Snowshoers make fresh tracks on Headquarters Lake on a weekly guided walk at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by Leah Eskelin/USFWS)

Snowshoers make fresh tracks on Headquarters Lake on a weekly guided walk at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by Leah Eskelin/USFWS)

Refuge Notebook: Snowshoeing fun in the refuge

Having grown up in New England, I am no stranger to cold winters, lots of snow and season-specific outdoor recreational opportunities. Imagine my surprise while making a recent visit to my hometown in western Massachusetts to find absolutely no snow on the ground.

It did make for easier hiking through the woods in search of geocaches. Still, I found myself missing snow and the quiet peacefulness it brings to an area while sparkling on the ground and in the trees.

As the Education Specialist for the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, from mid-February until spring break, I will be busy facilitating second through sixth grade, two-to-three-hour snowshoe field trips with my new 40-week intern, Alyssa Ziwawi (also a New Englander).

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Exploring the Keen-Eye trail with students talking about the historical use of snowshoes, winter animal adaptations, the “subnivean” zone and our potential impact on wildlife while recreating, these field trips are often the first snowshoe exposure students and their chaperones have.

Through different activities, they experience how larger feet (the snowshoes), like the paws on a lynx or snowshoe hare, distribute body weight and help you stay on top of the snow, making it easier and faster to travel (especially when we have a year with deeper snow).

In addition to getting school groups outside and connecting to nature, the refuge also offers guided snowshoe walks for adults and families to participate in (and the use of snowshoes to do so). If you are considering purchasing your own snowshoes, try a snowshoe excursion with us first.

Refuge volunteers lead 1.5-hour guided walks Wednesdays (starting at noon) and Saturdays (starting at 2 p.m.). These are usually more fitness-based and are for ages 12 and up. Family beginner snowshoe fun days will occur periodically throughout January to March for all ages wanting to try snowshoeing. Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. is the first event.

A winter highlight for me is guiding snowshoers under the full moon. We have one of those scheduled for Jan. 25 starting at 4:30 p.m. Many of these mentioned walks require preregistration. Please call the visitor center at 907-260-2820 to sign up or for more information. All guided refuge activities are free.

Groomed Nordic ski trails start at the Refuge visitor center and wind through the boreal forest to Headquarters Lake. The trails are available 24/7.

Other ways to play outdoors on the refuge include ice fishing, snowmachining, staying in a public-use cabin, backcountry skiing and dog mushing. Please get in touch with the refuge if you have questions about the rules and regulations for any of these activities.

To participate in snow-related outdoor activities, we, of course, need snow. There are three things needed for snow. Cold temperatures and moisture in the air (clouds) are the first two.

Do you know the third? All snowflakes need an impurity or “snowflake seed” at their center. These microscopic impurities, such as dust, bacteria, ice crystals, pollen and even volcanic ash, float around in the sky.

Let us hope the right conditions continue into March so that we keep the existing snow and add fresh layers to extend our outdoor winter fun.

Contact Ranger Michelle at 907-260-2839 or email michelle_ostrowski@fws.gov to schedule a snowshoe field trip for your class or to be added to the Kenai Refuge special events email list to receive our monthly activity flyer. You can find more information on the Refuge at http://kenai.fws.gov or http://www.facebook.com/kenainationalwildliferefuge. The Refuge Notebook is published twice a month and you can find past Refuge Notebook articles at https://www.fws.gov/kenai-refuge-notebook.

More in Sports

Soldotna junior Tania Boonstra (far left) took second in the girls 5-kilometer classic interval start Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at the state Nordic ski championships at Birch Hill in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Chip Abolafia)
Soldotna's Hope Hillyer shoots against Grace Christian's MJ Van der horst on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, at Soldotna High School in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Saturday hoops roundup: Grace sweeps Soldotna

The visiting Grace Christian girls and boys basketball teams swept Soldotna on… Continue reading

Ninilchik's Brandt Mill tries to steal the ball from Seward's Talon Lemme on Friday, February 21, 2025, at Ninilchik School in Ninilchik, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Friday hoops: Ninilchik’s Kade McCorison scores 55 in loss to Seward; Homer boys clinch state berth

The visiting Seward boys basketball team defeated Ninilchik 85-66 on Friday in… Continue reading

Soldotna's Ariana Cannava skis her team to third place in the 4-by-3-kilometer relay at the state Nordic ski meet at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Alaska, on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Danika Winslow)
Friday: Boonstra finishes 3rd, Cannava 10th, in state Skimeister standings

Soldotna junior Tania Boonstra finished third in the state Skimeister standings Friday… Continue reading

tease
Brown Bears get 3 points out of 2-game series with Wilderness

The visiting Kenai River Brown Bears picked up three points in a… Continue reading

Dylan Dahlgren, Galen Brantley III and Adarra Hagelund at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships in Brookings, South Dakota. (Photo provided)
Soldotna grads help Dickinson State track to big day

Soldotna graduates Adarra Hagelund, Dylan Dahlgren and Galen Brantley III all had… Continue reading

Soldotna's Tania Boonstra races towards the finish chute during the Region III Girls 7.5K Classic Race at Tsalteshi Trails near Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Thursday: SoHi’s Boonstra takes second at classic ski race at state

Soldotna junior Tania Boonstra led the Kenai Peninsula at the first day… Continue reading

tease
Thursday hoops: Grace girls topple Homer

The visiting Grace Christian girls basketball team notched a 63-16 Peninsula Conference… Continue reading

tease
Monday basketball: Sewards sweeps Unalaska

The Seward girls and boys basketball teams swept Unalaska on Monday in… Continue reading

Most Read