WinterWalkin’ in a Winter Wonderland: On Snowshoes

Authors: Nicole McAdam & Brianna Guy

As we welcome the snowy winter season, our bodies, like those of some wild animals, enter a natural phase of rest. For humans, shorter, colder days invite hearty soups, cozy blankets, and early bedtimes. Despite the joy that comes with the quieter aspect of the winter, it’s still important to get outside and move our bodies. With the right amount of layers and preparation, winter sports and other recreation are a great way to spend time outside while keeping warm.

One of the most popular winter activities at Hirundo Wildlife Refuge is snowshoeing. “Snowshoes,” are platforms with a large surface area that attach to your snow boots. The snowshoes, which often have spikes underneath, allow the user to walk on top of deep snow, preventing “post-holing,” which is energetically exhausting. Imagine trying to walk through snow up to your knee, performing leg lifts each step, and then stomping back down into the snow?!

Once the snow has fallen, our trails offer a scenic snowshoeing experience, with plenty of opportunities for tracking wildlife like deer, squirrels, and other active winter animals. Not only is there huge potential for spotting wildlife, but snowshoeing offers many health benefits. Specifically, this activity keeps your blood pumping, as breaking a trail of fresh snow can be a challenge, especially with a bit of added weight to your boots. This low-impact activity can keep you warm and is gentler on joints, but still offers cardiovascular benefits, helping to build endurance and keep circulation flowing during the colder months. And of course, spending time outdoors in winter can reduce stress, improve mood, and support overall mental well-being.

Snowshoeing also has deep cultural roots here in Maine. Long before modern recreational snowshoes existed, Indigenous peoples, including the Wabanaki Nations, developed and used snowshoes as essential winter travel tools. Snowshoes allowed the Wabanaki to move efficiently across snowy landscapes to hunt, trap, visit neighboring communities, and maintain a strong connection to the land throughout the winter months. Many Wabanaki artisans made snowshoes not only for their own tribes' use but also to sell or trade with sportsmen, lumbermen, and others in the early 1900s. These snowshoes became well known for their incredible durability and many began to use them as the blueprint in their own snowshoe crafting efforts. So today, when we snowshoe for recreation, we are using a tool with thousands of years of history and innovation behind it.

Warning: the ease of traversing a trail with snowshoes can be addictive, and may motivate you to get outside all winter long. Whether it is on a Free Snowshoe Rental Saturday or another time during the week, you can rent snowshoes at Hirundo and explore some of our favorite winter trails. Keep a lookout for tracks, and share with us what you find!

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References:

University of Maine Hudson Museum. (n.d.). Maliseet Snowshoes. Accessed January 21, 2026.

University of Maine Hudson Museum. (n.d.). Wabanaki Snowshoes. Accessed January 21, 2026.

REI Co-op. (n.d.). Snowshoeing: A Beginner’s Guide. REI Expert Advice. Accessed January 21, 2026.