Snowshoeing 

If you can walk, you can snowshoe. Snowshoeing is the easiest way to experience the solitude and adventure of winter at Great Glen Trails. You can follow our groomed trails or strike out on our well-marked backcountry trails for the feeling of a real expedition. Whatever path you choose, you will be treated to the sights and sounds of the White Mountain National Forest in winter. Best of all, you are never far from a hot chocolate at the Glen View Café.

First time snowshoeing? It’s pretty easy and you can try it as part of the Trails Total Ticket. Give it a shot. Who knows? You might be gone all day! We also have rentals available as well as snowshoe specific boots, too! You can apply your rental fee towards the purchase of snowshoes. The staff is available to answer any questions you might have about snowshoeing.

Try an Evening Snowshoe Tour! Led by an Applalachian Mountain Club Naturalist, listen for owls calling and explore your senses as you view the winter landscape.

SNOWSHOEING RATES

A Brief History of Snowshoeing

The history of the snowshoe is a history of necessity. Without a reliable means of winter transportation, arctic tribesmen were limited to short treks around their camps. The advent of the snowshoe allowed for effective winter hunting and transportation.

From the first snow walking devices, most probably made of bent wood and animal skins, to today’s modern snowshoes, very little has changed in design. The snowshoe effectively distributes the hiker’s mass across a larger area of snow, thus allowing him/her to float on the surface of the snow. The real changes in construction have come in the arena of material, not function. Aluminum and composite plastics replaced the bent wood and animal gut of the snowshoe’s predecessors. These advancements lead to lighter, stronger, more reliable snowshoes.