Elevation: 7,799 ft - 9,191 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,500 ft
Dogs: Off leash (run baby run)
A meadow mountain snowshoe is not a wilderness experience but it sure is fun. Meadow Mountain is a old road that switchbacks through ranching country. It's wide open spaces make for expanse views of the adjoining hills and the occasional ruins of 19th Century cabins adds an historic appeal.
If you don't want to travel up the road, there are plenty of hillsides covered in waist-deep snow to frolic in. Zigzagging up and down one of these hills would be fun if you like breaking trail, falling down, and burning serious calories. On a sunny day with no wind, you might just be doing it in shorts. This trail is like an overheated frying pan. Toss in some wind though and it might just freeze the eyeballs out of your head. There is very little cover. The road itself was well churned by snowmobiles. We worn YakTraks instead of snowshoes. That did make the going a little harder, however.
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Be aware that several guidebooks indicate that the Line Shack (which is shown on the National Geographic Topo of the area) is 3.5 miles up the road. After traveling 3.6 miles we had not found it and started hunting through the woods before giving up. While eating lunch, the aforementioned group of snowmobilers passed us coming back down the trail. I asked the guide and he said the cabin was another mile further up the road. Sure enough, the Forest Service description of the route (which I looked up later) indicates the cabin is 4.5 miles up the road, so ignore the guide books.
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I liked the shadows the Aspens made in the snow
While much of this route is across open hillsides, towards the end there is a very large Aspen grove. In fact Aspens can be seen far across the valley on other hillsides. This makes me think this trail would be a great fall color hike. I plan to return to find out.
Coming back down the road is not as much fun as going up it. You can minimize the drudgery by cutting across the switchbacks or sliding on your tail wherever possible. This cut at least a half mile off the return, which when you are cold and hungry is a blessing.