Eskers in Winter: Snowshoeing Through a Landscape of Ridges and Frozen Wetlands
The ridges make Eskers memorable. A winter outing follows land shaped by flowing water inside glacier ice, beginning with a modest choice at Pine Marsh.
Follow the ridge
Eskers is a place where the ground beneath a trail is an attraction in its own right. A ridge, a bend and a hollow belong to the story, and snow draws your attention to their shapes.
Begin at Pine Marsh with a modest route. You do not need to reach the park’s farthest lake to encounter the landscape that gives Eskers its name.
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A riverbed left standing
Eskers are winding ridges of sediment deposited by meltwater flowing in channels within or beneath glacier ice. When the water slows, it drops material. When the surrounding ice disappears, the accumulated sediment can remain as a ridge.
That is the pleasing reversal to carry into the park: a channel that once held moving water can become high ground. The ridge is a record of flow, although the ice that helped confine it is gone. Snow does not reveal the gravel itself, but it invites you to pay attention to the long curves and changes in level.
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Make Pine Marsh the first choice
BC Parks describes a 3 km beginner loop just off Pine Marsh parking. Ski tracks are periodically set in Jago’s field; the rest is not a fully track-set network.
The map places Ridgeview Lake near the southern trail area, with Camp and Kathie lakes farther in. Its distance labels measure between junctions, not necessarily back to your car.
A longer lake route is a different day
For a longer outing, add every mapped leg, including the return to your actual parking place. A number beside one junction is only part of that journey.
Save a Camp or Kathie Lake extension for a day when you have deliberately planned it. The beginner loop and a longer lake route deserve different expectations.
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Snow is not a bridge
Frozen-looking wetlands are part of the winter scenery, but their appearance does not make them a walking surface. Keep the snowshoe outing on established land trails. Tracks across a lake or marsh do not tell you the strength of what is underneath.
At a junction, use the map and signs to confirm your direction. A set of tracks may belong to someone heading elsewhere. If weather or snow makes the land route difficult to follow, returning along your known route is better than attempting a shortcut through an open white space.
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Give a small view some time
Pause where the trail offers a view along a ridge. Follow its curve into the trees and picture water confined by ice occupying the channel that left this high ground.
Bring your warm drink ready to pour: fires are not permitted in Eskers Park. The larger geological story needs no longer itinerary than the ground already beneath your snowshoes.
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Explore the places in this story
Pine Marsh beginner loop at Eskers
Outside Prince George. Current BC Parks information describes a 3 km beginner loop.
Sources and further reading
- Eskers Provincial Park map (opens original source)BC Parks · Checked
- Outwash Plains and Eskers (opens original source)US National Park Service · Checked
- Eskers Park (opens original source)BC Parks · Checked
- Winter Hiking Tips (opens original source)US National Park Service · Checked
