Snowshoeing Late Dec - Feb | Winter Hiking Oct - mid Dec & March - April

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Estes Park Snowshoeing Conditions 12/6/2024:

Winter Hiking Season is on. Expect snow covered trails with ice. After many warm days we are still a few big snow storms away from the start of Snowshoeing conditions.  

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Rocky Mountain Snowshoeing Tours

Snowshoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park always begins uphill and starts off cold while we head to great locations like Dream Lake, and on longer 6 hour tours like Emerald Lake, Mills Lake or the Loch. After 20 minutes of snowshoeing or hiking uphill we warm up and if it is clear, start to get great views. Snowshoeing downhill is the main event going off trail in soft snow and if you are more adventurous snowshoe sliding or jogging.   

Estes Park Snowshoeing Tours are best in the mornings, and on Friday - Sunday Only available in the mornings due to limited parking. Snowshoeing is highly dependent on having 2 feet of soft snow. If conditions are poor we will have hard pack ice on the trails where we can Winter Hike but not Snowshoe. In the last few years late December - February have been our only good snowshoeing months. If you don't have much interest heading off trail into the soft snow, just using poles and ice cleats on a Winter Hike is better option as the trails are often hard packed.

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Winter Hiking Vs Snowshoeing

In the early and late winter we often do not have enough fresh or soft snow to safely snowshoe. Instead we would be Winter Hiking usually on hard packed snow and icy trail conditions, especially in Late October to early December, and March and April. We provide you with Ice Cleats and Hiking Poles that make the journey safer, but do note that there may be a handful of slick steps on a hike. If you don't feel confident in your balance it is possible to fall on hard ice and rocks during a Winter Hike.

Winter Hiking can be fantastic fun, but it requires good clear weather for those great views and it doesn't offer the fun of fresh snow and going off trail. We can nearly always Winter Hike and if we only stay on the trails after heavy fresh snow there is no ice at all in the mid winter later December through February. 

Snowshoeing which can be great fun to just get out in the snow even if we have no views. The soft snow makes a fall just a laugh, and the slight struggle to get back to your feet. You do need to feel comfortable slowly jogging downhill to enjoy those off trail moments. Snowshoeing starts on the same hard packed trails but on the downhill return we can go off trail on soft snow, and it also opens up more opportunities for "adventure elements" like Snowshoe Sliding, and downhill jogging.

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Winter Weather

Winter Weather note: it is far more likely to be cloudy, windy, and foggy than being clear and calm in the winter months. Most mornings the temps are about 0-15 degrees and winds are usually 25mph at Dream Lake. Click Here for Winter Weather Info page for complete details on how bad or nice the weather can be in Rocky.

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3.5 Hour Snowshoeing Tour | Great for Beginners

On a 3.5 hour Estes Park Snowshoeing Tour we can head up to some beautiful locations going up to two miles round trip. Some days we can't see the mountains due to the cloud layers but the snowshoeing itself can be exceptionally fun. Going up is generally slow and depends on your group's fitness level, we take a number of rest breaks to catch our breath. Depending on the snow conditions the trail can become narrow and at times angled on steeper hillsides, this does require some athletic-ness and being open to jog down hills to avoid falling. The slower you go down hill the more likely you fall. This kind of trip is great for first time snowshoers and should only be avoided by folks with some kind of heart or breathing condition, or folks with ankle, knee, or back issues. First time snowshoers will almost always fall at least once. With soft fresh snow that fall usually ends in laughing and learning how to stand back up which is much harder than just going a bit faster down hill on snowshoes to avoid falling.

On the way down we can use side trails and head off trail to get the full experience of snowshoeing in deep snow. If we have just the right snow conditions on the way down we can also take some slides sitting on your rear end as you slide down a hillside. We will also do some downhill jogging and in a few spots if you feel adventurous do some snowshoe sliding while standing for a foot or two on the steeper declines.

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6 & 8 Hour Snowshoeing Hike

On a 6 or 8 hour snowshoeing tour we can go much farther, up to 3 or 4 miles or more one way to see some of the most amazing winter landscapes in North America. For those options check out the Hiking Tour page for more details on the trails. These trips are recommend for folks in good physical shape that walk or hike on a regular basis. Longer trips offer more off trail hiking when we head downhill, but there are generally fewer if any sliding opportunities.

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