Places To Snowshoe

[forestkeeper]

Hey hikers. A quick snowshoeing question? I was checking some of the USFS snowshoe/ cross country ski routes on the web and noticed some cool areas like Twin Lakes, Tawanamas Falls, Umbrella Falls, and Mirror Lake wasn't listed. Can we snowshoe anywhere we like or are there limitations on routes? I'd like to get in on some lake/ creek shoeing for photography. Thanks!

Will

[pdxgene]

Twin Lakes has the blue diamond markers and leaves from a maintained lot so that should be listed. Mirror Lake and Tamanawas could be due to no 'official' parking for winter recreation. Those roadside pull out spots tend to be where plowed snow gets piled up.
You can pretty much snowshoe anywhere you can hike (though ski runs are obviously off limits).

[Waffle Stomper]

There is no longer parking on 26 during winter for Mirror Lake. But you can snowshoe from Ski Bowl. I think you can snowshoe just about anywhere you want too as long as you can park without blocking plows. I suppose that limits you to sno-park areas. Be careful for groomed areas for XC skiing. I don't believe you can snowshoe in Hood River Meadows.

[Lumpy]

This may be unnecessary to mention, but I am refraining from snowshoeing until I am able to learn how to read snow. Travelling on established and popular trails may not present any unusual dangers, but I know that snow can "act" in ways that is similar to fine sand or hard ice, or even fine sand over hard ice. When I lose a few more pounds, I'll be looking for a class to teach me how to avoid dangerous snow, then I'll be looking for a very large set of snowshoes.

[forestkeeper]

Don't feel bad, I'm 6'4" and weigh in at 255 lbs. I guess I should just buy a snowmobile.

[Lumpy]

You and I may have more in common than you might have already feared!

[-Q-]

Twin Lakes has the blue diamond markers and leaves from a maintained lot so that should be listed. Mirror Lake and Tamanawas could be due to no 'official' parking for winter recreation. Those roadside pull out spots tend to be where plowed snow gets piled up.
You can pretty much snowshoe anywhere you can hike (though ski runs are obviously off limits).

Actually, you are technically allowed to snowshoe across ski runs, as well as snowshoe up the sides of the ski runs. They are not off limits.

I have done both many times. Since the ski runs on Hood for example are in National Forests (public land) and the ski resorts only lease the land, they cannot legally tell you not to snowshoe there.

Staying out of the center of the run is good for safety reasons though, and the resorts do request that you stay off to the side.

[raftingdog]

my fauerote snowshoe area is White Riuer snow park....... beautiful and flat unless you take upper routes

[romann]

If there's "snow bridge" higher up on White River, it's easy to walk over the river and return on the other side, then use SR26 bridge to get back to parking lot.

[pdxgene]

This may be unnecessary to mention, but I am refraining from snowshoeing until I am able to learn how to read snow. Travelling on established and popular trails may not present any unusual dangers, but I know that snow can "act" in ways that is similar to fine sand or hard ice, or even fine sand over hard ice. When I lose a few more pounds, I'll be looking for a class to teach me how to avoid dangerous snow, then I'll be looking for a very large set of snowshoes.

There are so many snowshoe routes that are just following closed roads that you should be able to find some quite easily without learning much about reading snow.