Winter Hiking - Snowshoeing at Eveline State Recreation Site

Snowshoeing on Eveline Trail

Stats 

Distance:  1.4 miles         Difficulty: Easy           Time:  1 hr 10 min

Summary

On 17 Jan 2014 we finally got some much overdue snow and headed to the Eveline State Recreation Site for snowshoeing.  Eveline has trails that are used in both summer and winter.  We tried the trail in summer (Hiking at Eveline State Recreation Site outside Homer); it was time to check it out in winter.  We took the Alpine Meadows Loop. In summer, this loop has excellent views of the Portlock and Dixon Glaciers.  The views are even better in winter.  The Alaska Department of Resources web site for the recreation area is Eveline State Recreation Site.

Opinion

This is a very nice snowshoe. 

It was just long enough to give us a bit of practice with our new snowshoes and some exercise without overdoing it; this was only the 2^nd time we’d used the new shoes.  In winter, the trail is well marked and easy to follow.  The snowshoers and Nordic skiers share the same trail, so please, if you are snowshoeing, try not to walk over the Nordic ski lines.  The views are marvelous, open snowfields, snow covered alder and spruce, and the glaciers across the bay.    

Trail Advice

The road to the trailhead is plowed, but not quickly, so you may have some minor difficulty getting your car to the trailhead.  If you have too much trouble there is another trailhead at the McNeil Canyon School.  We haven’t taken the trail from this direction yet, so directions to that trailhead are not yet included in this blog.

Dress in layers (obvious advice).

Be careful if you step off the trail.  I stepped off to get a photo and found a hole under a thin layer of snow.  I immediately sank knee deep, then the snowshoe acted like a ski and slid several inches down a slope and dumped me on my rear.  Not painful, but wet and embarrassing.

Suitability

Suitable for all skill levels of snowshoeing and Nordic Skiing and people of all ages.

Trailhead

To find the trail, drive down East End Rd 13.8 miles.  When you pass the McNeil Canyon School you are close.  Turn left on Alpine Meadows Rd and go 0.3 miles to the parking area and trailhead.

The Hike

Trail map

The parking area is nice and large (although a bit reduced in size by piles of plowed snow).  This trail is closed to motorized vehicles, but is popular with snowshoers, Nordic skiers, and dog walkers.  The trail is well marked and appears to receive periodic grooming, so it is in excellent condition.  And many thanks to Kachmak Nordic Ski Club for the excellent trail conditions and maps.

Following a Nordic Skier

Dixon Glacer

Dixon and Portlock Glaciers

On this trip we took the Alpine Meadows trail.  It is only a mile and has great dramatic views of the Dixon and Portlock glaciers across Kachemak Bay.  There are other longer trails available in the winter and now that we have the hang of the snowshoes, we will try those trails as well.  However, it may be a bit before we can get there.  We’ve been having unseasonably warm weather and a lot of rain.  The snow is rapidly disappearing.

View across Kachemak Bay

Puski flowers in the snow

Shadows

The fields that are covered with wildflowers all summer are now covered with snow.  This provides vistas across smooth snowfields broken by Pushki flower heads, grasses, and mounding snow.  The winter sun makes for fabulous lighting in every direction.  On the snowfields it casts long, dramatic shadows and glitters on the snow.

Spruce trees against the sun

The spruce trees had a light layer of snow and the winter sun made them vivid and dark against the blue sky: fabulous contrast.

















We had a bit of trouble with the iPhone GPS on the hike.  So, since we took the same route as the summer time hike, the maps and embedded pictures below are from the summer hike.

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