winter

Winter, in this case, is defined not by a date or temperatures, but when the trails are rendered unrideable and the snowpack builds and more or less (though with each passing year it seems to lean more towards the “less”) stays intact through late March. This normally commences sometime in the first half of December. Active wildlife  diminishes to a few flocks of browsing turkey, some noisy blue jays, ravens, chickadees, woodpeckers and grouse burrowing into the snowpack (and exploding out of it with the clamor of a miniature helicopter just to make your heart skip a beat.).

​Snowshoers, usually sticking to the trails that will get them from the top of Tweed River Drive to the awe inspiring views at Shrek’s, are showing up in greater numbers every year. And when conditions warrant, the occasional intrepid, adventurous backcountry skier or snowboarder will point themselves down one of the more sparsely treed steep glades. We do not, and have no plans, to groom our forest for this purpose, but past logging operations have nevertheless created some relatively open, skiable terrain, which some have explored (at their own discretion and risk!).

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In Brief

Though no official measurements are kept for such a small village, total yearly snowfall often flirts with 100 inches in the valley and can be significantly higher than that on the mountain. Several feet of snowpack often establishes itself by late winter, and there can be a surprisingly large difference of depth between the farm fields in the valley and in the thick of the woods where hip deep snow is not unheard of.

The VAST (snowmobile) trail, by landowner agreement, runs through the heart of the GMT. You are permitted to hike or snowshoe aside it, but use it with the same level of awareness and caution that you would as if you were walking down a highway. Snowmobiles are powerful and large vehicles operating at fast speeds on a slippery surface so proceed with this in mind. Ideally drivers will be alert to your presence, but, of course, that will not always be the case. ​

Events

Peak Snow Devil Snowshoe Race: March

Stewardship

A whole slew of snowshoe tracks might create fatbiking conditions, but it has yet to happen.