Hikes – Winter

FREE Snowshoeing and Cross Country Skiing!

Winter Trails Day 2025

Saturday, February 1, 2025

Get Fit Great Falls, in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, and the City of Great Falls is proud to bring back Winter Trails Day 2025 on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Silver Crest Winter Recreation Area. This free event, sponsored by Scheels, North 40 Outfitters, Benefis Health System, and Bighorn Outdoor Specialists, offers guided snowshoe hikes and cross-country skiing sessions. All snowshoes are provided free thanks to the U.S. Forest Service, the Montana Discovery Foundation and Wild Montana. No matter your age or experience, there is a hike for you. Pre-registration will enter participants into a drawing for gift cards to Scheels and North 40 Outfitters. Gift cards will be distributed the day of the event. Must be present to win.

Space for the snowshoe hikes is limited and all participants must register in advance online at  http://getfitgreatfalls.com/hikes-winter/. Registration opens on Wednesday, Jan. 22, and closes at noon on Friday, Jan. 31. There will be 11 separate hikes offered beginning at 10 a.m. and wrapping up at 2:30 pm. Hikes are separated into categories: families with young kids, easy and moderate. Depending on the hike, distances vary from a third of a mile to 2 ¾ miles and last between one hour and three hours.

Additionally, Bighorn Outdoor Specialists will be offering two guided cross-country ski tours from 10 to 12:00 and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. for a limited number of registrants and will lend their equipment free of charge. Both sessions will be focused on beginners, however more advanced skiers are welcome to attend. Participants who need to borrow equipment from Bighorn MUST visit the store, IN PERSON, to try boots on BEFORE they can register. NO phone reservations, no exceptions! Bighorn will have ski equipment available the rest of the day for those who want to try cross country skiing after their snowshoe hike.

All participants must be dressed warmly with layers and bring their own food and drink for the day. Carrying a small day pack on the trail is highly recommended. Silver Crest is located off the northwest corner of the Kings Hill Winter Recreation Parking Area, near Showdown Ski area.

Get Fit Great Falls is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that strives to promote the benefits of healthy lifestyles to Great Falls and Cascade County through a unified community effort that encourages cultural and system change. Get Fit Great Falls is governed by a Board of Directors made up of health support services stakeholders throughout Great Falls and Northcentral Montana. To learn more, visit http://getfitgreatfalls.com/