How to Check If There Is Snow On the Trail
Even if you know it's snowed, it's often hard to pinpoint whether snow will be on the specific areas of the trail you're hiking on. In this guide, I'll show you how to check for snow on your hike using powerful tools with free and paid options.
- Free Tools To Check For Snow
- Snow Depth, Snow Forecast, and Slope Angle
- Easy to Use Paid Tools
Before We Dive In
Even experienced hikers die hiking in winter conditions. Whether you're looking for snow or avoiding it, hike responsibly and within your limits. Get experience hiking in the snow on easy trails first. Then, prepare for all conditions, understand the risks (such as avalanche zones), and have the right gear. It's not worth risking your life to do a hike.
If you'd like to start hiking in the snow, look for Forest Service roads or flat trails that are not near steep slopes. Sometimes ski resorts offer snowshoe trails. Organizations like REI and the Sierra Club offer winter hiking classes and group hikes. Get some experience under your belt before you start tackling the steeper slopes.
Free Tools to Check For Snow
Watch the video at the top of the page for a "how-to" on these tools.
While this guide focuses on checking for snow, you'll also want to check the forecasts, including temperatures and windchill.
- The National Weather Service does have forecast locations (and approximations) all over the United States.
- You can create a custom forecast area for your hike on the NOAA website.
- Mountain Forecast offers altitude-adjusted forecasts for many high peaks and summits. The forecasts are based on a weather model and not necessarily actual observations from the location.
CalTopo Custom SNODAS Snow Layer
- Type: WML
- Name: Whatever you want
- URL Template: https://idpgis.ncep.noaa.gov/arcgis/rest/services/NWS_Observations/NOHRSC_Snow_Analysis/MapServer/export?dpi=96&transparent=true&format=png8&layers=show:3&bbox={left},{bottom},{right},{top}&bboxSR=102100&imageSR=102100&size={tilesize},{tilesize}&f=image
- Overlay: Yes
You can create a free CalTopo account and save the SNODAS layer so you always have it handy.
snowEvaluator
snowEvaluator is a free option built on the Earth Engine Apps platform. It uses weekly Sentinel imagery and then turns the snow cover into a false red, so it's easier to distinguish snow from clouds. It also takes satellite imagery with the least amount of clouds, which should help improve accuracy.
Local Reports and Imagery
Looking at a map with snow data is helpful, but it doesn't give you the condition of the trail and snow. That's why I try to find as many local sources of information as possible, and if I don't find them, I ask the community. Each area has its spots where it congregates online to share, so you'll probably have to do some searching to find them. Using the region plus "hike trip report" or "trail report" in Google should get you most of the way there. Some places to search are:
- Facebook Hiking Groups (SoCal example)
- Reddit Hiking Groups (SoCal example)
- Trail Report Sites like San Jacinto Trail Report
- Recent Trip Reports (Six Peaks Challenge Example)
- Park Conditions Page (Yosemite Example)
- Park Webcams (Yosemite Example)
- Facebook Park Pages (SoCal Example)
- Twitter Park Pages (SoCal Example)
- Local Trail Associations (SoCal Example)
- Area Forums (Whitney Example)
- Local Avalanche Centers (SoCal Example)
Even if the trail looks doable, the roads might be closed. Remember to check local sources for any road closures.
Paid Tools
Gaia GPS SNODAS Snow Layer
Gaia GPS is a navigation tool and application with web, iPhone, and Android versions. It's a powerful navigation system that also lets you check for snow cover when you have a premium membership. The SNODAS snow layer can be added to your map. Just put it on top of the other map layers and tweak the opacity to see if there is snow on the trail.
CalTopo SnoTel Stations
The US Department of Agriculture operates over 800 remote snow measurement systems in watersheds around the United States called SnoTel. You can view each station's readings on CalTopo with the built-in SnoTel Data later. Just click the layer on, then click on one of the stations on the map for snowfall over the last 1-7 days.
CalTopo Recent Satellite Photography
Checking a recent satellite photo of the area where you want to hike is another great way to do snow reconnaissance. Luckily CalTopo integrates high-resolution Sentinel Satellite imagery, updated every week. I generally overlay the satellite image on top of a trail map. If there is cloud cover, the imagery is not so useful, but there is an archive of past weeks that you can search through too.
Putting It All Together
Here's the workflow I use to determine if there is snow on the trail and what to do.
- Get as much data as possible (using the former methods) to determine if snow is on my hike and where.
- If there is snow on the route, check the avalanche risk.
- Check the upcoming weather and make sure there is no more snow coming.
- Decide "go or no go" for the hike. If I can walk 0n the trail with micro-spikes and there are no apparent dangers, I'll go. Otherwise, it will be more of a mountaineering exercise, not a hike.
- If I go hiking and the conditions differ from what I expected, I'm not afraid to turn around and call it a day. I never put myself in a situation where I have to do something dangerous.
Need More Info?
- Have a question about the guide or want to see what other people are saying/asking? View the Youtube comments for this video. Leave a comment and I will do my best to respond.