Good places for beginner snowshoeing around Flagstaff

[ddgrunning]

Looking for suggestions. Planning to go up over MLK weekend. Thx!

[chumley]

Arizona Nordic Village. They rent snowshoes and groom trails specifically for snowshoeing.

[big_load]

Arizona Nordic Village. They rent snowshoes and groom trails specifically for snowshoeing.

I agree. However, if I were going there I'd much rather do some Nordic skiing. Snowshoeing is for when nothing else is possible. It's fun on packed trails in reasonable doses, though.

[Jim]

Do you have a goal in mind, or are you just looking to snowshoe? I was able to pick it up just by doing it on the Peaks going up Agassiz in December of 2007, having never done it before. If you are just looking to learn, you can go somewhere like the Nordic center, but you don't need to confine yourself to "learning".

[azbackpackr]

Up by Hart Prairie Road. I forget the FS number. Pull off 180 there, usually you can park there. Just start going. Just remember, if your right snowshoe steps on your left snowshoe, or vice versa, you may fall down. That's all you need to know. And bring poles.

[toddak]

Snowshoeing up the road to Lockett Meadow is very nice when the snow is fresh. You can park at the locked gate at the bottom of the hill, leaving about 3 miles / 1000' up to Lockett, then on into the Inner Basin if you have the energy.

[Jim]

Permit is required for the back country for any entry of the Peaks wilderness off Snowbowl RD, and I have seen FS Law Enforcement on the lower road, should the Federal Shutdown be over, by then.

[ddgrunning]

@Jim_H
No particular goal, though I always prefer having a "destination" to just randomly turning around. I'd love to do Agassiz at some point, but that's probably a little ambitious for the group I'm going with.

[ddgrunning]

@toddak
The bottom of which hill? Is it gated right off of 89? It's about 5 miles from 89 to the IB TH.

[ddgrunning]

How about the Kachina trail from Snowbowl? Anyone snowshoed that?

[toddak]

@ddgrunning
I believe the gate is about 1.75 miles off the highway, just before FR552 starts contouring around the east & north sides of the 8490' peak as it climbs up and around into Lockett. Depending on recent snowfall and how many other vehicles have been driving the roads, 4WD / snow tires may be required once you leave the highway.

I haven't snowshoed a lot of Kachina, but if the snow is deep enough to fully cover the rocky areas it would probably be good.