photo credit Instagram user @jc_pascual
Winter-time activities offer you clean-crisp air, snowbound vistas, lesser crowds and so much more. So, for this season, consider a snowshoe adventure in the High Sierra. Fresh snow has arrived this early season, as 50 inches or more have fallen over many parts of the High Sierra. If you aren’t a big-time skier or snowboarder, does that mean this area is off-limits to you? No way! If you can hike, then you can definitely snowshoe. Here’s just a small selection of places you can snowshoe in the High Sierra, allowing you to experience the beauty and serenity of winter.
Full Moon Stroll To A Dinner: Bishop
The mountains surrounding Bishop offer an assortment of trails for those that want to try snowshoeing for the first time. Snow-covered roads like South Lake & Lake Sabrina offer you a safe, comfortable learning environment to get your techniques locked down. For those looking for something a bit more special, consider booking a dinner at Rock Creek Lodge. Under a moonlit sky, you’ll snowshoe the last two miles through the vast wilderness to the pure solitude of the lodge. Once there, you’ll enjoy a family-style four-course prix fixe menu. Vegetarian and other dietary restrictions are accommodated with advance notice.
Snowshoe Amongst Giants: Yosemite National Park
Image appears courtesy: Visit Yosemite-Madera
They say the best things in life are earned not given. This is especially true when visiting the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park. As the road shuts down November 30th through March 15th, the only way in is by human power. And once one of the legendary Sierra storms deposits a blanket of snow, it leaves in its wake a convenient two-mile jaunt up to it. Once you enter the grove, you’ll find a profound quiet amongst the giant Sequoias. Within the grove lies an assortment of trails to snowshoe or cross-country ski. You can also combine this adventure with checking out some of the other winter-time sights like the Tunnel View.
Stargaze The Night Away: Truckee
When the nights are longest and the air becomes the coldest, it’s also when the night sky is at its brightest, clearest and most beautiful. What starts out as a sunset snowshoe hike just outside of Truckee, transforms into a tour of the sky by award-winning astronomer Tony Berendsen. With his large aperture telescopes, you’ll be exposed to the mysterious wonders just above you in the Sierra skies. The Snowshoe Star Tour is offered on January 19th and February 16th which includes snowshoes, trekking poles, knowledgeable guides, permit fees, hot drinks and snacks.
For those of you who only visit the High Sierra in the summer or ski at one of the star-studded resorts, you’re missing out on a whole spectrum of snowy fun the Sierra Nevada can provide. Winter-time activities offer you clean-crisp air, snowbound vistas, lesser crowds and so much more. So, for this season, consider snowshoeing in the High Sierra. You won’t regret it.
