Trip Report
Beginner Snowshoe - Keechelus Lake & John Wayne Trail
Glorious weather + great group members = A+ day
SuJ'n Chon
- Sat, Feb 10, 2018
- Beginner Snowshoe - Keechelus Lake & John Wayne Trail
- Keechelus Lake & John Wayne Trail
- Snowshoeing
- Successful
- Road suitable for all vehicles
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Dry road conditions and parking lot. Snow was hard and crunchy until late morning when the warmth of the sun started softening the snow. Snow level is very low - with many patches of dry land - leading to more careful footing through wooded areas and navigating around streams.
Fantastic warm sunshine and blue skies met our group of ten mostly newbie snowshoers as we traveled to and along Keechelus Lake & the John Wayne Trail. The snow level was low making it a little more difficult to travel around the lake. We traveled in and out of the trees, traveled some part alongside the X-country ski tracks when the lower terrain was sketchier to navigate, enjoyed awesome visibility and views at various points of the trip, basked in the sun for a lakeside lunch, and overall gained confidence with newly acquired snowshoe skills.
Some parts of the route cut tight next to the X-country ski tracks. You can avoid the tracks completely but sometimes in single file next to a moderate (but generally safe) drop off. Frankly those parts of the route are also not that beautiful or exciting. The walk to the lake is nice but brief. Now having done this trip, I can confidently report that The Gold Creek Pond route on the other side of the freeway is more comfortable for snowshoeing.