Got a hankering for deep snow, thick forests and watching winter critters? Wondering how to combine all of that into one activity? Snowshoeing offers the easiest way of traveling across the snowy ands of Montana. These wide planks, once made of wood and animal parts and likely invented by Native Americans in the eastern part of the United States, are now made from lightweight metals and strong cloth straps and fit over most winter boots. You can rent a pair at most outdoor gear shops.

Snowshoeing is as easy as walking, but takes more effort, as you have to move through deep snow. And unlike cross-country skiing, where you are limited to a trail, with snowshoes, you can travel up or down any hill moving along any path you chose. The advantage? Wildlife watching. Snowshoe hares, lynx, deer, elk, coyote and even wolves in some areas of western Montana, regularly travel through the woods in winter. Even if you don’t want to meet face-to-face with some of these creatures, the snow allows you to follow their tracks through the snow.

An experienced tracker, which you, too, can become with practice and some reading, can uncover wildlife stories just by looking at what the animals leave behind. Find the rabbit prints hopping through the snow, and then look for the fox or coyote tracks to intersect them. Look at what happens: If the animals arrived there around the same time, the larger animal will likely follow the rabbit. If the tracks cross, the rabbit might have arrived later. On snowshoes, you can wander through the woods searching for these animal tracks, or listen for the numerous birds that still live in the cold wintery forests, such as the northern pygmy owl, the Western grebe or the rosy finch.

So, where can you go snowshoeing? Just about anywhere on public land. The Bitterroot Valley is surrounded by national forest land, which is open to snowshoeing. Many snowshoers start their adventures at designated trailheads, often at the end of roads that can take you a bit higher up into the mountains and offer an easy starting place with good parking. But from there, they wander up hills too steep or wooded for skiers or down to the creeks to explore the ribbons of water that still flow in the frozen landscapes.

Kootenai Canyon near Stevensville or Blodgett Canyon near Hamilton offer incredibly scenic and wild snowshoeing areas close to town. Other areas from which you can start your adventure include the cross country skiing areas atop Lolo Pass and Lookout Pass. But be sure to stay off of the groomed ski trails because snowshoes will ruin the tracks.

And when you do embark on your next snowshoeing adventure, be sure to check maps and weather conditions, and bring plenty of extra clothing and food. It’s easy to wander off through the woods in pursuit of anew bird or to follow those mysterious animal tracks! Check with a local outdoor gear store or a Forest Service employee for advice and suggestions of where to go. And then get to it!

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