Snowshoeing at Ludington State Park

The Ludington State Park's guided snowshoe tours allow participants to learn about the park and get exercise in the wintertime.

Snowshoeing at Ludington State Park provides exercise, education

BY KYLE KOTECKI VENTURE STAFF WRITER

Sometimes it seems as though options are limited when it comes to outdoor activities in the winter, with many people opting to take a page out of the bears' playbook and hibernate until the first blades of grass start to peek up through the snow.

The Ludington State Park offers a way for people to get up and moving in the cold winter months while also learning about northern Michigan's natural resources with guided snowshoe walks.

Every Saturday in January and the first three in February, park interpreter Alan Wernette will be leading free guided snowshoe hikes at 2 p.m.

Wernette said the word "hike" may be a bit of a misnomer, as the walks are laid-back and appropriate for snowshoers of all skill levels.

"I call them snowshoe guided walks instead of hikes, because some people see the word 'hike' and think it's going to be like a forced march or something like that. I like to make it more casual of a walk," he said. "When we're on the walk, we'll be talking about the natural resources and historic resources in the state park. When we're walking through the forest we'll stop and talk about the trees, tree diseases, the animals in the winter and what they're doing and we'll be looking for signs of animal activity in the forest."

Those who have never strapped on a pair of snowshoes need not be concerned. Wernette's mantra is: If you can walk, you can snowshoe. "I'm a downhill skier, a cross-country skier and a snowshoer. Out of the three, the snowshoeing is by far the easiest," he said. "All you have to do is pick your feet up and walk. You just walk like you Snowshoeing is a beginner-friendly way to get out and explore the woods when the snow falls.

normally would and you can walk in snowshoes. There's not a lot of mental strain while snowshoeing. In other words, when you come to a hill you don't have to worry about sliding into a tree. You don't have to worry about that with snowshoes because they're built to walk in; they're not built to ski in. They grip the snow as you're walking. Uphill, downhill — they're gripping. It's much easier.

"As long as they can pick their feet up and walk normal, they'll be fine."

Wernette said the walks take little more than an hour to complete, and the route varies based on the conditions and number of people participating. "It's not a long walk. Again, we walk out mostly in the wooded dune area just to stay out of the wind, because there is a bitter cold wind coming off

The Ludington State Park offers a lantern-lit snowshoe and ski event every other Saturday in January and most of February. the lake," he said. "If there's no bitter cold wind and it's sunny out, which we get occasionally in the winter, then I'll take people out in the open sand dunes and talk about the resources out there, too. So, no two walks are exactly the same. There are some differences.

"I do that because it makes it more interesting for people. It depends on how many people I have and the conditions I'm dealing with," Wernette said. "If there are a lot of people, then we'll take a little bit shorter walk to try to keep everyone together, which takes more time. If it's a smaller group, we can take a longer walk."

The park will alternate between lantern-lit snowshoe and ski events, and nighttime guided walks on Saturdays at 6 p.m., though the schedule for those events will not be decided until November.

"The weeks we don't have the lantern-lit walks, I do a guided night walk. We alternate that," Wernette said. "At 2 p.m. every Saturday I do a guided snowshoe walk. That's common throughout every Saturday, but then the evening activities are alternated."

The nighttime guided hikes allow snowshoers to experience the park with their ears as much as their eyes. "It's pretty neat. We use flashlights and headlamps," Wernette said. "We go out into the wooded dune area and see what kind of activities are happening at night. We listen to sounds. We'll stop and be quiet and listen to the sounds, just looking for activity that's going on in the night. The night hike is fairly popular, too."

The lantern-lit snowshoe and ski events allow people to take in the natural beauty of the woods as they make their way to a bonfire for hot beverages and stimulating conversation. "Every other Saturday night we do what we call a lanternlit snowshoe and ski event. That's different than the guided walks," Wernette said. "What we do is light a three-quarter mile trail with lanterns, and there's a bonfire back by the amphitheater in the woods. I go back to the amphitheater area, get the bonfire going, and then we have hot cocoa and hot tea for people when they come back there. We have marshmallows for people to roast at the bonfire and I just answer peoples' questions. "People hike their way back there following the lanterns, they get back there and they stand around and we talk," he continued. "It's very informal, but I talk about the park, answering their questions about the park and then we do that every other night. There's no cost. It's free. It's a family thing."

For more information about the snowshoe tours, call the Ludington State Park at (231) 843-2423.

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