It's been a while since we've been snowshoeing, so last weekend we decided to grab our gear and go to Blodgett Canyon in the Bitterroot Mountains.
While the trail up the canyon is quite popular, we encountered only one other person a short distance from the trailhead at the end of the day, likely because it was Super Bowl Sunday.
We started out in our boots, hiking up the south side of the canyon though a recovering burn area with a mix of young green trees and taller survivors and snags. About half a mile up, we came across a moose in the trees along the trail - fortunately, Belle didn't notice and Josey yipped a couple of times but didn't approach.
After passing the last footprints in the most recent snow - about a mile up the trail, just beyond a wide pool where the creek bends - we decided the powder was deep enough to strap on our snowshoes.
From there, we continued upward, into and out of trees, and past the cascading creek and snow-covered boulder fields. While sunlight lit up the spires on the north side of the canyon, the trail remained in the shadow of the south wall all day. While we saw plenty of more moose tracks, we didn't come across another animal.
At three miles, we crossed the bridge to the north side of the creek, then found some sun a short distance later where the canyon widens, flattens and reaches a boulder field. After a bite to eat and some "family" pictures with the dogs - hopefully, worthy of next year's Christmas card - we turned around and made our way down the canyon.
See more pictures from Blodgett Canyon here.
Distance: About 7 miles round trip, turning around about half a mile past the bridge over Blodgett Creek. (Trail continues).
Trailhead: From U.S. Highway 93 just north of Hamilton, turn west onto Bowman Road, drive about three-quarters of a mile and turn south on Ricketts Road. After about 1 3/4 miles, the road turns west and becomes Blodgett Camp Road. Continue about 4 1/4 miles to the trailhead.
