Miles of snowshoe trails just steps from neighborhood

By Kathryn Reed

As the sun beat down last Sunday in what turned out to be a record high 59 degrees, the clothes started coming off.

Powerline trail, which in some places parallels Pioneer Trail, is one of those routes that no matter the sport sweat is bound to be involved.

It’s not that it is super difficult, but it seems like from most entry points it’s a steady climb. And from there, the route under the trail has rollers, so it’s a steady up-and-down jaunt.

Marianne and Rosemary follow Debbie along the Powerline trail. Photos/Kathryn Reed

On this snowshoe excursion Rosemary and Sue commented how things didn’t look familiar with white stuff on the ground. Rosemary runs in this area in the summer, and Sue has ridden her mountain bike here.

This particular day there are seven women appreciating that snowmobiles have beaten us to the trail. Say what you want about those sleds, but they lay down a nice track to snowshoers.

One guy came by with his young daughter decked out in a pink helmet. It looked like she was doing the driving.

With the intensity of the sun, the snow is soft. Most of the trail is covered, though a few bare spots were visible.

While trees line the trail, it is hard to forget you are not far from civilization with all those powerlines overhead. Still, the serenity that comes with playing in Tahoe is unavoidable.

Large boulders are scattered to the side near the start of the route. Cold Creek is mostly covered in snow. Pines give way to Manzanita as the trail follows the powerlines.

Much of the trail is wide enough so people pair off and chat along the way. We don’t know how far we went – other than it was an hour in at a decent pace. Debbie has an altimeter on her Swiss army knife, but no mileage. The rest of us have kept our phones in our pockets with no desire for technology to provide us stats about our day on the trail.

It was about being outside with friends – not keeping track of calories burned or miles walked.

Getting there:

From Highway 50 go up Al Tahoe Boulevard. Turn right on Pioneer Trail. Go past Sierra House Elementary School and turn left on Marshall Trail. Turn right on Columbine Trail. Parking at the end in cul-de-sac. Note: If it is snowing, you will be towed. We headed toward the sign that said Fountain Place Road beyond the green gate.

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)