The snowshoe trails in the Stake Lake system are a reliable, pleasant outing on a winter day.    With good weather we snowshoed a 6.6 km loop route on the Giant Firs Trail, the Marsh Trail, the Basalt Bluffs Trail, and the Lake Trail, a 2.5 hour stomp in the woods.

The low winter morning sun had not yet risen over the hills while we crossed the edge of the marshes, bearing east.

The trail winds up to the western flank of McConnell Hill, crossing an open snow-covered talus slope below the Basalt Bluffs.

Our route looped as it wound down through the forest past ponds, cutblocks, and open forest.

We finished our snowshoe with a route around the west side of Stake Lake as the sun shone through thin clouds.

We will be returning to snowshoe the Vista Trail this winter.