How to Properly Plan for a Winter Hiking Trip

It’s important to plan for a winter hiking trip, the right way to prevent any mishaps or safety hazards that can ruin your day.

Winter brings in a lot of extra hazards that other seasons lack. A lot of hikers don’t properly plan for a winter hiking trip, and they have a bad experience as a result. Some even get injured really badly, and others have died.

In this guide, I’ll show you everything you need to know about how to plan for a winter hiking trip so that you can safely enjoy the beauty and uniqueness that winter hiking has to offer.

Decide the Type of Winter Hike You’re Planning

Before you plan for a winter hiking trip, you need to decide what kind of trip you want to take.

Ask yourself these two questions:

• Do I want to go on a day hike or an overnight hike?
• Do I want to hike in front country or the back country?

If you’re a beginner, I highly recommend you do day hikes in the front country. If you’re advanced and prepared for it, you can go on an overnight hike in the backcountry. You should only do what you’re physically and mentally able to do.

A day hike is a hike that just lasts during the daytime. An overnight hike is when you hike to a point, set up camp and stay the night, and then hike back or to another point the next day.

Front country is a hiking trail or area where you can easily access roadways and people, and the trails are very short and easy to hike. Backcountry is usually in rugged, remote, and roadless areas with very few people.

It’s important to plan for a winter hiking trip based on your level and ability for hiking rather than what looks like the coolest way to hike in the winter.

Research Trail and Area Conditions

Before heading out to your winter hiking destination, you need to research everything possible to ensure you can enjoy a safe hike.

When you plan for a winter hiking trip, the first thing you’ll need to do is check the status of the trail and see if there are any seasonal closures. The last thing you want to do is get to the trail to learn that it’s closed for the winter or due to some sort of hazard. Some areas will close trails if they deem them too dangerous for users.

Try to determine the snow and ice conditions on the trail, including snow depth, ice amounts, and typical winter-related hazards that occur.

Get an idea of how long daylight lasts. In many areas of the world, daylight doesn’t last as long in the winter as it does in the summer. You’ll want to make sure you can get off the trail before it gets too dark if you’re just going for a day hike.

You should also consider wildlife that uses the trail and whether any of the critters you’ll encounter will pose any sort of threat to you.

Research is a critical step when you plan for a winter hiking trip. By not doing research, you’ll set out into the unknown with many unknown hazards and disasters waiting for you. Research will ensure that you have the most positive hiking trip possible.

Monitor Weather and Forecasts Closely

It’s important to pay attention to the weather for any hiking season, but it’s even more important to pay attention to the weather when you plan a winter hiking trip.

Winter weather can put an end to your trip, hiking career, and even your life. You should be checking the weather a week in advanced and then every day up until the very minute before you leave for your hike. The weather can change so quickly that it’s important to keep updated on the conditions where you will be hiking.

Make sure you have an understanding of what the wind chill will be, any predicted snow totals, and the freeze-thaw cycle that occurs a lot when hiking overnight.

Look for red flag conditions and plan accordingly. Some weather conditions should cancel your hike altogether. However, many red flag conditions will usually mean extra planning or shortening your hike a little bit.

Consider including backup plans in your itinerary just in case conditions change quickly, and the weather becomes too unstable.

Create a Cold-Weather Gear Checklist

When you plan for a winter hiking trip, you need to make sure you bring the right kind of gear with you.

You should wear layers for the best results when hiking in the winter. Your layers should include a base for wicking moisture, insulation for keeping you warm, and a shell for keeping you dry. Layering helps you add and remove layers as needed to help control your body temperature to reduce shivering or sweating.

You’ll also want to wear the right boots, attach the right traction control devices to your boots, and wear boot gaiters if needed to help keep snow and other debris from getting into your boots.

Make sure you pack extra layers, socks, and some winter-specific accessories. You’ll want to bring some good gloves, face protection, head and ear protection, and even some hand warmers, just in case you need that extra warmth. An extra layer kit could save your life if you get all your clothes wet.

By bringing proper gear with you on a winter hike, you’re preparing yourself to be able to face cold wintry conditions even if the weather changes for the worst.

Plan Food, Water, and Hydration

Planning for fueling and hydration is exceptionally important when going on a winter hiking or backpacking trip.

You’ll work harder in snow and winter conditions. That means you’ll burn more energy and fuel when doing winter hikes. It’s important to adequately eat healthy snacks and food that is high in calories so that you can put back in what you have lost.

You need to make sure you bring food that doesn’t require a certain temperature for storage, but also won’t freeze to the point where you can’t eat it.

Watch your water to make sure it doesn’t freeze, as well. You might need to carry it closer to your body so that your body heat can transfer to it. You might also bring a water bottle that doesn’t freeze or even keep handwarmers in the area where you store your water to help keep it from freezing.

You don’t often feel as hungry and thirsty in the winter as you do in the summer, and that can lead to hydration and fuel issues, so it’s really important to try to stay as hydrated and fueled as possible during winter hikes.

Navigation and Emergency Plan for a Winter Hiking Trip

Navigation and emergency situations must be taken into account for a winter hiking trip, or it could result in a disaster really quickly.

Consider what you will use for navigating the trail, and bring multiple options. Bring a paper map, but make sure you keep it in a waterproof sleeve. Bring a GPS or phone app, but make sure you have a charging brick to keep it charged up. Bring a compass, but learn how to properly use it first.

If you bring charging bricks and batteries and it’s cold out, make sure you keep them close to your body or with something warm to ensure the cold doesn’t kill them quickly.

Always bring extra emergency gear just in case you need it. This gear should include an emergency blanket, emergency shelter, emergency food, water filter, fire starting kit, and emergency clothing layers. Not having this gear when you absolutely need it could result in a very dangerous situation.

Before you head out to the hiking trail, you should also create a trip plan and share it with someone to give to emergency services in case you don’t come back.

Transportation and Trailhead Logistics

Consider any transportation and trailhead logistics you’ll need to know about as you plan for a winter hiking trip.

Driving to and from the trailhead is going to be a big factor. Will your vehicle make it in and out of the trailhead under the winter conditions you will be driving in? Keep in mind that most forest roads and trailheads will not get attention from snow removal services during winter weather events.

Make sure you can safely park your vehicle at the trail without getting stuck, becoming a hazard for other drivers and locals, or getting in the way of snow plows.

Make sure you factor in daylight hours and upcoming weather forecasts into your trip. Do you want to be driving home in the dark while heavy snow or ice is falling? You need to factor in driving time with hiking time when you have limited daylight hours to work with.

Logistical planning is a big deal because it can totally make or break your winter hiking trip right from the start, before you actually get started on your hike.

Safety Strategies for Winter Hiking

When you plan for a winter hiking trip, make sure you’re emphasizing a lot of safety in your planning.

In the winter, it is exceptionally important to manage sweat and stay dry. You’ll do this with your layering system and by wearing clothing that is breathable and wicks moisture from the skin. Sweat can lead to a lot of unwanted discomfort and serious problems.

You want to read up on and know the signs of hypothermia and frostbite, as those are the most common winter injuries that occur.

You should also plan for a turnaround point. If conditions worsen or the trail becomes impossible to hike, you need to have a plan to turn out and abort the hike. If you don’t, you might get into a situation where you have no way out and will need to be rescued.

I’m not going to tell you that you must hike with another person, but hiking solo will increase your likelihood of danger, so it’s always a good idea to hike without another person during the winter season.

Final Thoughts on How to Plan for a Winter Hiking Trip

It’s so important to take some time to plan for a winter hiking trip before you start one.

Start out on smaller hiking trails in the front country. As you build confidence, you can go for longer and more difficult hikes. Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew because you really have nothing to prove.

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