Snowshoeing Trillium Lake

Snowshoeing Trillium Lake is the perfect outdoor activity for anyone who loves being fully immersed in a winter wonderland landscape. Jaw-dropping views of Mt. Hood can be seen across the lake on clear days. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced hiker, this winter trail is worth exploring.

What’s up, everybody? Christina here and you’re reading another hiking edition of Shock Munch: Snowshoeing Trillium Lake! Snowshoeing is quickly becoming my all-time favorite winter activity. With the proper equipment and clothing, you can comfortably spend the day in winter landscapes that will take your breath away!

We snowshoed Trillium Lake with our friends Cynthia, François, and their dog Osa. Osa and our dog, Homie, are best friends. We meet up with them almost every night of the week for a playdate. During one of those playdates, I requested we go snowshoeing. Cynthia and Francois are a fun-loving adventurous couple so it took a nanosecond for them to say yes.

Originally we wanted to snowshoe Tamanawas Falls, but when I called the park ranger, he told me the trail hadn’t seen any snow. Unlike last year, this winter has been mild and dry which has hindered the snow season on Mt. Hood. At the last minute, we decided on Snowshoeing Trillium Lake since our research indicated the area had seen snow. Kieran and I have snowshoed there before and enjoyed it immensely so we didn’t have an issue with going back.

Watch the footage from our adventure:

Trillium Hike Specs for Snowshoeing:

You can park next to Trillium Lake in the summer, however, during the winter the main road to access the lake is closed. When you snowshoe TL you have to park near the ski lodge then hike (snowshoe) the road (3.6 miles) to the lake. At that point, you can either turn back or snowshoe around the lake. Mt. Hood can be seen across the lake on a sunny cloudless day.

Pros: Close to Portland. Easy loop. Great views.
Cons: Crowds. Steep descent from the parking area to the trail.
Parking Pass: Sno-Park Parking Permit (currently $4)
Difficulty: Easy
Total Distance: 4.5 miles (loop) or 3.6 miles (out and back)
Hike Type: Out and back (to the lake) or Loop (around the lake)
Elevation Gain: 230 ft
Trail Condition: Groomed and packed down when crowded
Road Condition: If you don’t have 4-wheel drive bring your tire chainsDifficulty: Easy
Family Friendly: Yes
Backpackable: No
Crowded: Yes
Dogs allowed: Yes

Gear List:

Daypack/backpack
Camelbacks which hold 3L of water
A couple sets of hand warmers
Paw Defense Paw Protection Wax for Homie
Snowshoes
Trekking Poles
First aid kit
Map of area
*Emergency supplies: lighter, utility knife, back up cell phone, rope, duck tape, emergency poncho, headlamp, back up batteries

Clothing and Food List:

Top: Layers of non-cotton clothing (I wore a t-shirt, a thin long sleeve shirt, a thicker long sleeve sweater, and a wool sweatshirt topped with my windbreaker)
Bottom: Layers of wool thermal underwear, non-cotton work out pants, and snow pants
Waterproof hiking boots
Wool socks (I layer a thin pair of ankle high socks over wool socks. That way, when I walk, the socks rub against each other instead of causing friction against my skin)
Neckwarmer tube/scarf
Winter hat with ear flaps
Mittens
I keep extra socks and warm clothing that in the car in case I get wet and want to change
**Food: apples, sandwiches, snack bars, food for Homie

*Even on easy hikes we always carry emergency supplies so we’re safe, not sorry.

**We always bring 2 days of food with us in case we get caught in a situation that keeps us on the trail longer than expected (getting lost, avalanche, fire, bad weather ect)

The trail to Trillium Lake was packed down due to the number of people snowshoeing in the area. So much, in fact, we didn’t wear our snowshoes for the majority of the trail. Francios and Cynthia hadn’t been snowshoeing before so we hiked off the trail for awhile so they could experience what snowshoeing was all about. During this time we allowed our dogs off leash so they could release their pent-up energy.

Afterwhile we found the main trail again and arrived at Trillium Lake. We plunked down at a picnic table to enjoy our shared food spread. I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing food tastes after you expend that much energy. We gobbled down sandwiches, fruit, cheese, crackers, and chocolate like it was our day job. After lunch, we hiked the loop around Trillium lake which was simply gorgeous. I’m telling you, the winter landscape around the lake is spectacular.

We were having so much fun snowshoeing we actually lost track of time! I looked at the clock and it said 4 pm. I did a double-take because it didn’t seem that late. We started our adventure at 10:30 am so it didn’t seem possible that much time had passed. We decided to hightail it back since it gets dark at 5 pm and we had 3.8 miles left to hike.

The four of us were meeting up for dinner and drinks later that night so we went our separate ways once we reached our cars. We managed to snowshoe for over 6 hours which is the longest hike I’ve accomplished to date! I can’t speak for anyone else but I was exhausted yet elated after our adventure. Hiking in the wilderness has profound positive effects on the body, mind, and soul. Kieran and I smiled wearily at each other as we piled into our car. Sometimes even we can’t believe the remarkable new life we now live. Homie passed out a few minutes after she jumped into the back seat. She and her best buddy Osa had the best time which overfilled my heart with love.

If you’ve never experienced Trillium Lake in the winter, I highly recommend you add it to your list. The trail is popular so it’s normally crowded but the scenery is extraordinary. You’ll feel like you stepped into the Frozen Disney movie! Kieran and I are hoping to snowshoe a couple more times before the snow season on Mt. Hood comes to an end.

Alright friends, that is a wrap on this week’s post. Thank you for being apart of the Shock Munch community, I sincerely appreciate you! Stay tuned next week for a soup recipe that’s sure to warm yer cockles during these remaining blistering cold months of winter!

Thanks for stopping by,
Christina

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