Winter weather and the limited hours of daylight can bring out a natural instinct to hibernate and stay inside even in the most active person.
Yes it is bleak in the winter, but that doesn't mean you have to wait for spring to come along before you can resume your active life. Outdoor recreational activities can be fun, get your blood pumping, and can increase your levels of serotonin - the chemical that helps you beat the winter blues.
More and more people are choosing to enjoy winter activities on the Sunshine Coast either on a daily basis or for the weekend, and one of the fastest growing winter activities that people are pursuing is snowshoeing.
For a long time, snowshoeing wasn't popular because snowshoes were made of a hardwood frame with rawhide lacings that made walking difficult and exhausted the snowshoer within a few hours, but traditional snowshoeing has since been reinvented.
Now it's all the rage. Modern snowshoes are far lighter, manageable and high-tech, so you can explore new regions with new-found freedom. Whether you are a family seeking a fresh air activity, an adventurer looking for a cardio workout, or an outdoor lover desiring some snow-muffled silence, snowshoeing can be enjoyed by almost everyone. With a little bit of practice and some decent snowshoes you can turn a bleak rainy day at sea level into a magical snowy day in one of the Sunshine Coast's best kept winter paradises waiting to be explored.
The Dakota Ridge Winter Recreation Area, located just past Roberts Creek, is an ideal place for snowshoers of all ages and abilities. Dakota Ridge offers visitors more than eight km of beautiful snowshoe trails that wind through old growth forests and open areas in a beautiful subalpine setting. Gentle hills and wide ridges entice locals as well as tourists to explore. From the parking area you can snowshoe to a number of viewpoints that give outstanding vistas of Georgia Straight, Vancouver Island and Mount Baker.
For information on passes, to learn more about snow and road conditions, or for driving directions, visit the Sunshine Coast Regional District's website at www.scrd.ca (Dakota Ridge) or call 604-885-6802.
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