BURRRR! I know Alaskans would scoff at calling 7 degrees "cold," but for this north westerner, it was a record. My friends and I had been considering a snow camp at Artist Point over the long holiday weekend, but Mother Nature put the kibosh on that idea. So Plan B was a simple snowshoe at the road closure on Hwy 20.
I don't know why I have never thought of doing this before...I suppose Hwy 20 disappears off my radar once winter hits. But it's always such a beautiful drive, and there is quite a bit of snowshoeing opportunities in the area that, for whatever reasons, seem to be off most people's radar. We saw almost no cars until we pulled into the Ross Lake Dam parking lot.
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| It's worth going for the drive alone |
Then you realize this is snowmobile territory. Like our trip to the Twin Peaks Trail last spring, I suddenly felt as if I was on different sport enthusiast's turf. But it didn't feel crowded at all, and nobody made us feel as if we didn't belong.
Just a short half mile past the gate closure and you'll come to the Happy Creek Nature Trail. This is a very short and sweet loop (mostly boardwalk) and includes an added extension to Happy Creek Falls if desired. The last quarter mile or so climbs a bit steeply, but it is nicely switch-backed, so if you have decent snowshoes, it's not too bad.
After getting to the "falls," Heidi and I both confessed we had some grandiose fantasies of taking pics beneath a majestic frozen ice sculpture. All I can say is, lower your expectations if you decide to push to the falls.
On our way back to the original loop, we instead skipped across over to the road (this trail parallels the hwy much of the time) and headed back to the car that way instead, making a nice 3-ish mile day. (Which will feel like 6 if you are wearing snowshoes!) A perfect way to spend a very chilly day - much better than freezing to death on Mount Baker! Though the snow camp remains on the bucket list! Until then, happy "bring lots of hand warmers" trails.
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| Sammy says "Stay toasty, but remain chill" ;) |
