Winter Camping Made Easy
By Eugene Buchanan
Winter camping doesn't have to be a major expedition. Chances are there are some great camping options near you.
You don’t have to be Ed Viesturs and bag all the world’s 8,000-meter peaks, or play Chris Davenport and ski Colorado’s 54 fourteeners in a year, just to get a taste of winter camping. You can find a user-friendly winter camping spot right in your own backyard where you can comfortably bed down with Old Man Winter. Key ingredients include the right gear, a plowed parking area, and ample snow. That’s all it takes to unleash your inner Jack London (just don’t build a fire under a tree). So strap on the country skis or snowshoes and head to one the following hot spots for camping in the cold (or find your own site closer to home). The hot bath’s always waiting.
East
Underhill State Park, Vt.: You won’t get the classic fall foliage, but you’ll bask in the combination of all colors at Vermont’s Underhill State Park on the flank of 4,300-foot Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak. There in 34,000-acre Mount Mansfield State Forest, you’ll camp at 2,000 feet, where average winter temperatures are in the teens. Simply park at the entrance gate and then ski, snowshoe, or hike into the lower or upper campground three-quarters of a mile above the ranger station. To get there, head three miles off Route 15 near the town of Underhill. Info: (802) 899-3022, www.vtstateparks.com.
The Western slope of Mt. Mansfield.
Midwest
Boundary Waters, Minn.: Winter camp in the spirit of the French voyageurs in the 1.3 million-acre Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The most popular spot is the Trails End Campground in Superior National Forest at the end of the 57-mile Gunflint Trail (City Road 12), north of Grand Marais, Minn. The road’s plowed year-round, but you’ll have to ski a few hundred yards to the campground proper on the Seagull River, which provides easy access to Seagull and Saganaga lakes. Get a free self-issue permit when you arrive, and then play Jeremiah Johnson in one of the most pristine wilderness areas in the country. Info: (218) 626-4300, www.bwcaw.org.
Rocky Mountains
Brainard Lake Recreation Area, Colo.: While Rocky Mountain National Park offers high-altitude camping just north, for ease of access head to the Brainard Lake Recreation Area an hour out of Denver. There’s no fee, and you can cross-country ski, snowshoe, or hike from the road closure to Red Rock Lake just 200 feet away. Stay 100 feet away from the water and a quarter-mile from developed areas. Once nestled, you’re rewarded with a winter wonderland adjacent to the 76,585-acre Indian Peaks Wilderness Area that traverses 16 miles of the Continental Divide. Take Highway 72 from Nederland to Ward, and look for the sign to Brainard Lake (the road’s plowed year-round). Info: (303) 541-2500, www.fs.fed.us/r2/arnf/recreation/brainard.
Pacific Northwest
Paradise, Mount Rainier National Park, Wash.: Plain and simple, the best and most accessible winter camping in the Pacific Northwest, just two hours out of Seattle. The road is plowed year-round, with the park service offering guided snowshoe tours, local weather reports, and trail maps. Twenty miles from the Nisqually entrance, the Jackson Visitor Center is open on weekends, so you can obtain a free camping permit, rent gear, plan your route, and even get a warm sandwich. (During the week, stop at the Longmire Museum at Mile 6.) Marked trails lead to broad, snow-laden meadows at one of the snowiest places on Earth (a world-record 93.5 feet fell in 1971–72), with views of 14,410-foot Mount Rainier and mounts St. Helen, Hood, and Adams justifying the time spent with Jack Frost. Info: (360) 569-2211, ext. 6003, www.nps.gov/mora.
Dutchman Flat, Mount Bachelor, Ore.: In the shadow of Mount Bachelor is the Dutchman Flat-Tumalo Mountain SnowPark just 22 miles west of Bend, Ore., on the Cascade Lakes Highway (Hwy. 46). Pick up a vehicle parking permit ($5) to cover the state snow-park fee in Bend at Pine Mountain Sports (541-385-8080), then drive up to a plowed parking area on the right just before the ski area. Camp wherever you like, with a short quarter-mile hike putting you miles into the wilderness. You’ll be at the base of Tumalo, offering 1,000 feet of vertical to get the blood flowing the next morning. Info: (541) 383-5300, www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon.
West
Carson Pass/Meiss Lake, Calif.: Winter camp with the ghost of Kit Carson on the north side of Hwy. 88 atop Carson Pass, just five miles east of Kirkwood, Calif. (between Tahoe and Sacramento). While the south side is designated wilderness, the Meiss Sno-Park across the highway offers broad plateaus for pitching tents and expansive views of the Sierra Nevada. The pass, which follows the Gold Rush route, sits at 8,650 feet and averages 450 inches of snow a year. You’ll need a $5/vehicle/day Sno-Park pass beforehand, available at the Kirkwood gas station. Keep your eye out for the historic landmark where Carson carved his name in a tree. Info: (530) 543-2600, www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu.
Eugene Buchanan is the publisher and editor of Paddler magazine and the founder of Paddling Life.
Posted on December XX, 2007