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Basic Snowshoe - Narada Falls & Reflection Lakes Loop

Blue sky and sunshine snowshoe day. The weather couldn't have been better.

Debbie Cox Debbie Cox
January 15, 2026
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  •  Weather has been dry for past three-four days so road up to Longmire and Narada Falls were stress-free. We had a relaxed meeting time at 9:30am and the temperature was already 34 degrees at Longmire.  The roads were mostly wet with a few icy spots in the parking lots. It was easy to travel to Narada Falls without considering chains.

    For the past few days, the snow softens a bit in the sunshine and then refreezes at night. The snowshoe trail from Narada Falls restroom to Stevens Canyon Road was in "poor" shape due to tree-dumps, post-holes, and a  few areas where the packed snow was melting. 

The group gathered at Longmire at 9:30am, shared introductions, discussed snow conditions, and decided to carpool to Narada Falls. Avalanche forecast was Moderate the past few days, cautioning travelers of wet avalanches as the temperatures rose. We planned to avoid the ridgelines and hazardous areas. The roads were wet and clear.  The Narada restroom was open and warm. 

As we stepped onto the trail at 10:30, the temperature was 34 degrees with a thin fog in the air; a pleasant start to the day. We quickly learned that we had to navigate around the deep footprints and hard packed snow within the first 1/2 mile. A few of the participants were not physically fit to maintain the posted 2.0 mph pace so, after the first 1/2 mile, we slowed to 1.3 mph so that we could travel as a cohesive group.

We turned on Stevens Canyon Road, took the Paradise Valley Road, and turned onto the Lakes Trail. At 12 noon, we reached Reflection Lake and happily reapplied sun block. We took a 30-minute lunch break at the lake, took pictures, and enjoyed the  feel of the sun on our backs. It was 44 degrees and the snow was softening a bit.

We returned the same route we came (an out and back). We reached the Narada Falls parking lot, at 2:00 and had a debrief. It was a terrific day on the snow.