Blauert on Outdoors: You don’t have to go far to enjoy the snow

We haven’t had much snow the past couple of weeks, but there’s plenty to enjoy if you know where to go.

In most areas, you have to get above 6,000 feet to have enough to play in. The best snow is higher than that. On New Year’s Day, we headed up Highway 4 with our snowshoes and one of our dogs (the one that likes the snow).

Highway 4 closes just west of Lake Alpine in the winter at about 7,300 feet. This is one of the highest points you can drive to in the Sierra in the cold months, and it provides some of the most reliable snow.

The area between the Highway 207 turnoff and the winter closure gate a half-mile farther down Highway 4 becomes the parking area for the Lake Alpine Sno-Park. Two other Sno-Parks are nearby. Located just north of Highway 4 on Highway 207, Round Valley Sno-Park is designed for snow play, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Lake Alpine Sno-Park offers the same and also is open to snowmobiles. The same is true for Spicer Sno-Park – located on Highway 4 just before the communities of Tamarack and Bear Valley. It is lower in elevation but still had decent snow.

The benefit of these Sno Parks is that there is plowed, safe parking and portable restrooms that are generally clean. There are other places on National Forest lands where you can find a sledding hill on the side of a road, but they usually lack those features.

At some of the more popular Sno-Parks, the parking areas may actually be patrolled so you don’t have to worry about theft. The main disadvantage is you need a parking permit, though it only costs $5 for a day or $25 for a season. The other disadvantage was some people misread the parking signs, and we saw several tickets being issued. If it says “no parking,” it means it.

Permits for Highway 4 Sno-Parks may be purchased at Bear Valley. Permits may also be purchased in advance online for $6.95. Go to http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1233.

On New Year’s Day, the snow was at least 18 inches deep at the Lake Alpine Sno-Park and up to 3 feet in some places.

It’s a bit icy on top, but the most commonly used sledding hills are less icy because of frequent use.

There were several people out enjoying the day, but as soon as we got off the main trail and started heading to the top of Osborne Ridge, we didn’t see anyone. Although the trail was marked with reflective blue diamonds well above the snow level, at one point we couldn’t find the next diamond and followed the tracks of the previous snowshoers who experienced the same problem. With a bit of trial and error, we eventually found the trail again.

On foot, cross-country ski, or snowshoe, Lake Alpine is the easiest destination via the wide, groomed trail that follows the path of Highway 4 past the closure gate. It’s impossible to lose the trail (as we did up to Osborne Hill), and the snow was so well-groomed and hard-packed along the route that many people were walking to the lake in boots.

Our snowshoes were a big help as soon as we got off the trail into ungroomed snow, though. The trail to Lake Alpine is mostly level, and the destination is stunning.

In choosing a place to enjoy the snow on New Year’s Day, we also considered the area around Badger Pass Ski Area in Yosemite. It’s the other easiest-to-access area above 7,000 feet in the Central Sierra and has great trails for snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, but because it’s located in Yosemite, we wouldn’t have been able to bring our dog on the trails. Dogs are welcome at Sno-Parks, and we saw several long-haired breeds bouncing around in the snow.

If you head to a Highway 4 Sno-Park, you can find lodging, food, equipment rentals and downhill skiing nearby at Bear Valley (http://www.bearvalley.com/). The resort also offers a sledding and tubing hill, though a fee is charged and you have to use their equipment. Other communities along Highway 4 offer lodging, food, gas and services, though Arnold is the closest to the snow with the widest range of options.

This story was originally published January 6, 2015 at 7:32 PM with the headline "Blauert on Outdoors: You don’t have to go far to enjoy the snow."