Hardly Needed Snowshoes

Location Name: 
Forecaster Observation - Lake McDonald Area
Observation date: 
Monday, November 22, 2021 - 07:45
Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
No
Observation made by: Forecaster

Tabs

Quick Observation

Monday was a pleasant day for a walk, so we went looking for snow. Optimistically, we carried snowshoes on our packs, but found that we didn't really need them.

  • There's not much snow below about 7000 feet. There are, however, a lot of downed trees to crawl over and around thanks to recent strong winds.
  • We found 8 to 18 inches of snow from 7000 feet to our high point at 7400 feet. We dug down to look at the state of the paltry snowpack on a northeast-facing slope. We saw layers of ice interspresed with some softer, sugary snow.
  • Looking at the surrounding peaks we noticed that shady, high elevation cirques and chutes seem to have the most uniform snow cover. On most other slopes brush, rocks, and stumps still poke up through the surface. 
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images: 
Travel Details
Region: 
Glacier National Park - McDonald Lake Area
Activity: 
Hiking
Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details: 
Hide Terrain
Elevation of observation: 
3500-5000 ft
5000-6500 ft
Above 6500 ft
Aspect(s) of observation: 
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
Persistent Weak Layers: 
Facets or Faceted Crust
Buried
New Snow in the past 24 hours: 
0.00in.
Total Snow Depth: 
18
Blowing Snow: 
Light
Wind Speed: 
Light (Twigs in motion)
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Snow line: 
7000 feet
Sky Cover: 
Partly Cloudy (SCT)
Highest Precipitation Rate: 
No Precipitation (NO)