Everything You Need to Know About Winter Hiking (How to Stay Warm & Cool)
Winter Hiking, you probably think of the blistering cold, high winds, snow, and ice everywhere. Well, this isn’t quite the case. With the right gear, and on the right days, you’ll find that winter hiking is quite enjoyable, and at times easier than summer and fall hiking. So, here are some tips, tricks, recommendations, and preparations I suggest having and doing before you go.
I have done all my winter hiking on the east coast, specifically in New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. So, all my tips will fit more of these areas, where there is still a lot of snow, but not as much as out west in Colorado or Utah. Also, in the northeast, we get more of a wet, thick snow, compared to out west, where they get more of a light/powdery snow. Because of the snow difference and amount of it, winter hiking tips will vary based on location.
This post is all about winter hiking gear, winter hiking tips, winter hiking clothes, winter hiking pants, winter hiking boots, winter hiking jacket, best places to hike in the winter, best winter hikes, how to start winter hiking, winter hiking for beginners, and more.
This post is all about winter hiking.
Winter Hiking :
In this article, I will lay out my best tips and tricks that I have learned along the way. So, here are my best tips for winter hiking.
1. Winter Hiking Gear (Buying and Bringing the Right Gear)
The first tip I recommend, is getting the right gear. For late fall hiking, and early spring hiking, you MUST have a pair of snowshoes (the ones I use) and micro spikes or crampons. When the trail has 8 inches of snow or more, you are suppose to wear snowshoes. However, in early spring and late winter hiking, when the snow is really built in, most trails you can get away with only wearing micro spikes.
The reason you must wear snowshoes on the heavier snow trails, is so you don’t create any “post holes.” Post holes are created from people only wearing micro spikes, this makes the snow very “fragile,” and creates these sink holes. If you step in the sink hole, you fall all the way to the bottom of the snow pile, instead of staying on top of the snow. These holes make the snow very unstable when it melts in the Spring, and also harder for snowshoers to walk safely through trails. Snowshoes and micro spikes are the reason why you won’t slip on slick parts. They have tiny spikes (crampons have larger spikes) that give you much better traction on the snow and ice then any hiking shoes/boots will.
More Gear
Whenever there is frost and snow on the trail (more than 8 inches), I bring my micro spikes, snowshoes, and snow pants with me to hike. Trekking poles will also help, I find they are much more useful in the winter because you can actual dig the poles into the snow. Whereas, in the summer, you can’t dig your poles into the rock slabs. Your snowshoes will help you break through the snow on unbroken trails. While your micro spikes will help you stay up on the icy parts.
The last piece of gear I’m going to recommend for more extreme hikes, is an ice pick or two. Now this is really only for HIGH up peaks, with rock tops, that have had extremely cold weather for awhile. Most of the time you will not need this, but just in case, if you are on some High Peaks (above 4,000ft), or any of the 14,000ers out west, you might want an ice pick. Now, I have hiked some of the High Peaks and not needed an ice pick, but again, if they have received a lot of snow or really cold weather for several days in a row, you probably will need one, for grip and removing ice.
2. Winter Hiking Clothes (How To Dress)
My second tip is on how to dress and layer for winter hiking. For my upper half of my body, I layer exactly the same way as when I ski. My first layer is a thermal layer, then a sweater or sweatshirt. Finally, my puffy or outer shell. For my winter hiking pants, I only wear a thermal layer than my snow-pants. The snow-pants really help with the wind, cold, and snow. Just like a winter jacket or shell, snow pants are a must in my opinion. Especially, if the temperature is under 30℉.
I also, recommend getting a really good winter hiking jacket to protect against the cold and wind. You could get a nice shell, like this, or a puffy or a fleece, and then an outer shell. I usually end up talking my outer shell off when hiking up, because I sweat a lot from the movement. The two layers keep me very warm, then at the summit I usually have to put my outer shell on again. If I have room in my pack I will bring extra layers, like an extra thermal or sweater. Puffy’s are really great to pack, as they can fold down to a small size.
3. How to Protect Your Hands and Feet
Now for tip number 3, here are some of the ways I help protect my extremities and face from the cold. For my feet, like skiing, I usually wear two pairs of socks (if it’s really cold out). I will wear a thinner pair, then a pair of my super thick, Darn Tough, Merino Wool socks. Also, for my hands, I will bring a thin pair, and wear those, for when I take pictures and what not. Then I will wear my much thicker mittens (the same ones that I ski with), for when I’m hiking or standing on the summit. Now, for my face, I will wear a thin face mask, then a thicker one if it’s really cold. Then my skiing goggles, again for really cold days. Also, I will wear a hat for my head.
Lastly, always wear snow pants. And for winter hiking shoes, I recommend wearing a good pair of water resist winter boots. You could wear leather hiking boots, if they are more comfortable for you, but for warmth I recommend wearing winter boots. I suggest something like this.
Your backpack will be or should be much heavier in the winter too, with all the extra gear you will be bringing. So, just keep this in mind, when you’re picking a hiking trail. From the extra weight, you will probably get tired faster, so you might not be able to hike as many miles as you do in the summer.
4. How to Pack Your Water (So It Doesn’t Freeze)
My fourth tip and recommendation is for how you carry your water. If you use any short of water bladders, like CamelBaks, the straw will freeze. Thus, you can still bring the bladder and use it, however, you won’t be able to use the straw. As long as your water bladder next to your back, the heat from your back will keep your water unfrozen. Thus, you’ll just have to unscrew the top of your bladder to get the water out.
You can also pack Nalgene water bottles, in your pack. Again, make sure they will be next to or touching your back. Your back will keep the water bottles unfrozen. Apparently, Nalgene water bottles take longer to freeze as well, because of the bigger opening. Lastly, you could bring a jet boiler, like this one. For this, you can literally grab a handful of snow, then boil it, and there you go, you have unfrozen water.
5. What To Eat & Drink
I suggest bringing lots of food and drinks. I bring a lot of GuPackets, Clif Bars, and pretzels or Goldfish. I also bring some sort of lunch, usually a peanut butter sandwich. I usually just stick to water when it comes to winter hiking. Like I said above, I pack my water bladder in my pack so it’s next to my back and that keeps it from freezing.
6. How To Start Winter Hiking (Where & How to Pick Your First Winter Hike)
My sixth tip is on how to know what mountain you should hike for your first winter hike. I would definitely pick a hike that you have done before. A lot of trails, at least in the Adirondack High Peaks, are unmarked, and in the summer you can usually make out trail. However, in the winter, if the trails are unbroken (meaning there are no footprints to follow), you will have no idea where you are going, and that will not be good. I would also bring a map or download the map of the trail you plan on hiking from AllTrails. This way you can use the offline version of the map (pro feature) to track where you are when hiking.
Also, remember that in the winter, the daylight hours are much shorter than in the summer. Thus, if you are not prepared to hike in the dark, keep that in mind, when you’re looking for hikes. Make sure you can hike the total milage and elevation gain within 8 or so hours. I usually try and hike no more than 10 miles in the winter because of the little daylight.
More Useful Information for Winter Hiking
In addition, if the trail is unbroken, it will take you at least double the amount of time to get up, compared to in the summer. However, going down, you will have these EPIC butt slides (fast-forward to minute 10:37 to see) that will cut your hiking time in half. Also, on already broken trails, you don’t have to worry about going over all different rocks or roots, because the snow is relatively all one level compared to different rocks and roots everywhere.
Also, there are much less people who hike in the winter than in the summer (at least in the Adirondacks). Which is another reason, why I would hike on a trail that you are familiar with. Because if anything happens, at least you know where you are, if you need to get down quickly. In the summer since there are so many people, if you injure yourself or run into any wildlife, other people on the trail could help you at. However, in the winter this will probably not be the case. In addition, there are NO BUGS in the winter, which is really nice.
Best Winter Hikes
Okay, like I said, I hike a lot in New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Specifically, in New York, I hike a lot in the Adirondacks. Here are some of the best places to hike in the winter in the Adirondacks :
- Potash Mountain
- Mount Jo
- Castle Rock Trail
- Big Crow
- Cat & Thomas Mountain
- Poke -o-Moonshine
- Buck Mountain
- Black Mountain (near Lake George)
- Blue Mountain Fire Tower
- Giant’s Nubble
- Bear Den (can be hard to follow)
- Mount Van Hoeveberg
- Pitch off & Balance Rock
- Owl’s Head Lookout
- Moxham Mountain Trail
- Rooster Comb
- Snow Mountain
- Jay Mountain Trail
- Cascade & Porter Mountain
- Ampersand Mountain
- Noonmark (advanced)
- Indian Head
- Big Slide
- Whiteface (make sure ice isn’t too bad)
- Mount Colvin & Blake (do this in March when there’s more daylight)
More Winter Hiking Tips & Stats
Now, for my first winter hike, I chose two extremely popular High Peaks to start out with, Cascade and Porter Mountains. Together they are about 6.5 miles, with an elevation gain of 2,293ft, and it took me about 4 hours to complete, with breaks. Then, for my second hike, I did Indian Head which is about 9.5 miles with an elevation gain of 1,998ft. Even though this is a longer hike, since the elevation gain isn’t as bad, it only took me an hour more to complete.
Also, both these trails were broken in, so I did not have to break trail at any point. I highly recommend considering the weather before you go. After it snows a lot, I would wait a couple days for others to break in the trail, so you don’t have to. Also, if you’re going alone, I would go on the weekends because there will be some more people. Not nearly as many people that you”ll see in the summer but a lot more than you’ll see on the weekdays.
Thus, I would just keep in mind milage, elevation gain, how much snow the mountains have gotten, and how cold it will be, before you pick your first hike. Now, I picked Cascade and Porter from hiking ALL summer, and skiing, thus, I was not too worn out when I got to the summits. I would start with something you know you can do. If you haven’t been keeping up with your exercise, try not to overdo it on your first hike. Maybe only go on a 3-5 mile hike with an elevation gain of no more than 2,000ft. Then, work your way up to longer and greater elevation gain hikes.
Conclusion
And that wraps up all my tips and recommendations when it comes to winter hiking. I hope these tips and recommendations, will help you if you decide to do some winter hiking. I really love winter hiking and I hope it can become a great new activity for you too. Thank you so much for reading and take care!
