Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we give our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems.)
I’ve only been snowshoeing a few times in my life, and to be honest, it was one of those activities that sounds a lot more fun than it is — despite the sincere recommendations of friends and fellow writers over the years.
Here’s what I’ve encountered so far: a lot of ice and dirt and crusty layers of snow. I’ve been on trails where those layers required a lot of stomping, or falling through the snow — or what outdoorsy types call “postholing.” The trails have sometimes been difficult to find, and the carved-out tracks don’t always fit the width of the snowshoes. Pictures I’ve seen of people snowshoeing make it look so pretty — with people tramping through powder under blue skies. I haven’t really found that to be the case.
Last year, my wife and I snowshoed to a hut near Tennessee Pass. On our way back down the next morning, we took another path, walking with just our boots and some microspikes to help us keep our footing. And, honestly, it was a lot more fun.
That wasn’t the first time I’d used microspikes (there are many brands of these slip-on traction devices, including MICROspikes). Because, let’s face it, I am no longer young. And I am occasionally grumpy.
A few years earlier, after complaining about how difficult it was getting for me to walk on the ice, especially in the mountain towns we visit, my wife got me a pair. I loved them. Not only did they make it easier for me to walk in parks and open spaces, but I could go for hikes in the winter and the shoulder seasons without worrying about slipping and falling or, you know, just looking to others like a white-tailed deer fawn trying to take its first steps on a frozen-over pond.
I now own two pairs of spiked traction devices — my son got me the second pair, so I guess the complaining paid off — and a set of Yaktrax, which are more for walking on mixed terrain since their metal traction pieces are flatter than spikes. And I’ve done more walking in the winter than ever before, as well as in the shoulder seasons, when mud can turn into ice overnight.
I haven’t needed them as much this year since 2025-26 has turned into the winter-that-wasn’t, but I love keeping them in my hiking backpack just in case. Some outdoors enthusiasts don’t like these kinds of spikes because they feel like they can tear up the ground or give ice-climbing mountaineers a false sense of security. Since I am in no danger of trying to scale Longs Peak in the middle of winter, though (or ever, frankly), I think they provide a real sense of security.
Sorry, snowshoes.
