Three days ago our night time temperature was -3°F and we had about a foot of snow. Today we hit 47° and the nearly all of the snow is gone (at valley level). Quite frankly, this time of year I much prefer the snow. Over night temperatures in the 40’s are very common here in the summer.
Here are a few trail photos that were taken on January 4th when we did have snow.
(That’s a very nice foot bridge in the approximate center of the photo. It was made many years ago by someone in the Forest Service who sawed through a log lengthwise and laid the two pieces side by side over the creek, flat sides up.)
Montana Outdoors 
Hmmm – not sure that I’d want to cross that foot bridge now… ;o) Beautiful images. It’s warmed up here too! I haven’t even turned the heat on!
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Comment by Stacey Dawn — January 16, 2011 @ 5:58 am
It has been very warm and wet! In a few more days it will cool off and we expect more snow then. I’m really looking forward to it1
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Comment by montucky — January 16, 2011 @ 10:31 pm
Love the one that shows all of the critter footprints! I don’t mind the cold, but like you the 40-50 degree fluctuations are a challenge.
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Comment by kcjewel — January 16, 2011 @ 8:15 am
Those tracks are one of the big reasons why I like to hike the trails in winter. I only went up stream a mile or so and saw deer, elk, sheep and moose tracks. I was surprised that there were none of the predators, but I’m sure they had not come that far down.
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Comment by montucky — January 16, 2011 @ 10:33 pm
Sounds like your weather is about like ours. It’s raining in the valley today and 46 degrees. Nice winter photos of when there was snow on the trees.
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Comment by Jim — January 16, 2011 @ 1:26 pm
Yes, for the time being our weather is pretty much parallel. Our valleys have had rain, but the mountains have been getting snow. Just northwest of us on the Yak the snow is deep!
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Comment by montucky — January 16, 2011 @ 10:35 pm
I don’t like when it’s unseasonably warm either. I’m sure you’ll get some more snow soon…
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Comment by Candace — January 16, 2011 @ 1:49 pm
Rain this time of year is pretty rare here. I remember when I was kid seeing chinook winds in January or February and loved it when they came. This is different though.
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Comment by montucky — January 16, 2011 @ 10:37 pm
The snow in the trees is so pretty. So far, every time we have had snow, we have also had wind. The trees were bare an hour after the snow stopped.
I love to walk in the woods when the trees are like that. That is one time I always use my hood instead of a hat.
Is this place accessible all winter?
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Comment by sandy — January 16, 2011 @ 2:05 pm
We have had little wind this winter so far. I saw a little drifting of the snow twenty miles from here though. Yes, this trail is accessible all year. The trail head and parking is just off the highway. The trail however is very steep and it gets packed down by the elk. Then that freezes and it gets very icy. YakTraks work quite well on it. A couple miles farther up the snow is deep and snowshoes are in order. It’s a lot of work going up very far in winter.
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Comment by montucky — January 16, 2011 @ 10:43 pm
A wonderful trail in a real Winter, I like this too. We have had rain, higher temperatures and most of the snow is gone by now. But it is only January…
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Comment by isathreadsoflife — January 16, 2011 @ 2:18 pm
Yes, only January. February is usually a good snow month here, and on into the middle of March in the valleys. The higher elevations will still be receiving snow through April.
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Comment by montucky — January 16, 2011 @ 10:45 pm
Hi Montucky, Beautiful scenic pictures. I think that there is something different when we here in Tennessee are colder during the day than you are there. Mmmm.
Have a nice evening tonight and a wonderful day tomorrow!
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Comment by wildlifewatcher — January 16, 2011 @ 2:46 pm
Yes it’s very strange to see that the south has snow when we don’t! Well, we’re not through yet by far. The high country has been getting a very good buildup of snow this year though and we’re happy about that!
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Comment by montucky — January 16, 2011 @ 10:47 pm
What beautiful, thick snow! A neat trail in the hush of snow in the magic winter wonderland!
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Comment by Anna — January 16, 2011 @ 4:40 pm
Yes there’s winter magic in that canyon and in others around here too. There’s a lot of variety in the trees and brush in the canyons and when they’re decorated with snow there’s a lot to look at!
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Comment by montucky — January 16, 2011 @ 10:50 pm
really pretty. nice foot bridge.
I was listening to my cousins talk yesterday about looking for calendars with nice photos and how expensive they are. I told them to frame the pictures when done w/ the calendar. I thought again of your shots and how they would make a gorgeous calendar and would definitely be frame worthy!
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Comment by silken — January 16, 2011 @ 5:06 pm
I think about trying something like that some time but never seem to get around to doing it. I do plan to have a few larger prints made of a few photos just to see what they will look like.
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Comment by montucky — January 16, 2011 @ 10:59 pm
I can only imagine enlarging them will only make them better!
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Comment by silken — January 18, 2011 @ 7:47 am
maybe you could enter some in the county fair or something?
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Comment by silken — January 18, 2011 @ 7:47 am
Thanks so much for the encouragement, Stacey!
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Comment by montucky — January 18, 2011 @ 8:46 pm
Nice snow scenes.. especially the one with the log bridge in it. The one above that startled me at first as I was scrolling down the page to see all the images… my mouse got a little carried away so I was scrolling faster than I meant to… and the two trees in the middle appeared for all the world like some strange hairy monster standing slightly off the path… do you suppose that’s how Yeti legends started?! 😉
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Comment by Victoria — January 16, 2011 @ 5:14 pm
I wouldn’t be surprised. In fact, the moss and lichens do seem to create images in the relative darkness of the canyon.
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Comment by montucky — January 16, 2011 @ 11:01 pm
We’re having the same arctic cold temps..and winter views and scenes. These are lovely!
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Comment by Marcie — January 16, 2011 @ 6:32 pm
I think you have been colder than we have the past couple of weeks and certainly had more snow come down at one time. Ours is gone now in the valleys, but there will be much more to come!
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Comment by montucky — January 16, 2011 @ 11:03 pm
Magical wintry snowy woods. They are lovely photos, all of them. I guess, when looking at the first photo, that the snow must have been wet, because the heavy snow burden is bending trees. I love the sight of the trail in which You passed, so beautiful. I would like to walk there and explore the unknown around the corner.
We have had a lot of snow here and especially here in the South. In Helsinki (sea level), the max amount has been 68 centimeters / 27 inches. My Snowy Helsinki photos prove it.
BTW, at which elevation You took those photos?
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Comment by sartenada — January 17, 2011 @ 12:04 am
Hi Sartenada! There was wet snow on the trees that had frozen and then was covered by about 4 inches of powder. Somehow I missed seeing your post with the snow in Helsinki until today. I really enjoyed seeing all of the snow there!
The most snow we have had on the ground here so far this winter was about 12 inches. Lately we have had rain (very unusual for this time of year) and it has nearly all melted in the valleys.
The photos were taken at an altitude of 2,500 feet. I live in a quite narrow valley where that is about the river level. On both sides of the valley are mountains that are 7,000 feet high. We have a fairly mild winter in the valley with not a lot of snow, but in the high country, around 20 feet of snow, and snow banks up there will last until into July in places.
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Comment by montucky — January 17, 2011 @ 11:12 am
Nice shots, our snow on the plains is gone, but our mountains just started getting snow from the NW yesterday, after skiing yesterday we could use a fresh coat here in CO.
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Comment by Daveabirding — January 17, 2011 @ 11:43 am
This looks like a year when the snow will come in oddly-spaced episodes. Just so plenty comes!
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Comment by montucky — January 17, 2011 @ 2:11 pm
I get the feeling of being home when looking at these shots and I like them. Brrr! 😉
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Comment by Staffan H — January 23, 2011 @ 3:50 am
I enjoy the winter too, especially after a fresh snowfall.
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Comment by montucky — January 23, 2011 @ 11:23 pm