Which Way to Snowplay?
Snowplay areas provide a gateway to winter fun for families and help connect communities to wild snowscapes.
From Kerry McClay, National SnowSchool Director (1/8/25)
What is a snowplay area?
An un-developed snowplay area is one of those things where you know it when you see it— Imagine driving down a snowy mountain road and coming upon a small pullout tightly packed with a few too many parked cars. On the slope just above it, families are trying out a diverse array of sleds and bumpy sledding routes down the hill. There’s a handful of bundled up adults drinking hot coffee and watching a group of kids build a snowman. There’s a few snowballs flying through the air and even a couple of dogs happily running amok through the fresh powder. As you pass in your car you slow down, partly for safety’s sake, but also so you can get a closer look at the scene. Yes it’s borderline chaos, but they are all definitely having fun.
Why Snowplay Areas Matter
With populations surging in mountain communities across the Western US, the need for more designated and adequately developed snowplay areas has become increasingly obvious. It seems that new residents to the region are interested in experiencing their local public lands and wild snowscapes, but many have not yet acquired the equipment, skills, or interest in taking on a more specialized winter recreation activity (such as cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling or winter camping). Designated snowplay areas managed by the USFS or other land agencies typically provide plowed parking and basic bathroom facilities to help families and friends simply get outside in the winter on public land.
“Families in California’s Central Valley gaze up at the snow-covered Sierra Nevada from their own communities, but often don’t know the safest and best way to enjoy winter recreation opportunities there. Snowplay is the most accessible form of winter recreation, but users need to know where they can go to take advantage of those opportunities. This picture is from Pinecrest Lake. It is not designated as a snow play area technically but the FS maintains bathrooms, trash service and parking for hundreds of cars.”
– Megan Fiske, WWA California Stewardship Manager
Snowplay areas can be a great first wild winter experience for families, or a great next step for kids after a SnowSchool field trip. In fact, one of the most commonly expressed sentiments we hear from kids after a first-ever snowshoe adventure at SnowSchool is a desire to return and bring their families. So if we know where snowplay areas are then we can help direct people to appropriate places for winter fun. And if we know where new snowplay areas are most desperately needed, we can focus efforts on working with land managers in those areas to accomplish this goal.
Help People Find Snowplay Areas
To help with this we are compiling a list of known snowplay areas near our mountain communities, Winter Wildlands Alliance members, and SnowSchool sites. Help grow our list by telling us about your favorite snowplay area near you!
