Snowshoeing, Backcountry and Cross Country Skiing

Trails and Guided Backcountry Tours

Backcountry skiing and Snowshoeing provide a unique and fun way to enjoy the outdoors in winter. Enjoy explorating quiet winter trails on a sunny afternoon. Or go on a guided backcountry skiing or snowshoe tour to experience the beauty of hiking in the winter.

TRAIL UPDATE: Numerous trees are down on all trails due to the wind storm on 12/16/21. We have heard approx. one mile up Williams Lake trail the downfall is extremely thick. Please email us with your trail report so we can post more detailed information. Thank you.

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You can Snowshoe or backcountry ski (skin) up to Williams Lake—a 4-mile round trip hike from The Bavarian. Other options include Gavilan Trail (3.3 miles one way), Italianos Canyon Trail (3.7 miles one way), Bull of the Woods Trail (3 miles one way), Manzanita Canyon Trail (4.2 miles one way) and Yerba Canyon Trail (3.9 miles one way). All of these trails are accessible from Road 150, the Taos Ski Valley road.

The two most popular trails for snowshoeing are Williams Lake and Bull of The Woods. More trails including popular cross country ski trails can be found at Carson National Forest. For groomed cross country ski trails, check out the Enchanted Forest XC Ski Area near Red River.

See all trails in Taos Ski Valley on HikingProject.com - free GPS coordinates, descriptions, photos and other info.

Snowshoe Rentals
Snowshoes/poles can be rented at Cottams's Ski Shop.

Name of Trail	Print Map	Distance one way			Wilderness Area	Degree of Difficulty
Gavilan Trail	Map	3.3miles		X	X	Intermediate/Expert
Italianos Canyon Trail 59	Map	3.6 miles		X	X	Intermediate
Long Canyon/Bull-Of-The-Woods	Map	3.6 miles	X	X	X	Expert
Manzanita Canyon Trail 58	Map	4.2 miles		X	X	Expert
Wheeler Peak Trail 90	Map	8 miles	X	X	X	Expert
Williams Lake Trail 62	Map	2 miles	X	X	X	Novice/Intermediate
Yerba Canyon Trail	Map	4 miles		x	X	Expert