After a busy - and somewhat sad - holiday season, we sought to start off the new year right on a short snowshoe adventure with friends at Lolo Pass on the Montana-Idaho border.
Despite cloudy skies, we had a good day making first tracks in a small amount of powder and going sledding back at the Lolo Pass Visitor Center.
Follow the snowshoe trail up the hill to the south of the visitor center and past a junction. At the top, the trail continues out a ridge that offers good views into Idaho then down a powder-filled slope, crossing a groomed road before reaching Pack Creek. The trail follows along the creek then a cross-country ski trail, and loops back to the junction near the start.
See more photos from Lolo Pass here.
Distance: About 3 miles.
Trailhead: From Missoula, drive 9 miles south on U.S. Highway 93 to Lolo, then 32 miles west on U.S. Highway 12 to the Lolo Pass Visitor Center, just over the border in Idaho. (Parking costs $5.)
