Lower Lamar/Valley Snowshoe Trail

This was one of my first snowshoe hikes so I don’t have a lot of references to draw from when writing about this trail. However different sections of the trail clued me in on the different types of trail conditions one may run into while snowshoeing.

But before I get into the trail itself, lets talk what you need to know beforehand. The nearest city to the trail is Idaho City, which was an old mining town founded during the civil war. This is a good place to purchase your Park and Ski permit which is required to use the parking lot located at the trailhead. If you plan on going snowshoeing more than 3 times this season I recommend buying the annual pass ($25). If you purchase from Idaho City Grocery or Donna’s, make sure to have cash on you, as they don’t accept credit cards for the passes. If you want to buy your pass ahead of time you can buy one online: Idaho Park and Ski permits. One thing to note, Cabelas is listed on the Idaho Parks and Rec website as a park and ski vendor but they don’t actually sell the permits so don’t waste the gas going there like I did.

The drive up to the trailhead wasn’t bad. Two nights before there had been a rockslide that closed the road, but I found no traces of it as I drove. The road snakes back and forth through the Boise National Forest. The curves that received the morning sun were dry and clear, but the parts shaded by trees and hills were still quite icy so I had to use caution as I approached each one. But all-in-all the roads were in good shape and I didn’t encounter a fully snow covered road until about 10 miles outside of Idaho city. At this point I stopped seeing cars on the road which made me a little nervous. I thought maybe the roads ahead were worse than I had researched but I decided to keep going and if I really started to spin out I would turn back and try again another day.  But luckily the truck handled well and I made it to the trailhead parking lot only to see I would have lots of company. Apparently I didn’t get the memo to show up early. But thats the great thing about the outdoors, there is lots of room for everyone.

I put my boots on, strapped on my snowshoes and set off. The first half mile of the trail had very wide tracks which was a nice warm-up before I got to the first trail junction. I continued on to the Lower Lamar trail which had equal but mild parts of up and down. I soon reached the split off to the valley trail which traveled almost exclusively downhill for at least a mile. This section was definitely the highlight of the hike. The trail narrowed and the snow deepened which added a challenge, plus a couple of fallen branches that blocked the trail were fun to traverse over. As I approached the uphill portion on the back half of this journey, I began to notice a lot more people on the trails. This was around 1pm or so. This slowed me down a it as I had to stop a few times to move to the shoulder for larger groups coming my way. I unknowingly saved the hardest part for last. The last 0.5 mile of my 3 mile loop was all up hill and at this point my legs were burning. I reminded myself the benefits of a great workout and trudged through to return to the parking lot to find double the amount of cars parked there. Apparently the afternoons get very busy here. I had 2 snow mobile trailers on both sides of me which now prevented me from a smooth exit. I backed up and proceeded to get stuck in a snow drift. As I tried to spin my tires free (which I now know is not the right thing to do) I concluded I was stuck. Luckily the 3 guys who’s trailers got me into this predicament offered to give me a push and we were able to rock the truck out of the divot and I set off to find some hot food.

So what did I learn?

• Always check road conditions before driving in winter
• Cabela’s does not sell Park and ski passes, even though it says they do on the Parks website
• Get to Whoop-Um Up parking lot before 11am to avoid crowds.
• Don’t spin your tires when you get stuck in snow
• Snowshoeing is a great workout

Chad Albright

Chad can be summed up by his idea of a perfect day: Waking up early to watch the sunrise over the mountains, warm cup of coffee in hand then grabbing his camera and fly rod, hitting the trail to explore some uncharted territory followed by cold beers and campfire steaks. Chad is often joined on his adventures by his wife, Tori, and their dog, Kona.