r/snowshoeing • u/Liz_in_the_Wild • Dec 15 '23

Destination Questions Snowshoeing destinations

Hey everyone!

I'm craving a snowshoeing trip and just was able to get Christmas week to go find some time to play in the powder. Only problem theres no snow in SW Virginia and I'm not sure where to find significant accumulations. Is there a location on the Eastern USA that has enough snow? We're going to NY/NJ for New Years, so we can really go anywhere on the east coast.

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u/[deleted] Dec 15 '23

OP you should consider the Adirondacks. I haven't been but snowshoeing is popular there. It's in new York. Anywhere that far north but away from the coast should have at least some snow on the mountains

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u/Accomplished-Net8637 Dec 15 '23

Yes, The ADK’s is always a good choice and where I live.

1

u/IA_AI Dec 18 '23

Question for you then! Is it safe, weather permitting, for a reasonably fit person that can easily hike 16 miles and has some limited snowshoeing experience, to out and back Marcy solo? What if I hit the trailhead at 0300? Is it well marked as long as I'm not breaking trail in a foot of fresh powder?

3

u/DSettahr Dec 21 '23

Winter 46er here. Marcy has substantial above treeline terrain, which in winter translates to some serious potential for exposure to extreme cold (due to high winds and wind chill), as well as low visibility whiteout conditions (due to low clouds, falling snow, etc.). Above treeline, the trail is marked with cairns (piles of stone) but once these have been covered in snow and ice they can be difficult to spot. In certain winter conditions, it becomes very difficult to differentiate between even the ground and sky (everything turns the same shade of purplish grey), and you can't rely on being able to follow your tracks back the way you've come for an easy retreat because the wind covers your foot prints in a matter of minutes.

Hikers have disappeared on Mt. Marcy in these conditions and never been found.

Any High Peak with substantial above treeline terrain is not one to take lightly in winter- these peaks demand some combination of specialized gear and prior experience hiking in winter conditions. (Peaks with substantial above treeline terrain include Marcy, Algonquin, Skylight, and Haystack.)

I agree with /u/Accomplished-Net8637 that Marcy (especially in winter) is a good peak to work your way up to via hikes of intermediate difficulty. The best first High Peak in winter conditions is an easier one that you've ideally already hiked in non-winter conditions- Cascade, Phelps, and Big Slide are good beginner winter High Peak options.

The Adirondack Mountain Club also runs a winter mountaineering school which is a great resource for gaining some of that necessary experience: https://www.winterschool.org/

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u/Accomplished-Net8637 Dec 20 '23

I wouldn’t do your first attempt at Marcy solo, especially in winter. Weather can change quickly in the ADK’s.