I moved to Bozeman in the fall of 2009, and after a massive early snowstorm, it became immediately apparent that I would need to get excited about a winter sport in order to thrive in this town. Lacking qualities such as coordination and grace, I decided that snowshoeing would be a saner place to begin than say, cross-country skiing. In short order, my brother and I acquired the necessary equipment and began plotting our first excursion. However, being from the Midwest, I have an extreme fear of avalanches. Where I am from, the tallest hills are landfills, so the prospect of venturing out into a winter wonderland of mountains still intimidates me. I fear avalanches like some people fear sharks, or possibly alien attacks. For this reason, we found ourselves donning the longest snowshoes that the local sporting goods stores had to offer and heading in the direction of Pete’s Hill. Judging by the looks we received from the various passersby atop this local landmark, this may have been overkill, but whatever, it allowed me to feel the snow and webbing beneath my feet in a safe environment. It was actually quite a fun place to snowshoe race and practice moving about in the relatively awkward footgear.

Since my first fledgling attempts at snowshoeing I have found, not surprisingly, that there are many enjoyable and more suitable locations for this activity in the area. Most recently, I visited the picturesque Bohart Ranch with my brother and my dad, who was in town visiting for the holidays. My dad had never been snowshoeing, and this seemed like a good option, as they rent the necessary gear. However, as my dad and I drove down the lovely Bridger canyon, our concern over having enough snow to shoe in grew. Everywhere we looked we observed nearly bare earth and brown grass. Lucky, upon our arrival at Bohart, there was more snow to be found, but it was so warm that the snow was melting off the roof of the ranch office before our eyes. We decided to carry on, paid our fees and secured rental equipment while we waited for my brother to arrive from a morning of skiing at Bridger Bowl. The rental cost for snowshoes and poles was $15 and the daily rate for trail use was $15 per person. I’ll admit that I was skeptical about paying to use trails for snowshoeing in a state that is filled with wilderness that does not require a fee, but it didn’t take long for me to be enthralled with the beautiful landscape and well-maintained trails.

As I sat on the porch of the ranch, awaiting my fashionably late brother, I took in the magnificent views of the Bridger Canyon. The sky was a stunning shade of blue with scattered wispy clouds, and I could just make out the moon in the sky as I sweated in my probably unnecessary winter jacket humming, “We’re having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave.” Upon my brother’s arrival, we started down a trail that is mostly used by cross-country skiers, and entered a snowy forest where the air smelled of the various and sundry pine trees. The ranch does offer some trails that are marked for snowshoes, but due to the relatively late hour of the day and corresponding waning use of the ranch, we mostly stayed on the large two-way trails and kept out of the established ski path. Another advantage to our late afternoon trip was the wonderful slanting sunlight filtering through the pine forest. Dare I say that it was magical? We happily cruised along the firmly packed snow, the snowshoes proving more useful for traction than necessary for the prevention of sinking into the snow. Our chosen path took us up a gentle slope to a gorgeous tree-lined mountain meadow, where we made our way around the loop, whilst the snow melted from the trees unto our heads. We encountered the occasional group of cross-country skiers, who glided past like sleek snow ninjas as my family clomped and waddled through the field. In fairness, I was doing most of the clomping and waddling, while the rest of my party carried on like the dignified adults that they are.

As we navigated around the clearing, I found myself thinking, as I normally do when engaged in any sort of outdoor endeavor in the area, how easily accessible this wonderful trail system is to Bozeman. When I think back on my earlier days surrounded by cornfields and suburbs, I almost can’t believe how lucky I am to live in such exceptional surroundings. All in all, I highly recommend a trip to this beautiful place with its excellent scenery, great trails, easy equipment rental, and friendly staff.
Let it snow!

After visiting the west at the age of thirteen, Jamie Balke has been coming up with progressively more elaborate schemes to never leave.