When snow covers the hills we frequently head up the Lac le Jeune Road to snowshoe or cross country ski.   We sometimes start at Stake Lake, but we also frequently snowshoe from the Bush Lake – Dogwood Marshes parking area.   On a fine winter day we stomped a loop in the Dogwood Marshes.

At the gate into the marshes area, there is a hillside of newly planted trees with a few aspens standing higher.

We followed established snowshoe tracks down into the marshes and wound southeast on the edge of the forest.

Our route for the day was through the marshes, a climb through the forest to Teal Pond, then a climb through aspens to the Forest Service Road above.

Anyone new to the area may find the winding routes confusing, but we know the roads above and we use them as guides to single tracks through open forest paths, marshes, ponds, and up/down slopes.

Most of our snowshoe routes in the area take 1.5 to 2.5 hours.   We adjust our routes to the conditions, but on a sunny day, we choose the longer loops, taking in the subtle features of the area.

The goals are to enjoy the outdoors, get some exercise, to explore areas, and to enjoy winter.    This is a great area for all of these.