting into it and potentially ruining it.

1. Edison Sno Park Shelter

Distance: Short Loop from parking lot – 3.3 miles Round-trip

Elevation: 331 feet of gain

Available to: XC skiers, Snowshoers

What to expect: Late January-February, the trail is nice and packed down most of the time. I visited on February 9th and didn’t need my snowshoes at any point. This has been one of my all time favorite shelter hikes I’ve done to date. You’ll find more solitude than other nearby Sno-parks and the views are – not above the tree line – they’re still absolutely stunning. There’s tons of half snow covered lava rock and booming pines that make it feel like you’re in a snow globe. The trail itself is kind of up and down, not really up more one way or the other. I recommend going clockwise, to get the majority of the up and down over with. The shelter is small compared to others in the area, but so adorable to look at. Feels like it’s out of a movie! Bonus: It’s dog friendly during Winter!

2. Swampy Lakes Snow Shelter

Distance: 3.2 miles Round-trip

Elevation: 253 feet of gain

Available to: XC skiers, Snowshoers

What to expect: This one is also a fun one to snowshoe. It’s a pretty easy hike into and a neat feature for this shelter is the sliding wood doors, whereas others have canvas pulled to eye hooks. This one is a good family outing to hike to, it could be the times I’ve gone, but there never seems to be many people at the shelter nor trekking to it. We’ve had it to ourselves every time! Bummer: No dogs on this trail.

3. Upper Three Creeks Sno-Park to Jefferson Shelter

Distance: 3.5 miles Round-trip via Peak View or 4.9 miles Round-trip via Forest Road 1600-700 and 100.

Elevation: 676 feet of gain or 703 feet of gain

Available to: XC Skiers, Snowshoers, Snowmobilers

What to expect: This is another great shelter to trek into, with getting an extra mile or two in compared to the other shelters. You walk through various different landscapes on this trail; Old growth, burned areas, loads of new growth, meadows, and thickets. It creates a fun and interesting time the whole way. The shelter itself sits atop a little hill with expansive views of the Three Sisters and Broken Top. I’m hoping to get back to this one on a clear day as we got fogged in at the picture above. Bonus: As the picture above shows, dogs are allowed!

4. Lookout Mountain Warming Hut

Distance: 6.7 miles Round-trip

Elevation: 1,486 feet of gain

Available to: XC Skiers, Snowshoers, Snowmobilers (required to take a route up that is not the main hiking trail)

What to expect: During heavy snowfall years, this trail isn’t trafficked much, so it’s important to know that the snow may be impassible/too soft and deep to get very far at a decent speed. However, for years like this one, the trail is mostly accessible. You’ll cross a forest road and walk alongside it a couple times as well an old Mine Shaft, named Motherlode Mine (during the summer, it’s fun to check out and walk around) and on a clear day expansive views of the Ochoco Valley and surrounding peaks and cascade mountains. Bonus: Dogs are allowed on this trail & overnight camping is permitted, meaning if you enjoy the type two fun that is snow camping, you can backpack in and hang out for a while.

5. Blowout Shelter

Distance: 4.7 miles round-trip via Hoodoo North Butte Loop

Elevation: 240 feet of gain

Available to: XC Skiers, Snowshoers, Snowmobilers

What to expect: This trail starts from Ray Benson Sno-Park and is one that offers great views on bluebird days. On this trail, you’ll continuously hear snowmobilers and at some points see them, their trail gets super close to the XC/Snowshoe trails. Don’t be alarmed, but be aware that they’ll be closer than they might be in different Sno-Park areas. A good reminder to keep your dog on leash while visiting Ray Benson.

Pin this guide for future adventures!

Let’s Get Adventuring!

Mariah