On Saturday morning, we picked up snowshoes (and Maebe) from Elizabeth’s parents and headed out for a snowshoeing adventure on the trails around Windsor Lake!
To get to the spot where we knew we could hop on the trail, we first had to drive past Windsor Lake. As we drove past, the wind coming off the lake created blizzard-like conditions, and we realized how large the lake actually is - it is the water supply for the east end and downtown of St. John’s after all. We also realized that the trails didn’t go the whole way around the lake and we wondered where the trails would take us.
We parked the car across from Maggie’s Place on Old Broad Cove Rd with no concept of where the trails led or how long they would take to complete. We tried to do some research online beforehand but had no luck finding any maps or information, so we just went for it - assuming that we’d turn around at some point and come back the way we came. The first few hundred metres of the trail were exposed and the wind whipped around like crazy, but once we were surrounded by evergreen trees, the weather was calm and perfect for a little snowshoeing.
Over the past couple of weeks, St. John’s has received its fair share of snow, and quite a bit of it has already melted. On Saturday, we were lucky enough to find that the snow on the trails around Windsor Lake was light and fluffy even though the weather had been mild. We wandered along the trails, winding through snow-covered trees, and when we came to a fork in the road we opted to take the same path as some snowshoers that came before us. It is definitely possible to get lost on the trails because it is tough to get your bearings, so we relied on snowshoe tracks (and Maebe) to guide us.
We continued along the trail, passing a group of snowshoers on the way, until we reached the very end of the path we had selected. The last 5 minutes were rough, but fun, because the snow was deep and untouched. The trail ended off with some beautiful views of Windsor Lake, so we spent a few minutes appreciating the stillness before heading back the way we came.
We continued along the trail, passing a group of snowshoers on the way, until we reached the very end of the path we had selected. The last 5 minutes were rough, but fun, because the snow was deep and untouched. The trail ended off with some beautiful views of Windsor Lake, so we spent a few minutes appreciating the stillness before heading back the way we came.
The trail took us 1.25 hours to complete and it was great, easily accessible, and seems to be barely used. It’s quite the hidden gem. We wish we could tell you the trails we took and provide you with exact directions, but the lack of maps makes that challenging. We’d recommend just sticking to the trail, and we veered left a few times when the trails intersected.
It was our first snowshoeing experience of the year, but we did go snowshoeing a few times last year. Here are some more pictures of our Something Saturday:
