Snowshoeing In The Capital Region, A Beginners Guide

The snow may be piling up but it doesn't have to slow you down. Strap on a pair of snow shoes and take a hike! According to the Weather Channel, 3 of the next 6 days call for snow throughout the Capital Region.

My girlfriend mentioned that she would like to try snowshoeing and once I could breathe again, after all the laughter, I realized it might actually be fun. We first looked into buying our own snow shoes and that proved to be difficult as you can't find any!

According to NYUP, this winter, due to the pandemic and folks wanting to get outdoors and try new things, there has been an unprecedented run on snowshoes. A quick survey of six, Upstate NY sporting good stores indicated they were all out, or that pairs were being sold almost on the day they came in – particularly the cheaper or middle-priced pairs.

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Looks like renting is the way to go in 2021. L.L. Bean is a great resource for snowshoeing events around the Capital Region and most include show shoe rentals. Here are some snowshoeing events in Grafton Lakes this weekend and it's less than an hour from Albany:

• Friday 2/19 - Starlight Snowshoe Tour - SOLD OUT
• Saturday 2/20 - Snowshoe Discovery Course - 10a & 12 Noon
• Sunday 2/21 - Snowshoe Discovery Course - 10am (12 Noon SOLD OUT)

Most events are around $30 per person (14 and younger FREE) and include use of all necessary snowshoeing equipment: snowshoes, gaiters and poles. There are events listed through the end of March. Find out more HERE.

If you are still interested in buying your own equipment, REI has a great list of things to know before you make that purchase. For me I would prefer to try it before I buy it. So if you see some guy out on the trails walking like a newly built robot, it just might be me, taking part in Winter in the Capital Region.