Snowshoeing Maxwell Butte: A Backcountry Snow Shelter Excursion

This weekend’s adventure brought me to an intriguing destination that I had long heard tell of, but never made it out to see for myself; a backcountry snow shelter. I knew from books, maps, and friends who get out in the snow much more than myself that there are cabins with woodstoves scattered around the backcountry of the Cascades that you can access by skiing or snowshoeing for a nice warm-up stop on a day outing or an overnight excursion. Some require reservations, but many are owned by the Forest Service, free of charge, first come first serve with a make-room-for-all policy. I had visited one of the more rustic, open front shelters at Gold Lake back in January, and was having a hard time imagining spending the night there in the snow. I imagined that there must be some more cozy versions of the backcountry snow shelter out there for this to be a popular pastime with folks.

When my partner and I decided to snowshoe at Maxwell Butte on Saturday,
the Mountain View Shelter sounded like a good stopping point for lunch. With the firm snow pack, we made good time up the trail, and with the cloud cover sitting fairly high, we caught some beautiful views of the range around us. 

Coming up to the crest of the hill, we were met with the sight of a cozy little cabin half-buried in the snow with a curl of smoke rising out of the chimney. Skis and snowshoes were leaned up against the side, and the occasional ringing of laughter from inside let us know it was a happening spot. We shed our snowshoes and went inside to join in the fun.

Several groups of folks young and old were gathered around benches, bunks and picnic tables enjoying conversation, lunch and rest from their travels. I made a beeline for the most important thing in the shelter; the woodstove, where Corey and I enjoyed our lunch and soaked in the warmth. A group of cross country ski/backpackers we had passed on the trail arrived and I enjoyed seeing the joy and relief on their faces after an apparently arduous journey. I, not being a cross country skier myself, was duly impressed by their undertaking. 

From there, we headed off on a loop back and ended up on a wild adventure of our own, following a way-trail through the woods that ended up petering out where the snowshoers who made it turned around and headed back. Knowing we were safely in the middle of a loop of trails, and not being the sort of folk who turn back where others would, my rugged adventure partner and I pressed onward through the woods, breaking our own trail as we went. Just as I was beginning to question our direction, Corey found the trail and saved the day. I spent a good amount of time blazing trails and bushwhacking in my childhood, so this was my favorite part of the entire trek. 

I must say that I am thoroughly enjoying this expanded year-round outdoor adventuring with my partner, and am wondering why I didn’t get out in the snow more often. While I have always sought out low elevation and coastal destinations to get out there December through March, I’m happy to have the rounded experience of both snow and sand this Winter. Now that I’ve seen what these snow shelters are all about, I am ready to expand my backpacking season and start scheming up a longer snowshoeing trek with packs to try one overnight. There is more Winter fun to be had.

For those curious adventurers out there feeling intrigued to get out and experience some of these backcountry snow shelters for themselves, here is a great link to the USFS website:

USFS Winter Shelters 

*Photos Courtesy of the Amazing Corey Culp