Winter Hiking Tips

Winter Hiking. You probably think of the blistering cold, high winds, and snow and ice everywhere. However, 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.

1. 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 and micro spikes or crampons. You are required to wear snowshoes on any trails that have 8 inches or more snow on them. 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, falling all the way through to the end 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 little spikes that dig into the ice or snow to give you traction and grip.

You must have micro spikes, snowshoes, and snow pants, at the bare minimum if you want to winter hike. Trekking poles will help as well, but are not a must. 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. Another great piece of gear, are crampons. They are like micro spikes but on steroids, they have much bigger spikes. So, on the thicker ice parts, you again, have much better traction.

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 need an ice pick at times. 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. 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. I wear a thermal layer, then a thick sweater or sweatshirt (something like this or this). And then I do the same for my bottoms. And I always wear snow-pants, and I highly recommend doing the same, because it will help with the wind, cold, and snow. Just like a winter jacket or shell, snow pants are a must.

I also, recommend getting a really good winter jacket to protect against the cold and wind. You could get a jacket from the NorthFace (like this one), where there are two jackets in one, a puffy or a fleece, and then an outer shell. From the two layers, you’ll have plenty of warmth in the winter while you hike, or any outdoor activity. Then in the Spring and Fall you can use the puffy, to protect you against the rain and wind. Puffys are also good for when you’re packing your bag, it’s better for space, if you have limited space, because it’s not as bulky.

3. 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. 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 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. My fourth tip and recommendation is for how you carry your water. I use to carry a regular CamelBak, but when I was hiking, I realized that my straw had frozen and I couldn’t get any of the water out. Thank goodness, I was on a short hike, so I didn’t need too much water. When I got back home I immediately researched how to keep your water warm when you are hiking in the winter, and here are some of the tips I got.

First, pack a Nalgene water bottle somewhere inside your bag, thus when your hiking, the heat from your back, should keep the water bottle thawed. And apparently Nalgene water bottles take longer to freeze, because of the bigger opening, then a straw. Also, for Christmas my uncle got me another version of a CamelBak. However, this version of the CamelBak is insulated, so the whole straw is covered. It still freezes at times, however, because the CamelBak is on my back, just the straw freezes, but not the water inside (from the heat on my back keeping it warm). Thus, to get water, I just stop and take the CamelBak out of my bag and unscrew the top and drink from there.

The final water tip I learned from my research is to bring a water boiler, like this one. For this, you can literally grab a handful of snow, then boil it, and there you go, you have water.

4. Back to winter hiking tips, for my fourth recommendation, I suggest bringing lots of food and drinks. I usually bring a Gatorade or two, or liquid IV. Again it’s always good to have more liquids then less, so you have backups if any freeze. And it’s good to have more than just water, so you can replenish your electrolytes. In addition, I always have a HUGE bag of trail mix and TONS of cliff bars, or some sort of granola bars.

5. My fifth tip is on how to know what mountain to 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 make out the trails from all the mud. 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 would not be good.

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.

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 slide (fast-forward to minute 7:41 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 these 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. However, in the winter this will probably not be the case.

This is a quick side note, but a great store for any outdoor gear is, Outdoor Gear Exchange, it is located in downtown Burlington, VT, right on Church Street. And they have their own website, if you don’t live close to Burlington. They sell skis, hiking gear, clothes, micro spikes, trekking poles, CamelBaks, camping gear, and much more. I highly recommend going and checking the store out or website!

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 in any trails. 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 trails, so you don’t have to, unless you want to, then go right away. Also, if you’re going alone, I would go on the weekends. Now, in the summer I would never recommend going on a weekend (because of the crowds), but in the winter, it is MUCH less crowded. Thus, on weekdays if you go, you’ll probably be the only one there, but on the weekends, you’ll see at least two or three other groups, depending on where you go.

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 ALL winter, thus, I was not too worn out when I got to the summits. Thus, 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 time. Maybe only go on a 3-5 mile hike with an elevation gain of no more than 2,000ft. Then, work your way up.

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. This is my first season winter hiking, and I’ve really enjoyed it. Thus, I hope winter hiking becomes a great new activity for you too. Thank you so much for reading and take care!

P.S. Here is the footage I got from some of my winter hikes and the pictures too!

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