- What is snowshoeing? If you tried walking on snow just in your boots, you quickly understand that you’ll be hip-deep and challenged to walk. So the solution? Show shoes. These are accessories that strap onto the bottom of your boots and increase the surface area around you to help spread the weight and keep you on top of the snow. It’s ideal to walk and explore the backcountry or the endless trails around McCall.
- Where can I snowshoe in McCall Idaho? Fortunately, Donnelly, McCall, Tamarack Resort, and Jug Handle Mountain have plenty of open areas that offer you supreme snowshoeing opportunities.
- Is snowshoeing harder than hiking? Well if you tried hiking in the snow without snowshoes, it’s quickly obvious as too hard your progress will be, especially in deep snow. Snowshoeing is certainly more challenging than just hiking on a dirt path, but that is the pleasure of going out and exploring new locations around the area.
- What is there to do in McCall in the winter? Trying something different and new is a great way to expand our unique experiences in life. Most of us know about skiing, snowmobiling, Nordic cross country skiing as some of the best things to do here in McCall, but add snowshoeing to the list and try that as a great family excursion that doesn’t cost a whole lot.
- Is it hard to walk in snowshoes? Like anything new, it’s a learning process, but it’s easy to get the hang of it and most people use ski poles to help maintain balance as you shuffle across the top of the snow.
- What are the best snowshoe trails in McCall ID? There are five area Nordic centers that offer great snowshoeing trails for you to experience. Choose from Bear Basin, Ponderosa State Park, the Activity Barn, Jug Mountain Ranch, or Tamarack Resort.
McCall Snowshoe, Skis and Fat Bike Rental Places
If you are new to the area or just visiting us for a bit and want to experience the pleasure of snowshoeing, there are several rental companies located in downtown McCall that has everything you need.
McCall Sports Exchange is McCall and Donnelly’s best sporting goods sales and rental location providing outstanding gear at even better prices. We do quality new and used outdoor gear for sale as well as bike, paddleboard, kayak, and canoe rental in the summer and snowshoe and fat bike rentals all winter. Find us in downtown McCall next to Maverik as well as at our summer Lake Cascade location at Donnelly City Docks off of Dawn Dr.
Home Town Sports has all the outdoor gear and check out Gravity Sports and Pro Peak Sports to find the perfect fit and prices that meet your budget.
McCall Winter Carnival
If you are lucky enough to plan your getaway in the McCall area during Winter Carnival, there is plenty to do and see during the annual Winter Carnival and Parade. Several local business and people compete for the top honors in this judged ice and snow sculptures that are dispersed throughout downtown McCall and if your adventurous, head to the top of Brundage Mountain Ski Resort to see what they have done and hopefully you’ll get the panoramic view all the way to Payette Lake.
Visit Idaho
Idaho should be on your “Bucket List” of places to visit and explore if it already isn’t with years worth of fun and awe-inspiring places to visit. McCall is one of those places that people from all over the world descend onto for the huge variety of activities to engage in during all 4 seasons throughout the year and it’s just 100 miles north of Boise.
Bear Basin Nordic Center
A wonderland with over 30 kilometers of groomed Nordic trails, cross-country ski, and snowshoe trails, Bear Basin Nordic Center in McCall is the perfect place to bring the family for some winter fun that is dog and pet friendly. Ski trails go on endlessly for days worth of fun. And if that’s not enough, there are plenty of forest service roads and trails to expand your zone. So plan on a full day or half-day with plenty of water and food to keep you hydrated and fueled to pluck along in the snow.
Groomed trails are open to fat bikes 7 days a week
After a day of snowshoeing in the backcountry, rent a fat bike and hit the groomed trails in and around the ski resorts, and have a blast from the trailhead. There are lots of biking trails bear basin and Ponderosa State Park that you can hit from the parking lot.
At the end of the day, or your week, make sure you hit the several Hot Springs in the area. Skiers and people who love snowmobiles know how therapeutic the hot mineral-rich hot springs at Gold Fork, Burgdorf, and Zims can be for your body, mind, and soul.
