Staying safe on winter hikes

Don’t let snow stop you from hiking your favorite New York State trails this winter. Grab a pair of snowshoes to explore the outdoors and beat those winter blues.

Many trails are actually easier to navigate in winter as the rocks, roots, and mud are covered over with nothing but smooth, deep snow. Snowshoers may even get an opportunity to discover areas that are otherwise inaccessible in other seasons due to wet conditions as all trails on DEC lands and many trails in state parks are open to snowshoeing all winter long.

Brush up on your snowshoeing etiquette before you hit the trails and remember:

* Stay on designated trails. Trails are laid out for snowshoers’ safety and convenience. Wandering off trail may cause snowshoers to encounter unknown terrain hazards and become lost.

* When passing on a flat area, a faster snowshoer should indicate their desire to pass by calling “track.” The slower snowshoer should yield by stepping out of the track to the right, where possible.

*Try not to pass on a downhill. Save it for the flat where the slower snowshoer can maneuver more easily.

* A snowshoer moving downhill has the right-of-way, since they are moving faster and may have less control. Do not descend a hill until the trail is clear.

* If the trail is one-way, be sure to snowshoe in the proper direction. If a trail has two sets of tracks, snowshoe the set of tracks on the right-hand side.

* Move off the trail as quickly as possible after a fall. This will prevent possible collisions and allow other snowshoers to pass. Fill in sitzmarks (depressions left in the snow from falling) before proceeding.

* Do not snowshoe alone. Long tours especially, should not be attempted alone. Hypothermia is a very real and serious hazard when the temperature is below 15°F.

And remember to respect trail conditions to protect yourself and others. For more tips on snowshoeing, winter recreation safety, and places to go, log onto DEC’s snowshoeing webpage at https://shorturl.at/t4adK.