The Hill and Dell Snowshoeing Trail was my first ever adulthood snowshoeing trail. I went snowshoeing once or twice in college, but nothing long or eventful. We ended up at the Mt. Shasta Nordic Ski Center because my spouse wanted to nordic ski. He grew up doing so and competed in college. I have no interest in Nordic Skiing and also didn’t want to sit in the car for several hours while he did so. So I picked up snowshoeing. Why? Why not.
About the Mt. Shasta Nordic Center:
The Mt. Shasta Ski Park and Nordic Center is home to just as it sounds skiing. The ski park has downhill skiing, and the Nordic Center has nordic skiing and snowshoeing. The Nordic Center has 23.5 km of trails for skate and classic cross country skiing. They offer ski and snowshoe rentals.
About the Hill and Dell Trail:
I am not skilled in snowshoeing, and if you are looking for a step-by-step how-to of snowshoeing, there are other places to look. That being said, I did enjoy myself on the Hill and Dell Snowshoeing Trail, and it was enough for me. A friend of mine mentioned they tolerated snowshoeing because they could do winter hiking, which is probably my reason.
According to the Mt. Shasta Nordic Ski center, the trail is 1.2 miles. I don’t know if it’s slightly different for 2021, but I got between 1.5-1.6 miles each time I did it.
The Hill and Dell Snowshoeing Trail starts where the rest of the Mt. Shasta Nordic Ski trails start. It does cost $15 to snowshoe, and it’s a good activity if someone else is skiing.
The Hill and Dell Snowshoeing Trail is a lollipop trail. You go out about .5, the loop is about .5, and you come back the .5. Going out is downhill, but of course, you’ll climb back upon your return. The loop itself is beautiful, and you can see a nice view of Mt. Shasta. It does climb a fair amount; 240 ft in 1.5 miles is good, especially in the snow.
Once you get back to the lollipop intersection, you can keep doing the loop or go back home. After 1.5 miles, I was fairly tired, so I opted to go back.
Hill and Dell Snowshoeing Trail Conclusion:
It’s a beautiful trail with beautiful views of Mt. Shasta. It’s a good “first snowshoeing” trail if you’ve never done it before and want to try. Now that I’ve done it a few times, I’m by no means a snowshoe expert, but I would be more comfortable checking out other trails. If you are ever in the Mt. Shasta area and looking for a well-maintained trail, I recommend the Hill and Dell Snowshoeing Trail at the Nordic Center.
You can see more hikes and trail runs here.
Questions for you:
Have you been snowshoeing before?
What is a new hobby you’ve picked up?