When it’s raining in the lowlands, snowshoes enable us to escape the dreariness of a cloudy city day to enjoy the snowy wonderland that is the backcountry in the winter. And it’s great exercise too! Snowshoes are stable, fun, and are the perfect way to enjoy getting out on the snow. The very best thing about snowshoeing is that you learn 99% of what you need to know in about five minutes. No experience required!
Snowshoe Experiences
We offer three types of snowshoeing experiences. Depending on your schedule or desires, we’re sure any, or all; of our snowshoe outings will be fun and exhilarating outdoor adventures. All of our trips depart from the Portland REA Office at 9815 E. Stark St. Make sure to check out the snowshoeing equipment list, too!
Day Trips
Our day snowshoe trips provide the opportunity for great exercise, learning about snowshoe technique, and having an excellent outdoor experience. We can go to a variety of places, either in the Mt. Hood area or Mt. St. Helens, and usually travel about four to eight miles on a day trip depending on your schedule and preferences. We cover snowshoe technique and tips on being comfortable in the winter snow environment.
Includes professional guides, snowshoes, poles, hot drinks, snacks, lunch, and round-trip transportation from Vancouver or Portland. You can snowshoe any day a guide is available. Visit our calender to find trip dates and locations. We offer trips on most weekends during the winter months.
Ape Cave Snowshoeing
What is more cool than combining snowshoeing with a cave traverse? On our Ape Cave snowshoe trip we snowshoe to the lower entrance our Ape Cave, descend to the cave floor and walk/scramble 1.5 miles/3.75m to the Upper Entrance. Your assistant guide will carry your snowshoes to the Upper Entrance so you can don the snowshoes and head back to our vehicle.Depending on snow conditions at the entrances, we may have to provide a roped belay for your entrance and exit from the Cave.
Ape Cave was formed about 2,000 years ago and is actually a lava tube. It’s the the longest continuous lava tube in the United States. Price includes two professional guides, snowshoes, poles, helmet, belay gear, headlamps, hot drinks, lunch, and round-trip transportation from Portland.
You can do this trip any day guides are available and the conditions are appropriate. Trip times are approximately 9am-4pm.
Moonlight Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing in the moonlight is a magical experience. We will head down to an open meadow or lakeside with a spectacular view of Mt. Hood. After about an hour, we’ll stop and enjoy the view, the quiet, and hot drinks and snacks. This is an easy trip of about three-miles/5 km.
Price includes guides, snowshoes, poles, trail refreshments, and round-trip transportation from our Portland Office. Trip times are approximately 6pm-11:30pm.
