Celebrating Winter Trails Day at Weston Ski Track

I was so excited it snowed on Friday that I picked up Addie early from school in hopes we could go snowshoeing. Unfortunately, I was driving down from New Hampshire, where there was much more snow than what I found when we got back home. We scrapped our plans for the afternoon, instead focusing on prepping for Winter Trails Day on Saturday – a day for folks to try cross-country skiing or snowshoeing for free at over 100 sites around the country!

Even though there was no snow in the forecast, we knew Saturday would be a success because we were headed to Weston Ski Track in Weston, MA, where they make snow! Unfortunately, what we gained in powder we lost in wilderness, but it was a fair trade considering we have only had ONE day of snowshoeing conditions this winter!

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]Location: Weston Ski Track, Weston, MA
Date: January 10, 2015
Distance: .75 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 43 feet
Our Hiking Time: 40 minutes roundtrip
Difficulty: Easy

Trail Map[/box]

With the temperature approaching zero degrees with the wind chill, we bundled up all three kids, packed our snowshoes, and made the 45 minute trip to Weston on Saturday morning. I was surprised by two things upon our arrival.

1. The number of people cross-country skiing in the freezing weather, and

2. Weston Ski Track is a golf course in the summers. Specifically, the Department of Conservation & Recreation’s Leo J. Martin Golf Course.

We had to wait about five minutes for a parking spot to open up, and then we spent another 15 minutes getting the kids into their snowshoeing gear. Once the twins were in their kid carriers, we headed to the tents set up for Winter Trails Day. EMS, Mix 104.1, and C2 were all there, playing music, and giving out snacks and swag. Addie and I got on our snowshoes while Kendra went to get our free trail passes and find our friend Stacy, whom we’d convinced to come give snowshoeing a try.

While we waited, Addie got some lip balm from the Mix 104.1 tent, and I met our local Tubbs Snowshoes rep, Jonathan Moore! I introduced ourselves as Tubbs Family Ambassadors and made him promise he’d meet up with us at Romp to Stomp in Vermont.

Meanwhile, Kendra had tracked down Stacy, and they joined us so we could get Stacy fitted with snowshoes! Jonathan helped her pick out a pair of Tubbs, showed her how to put them on, and taught her the basics of snowshoeing. Once she was ready, we headed onto the trails!

As glad as I was to get on my snowshoes, it was a bit weird to be out in the open and not the woods. Cross-Country skiers zipped around us as we carefully made our way to the right side of the trail.

Because the snow making machines only work in a limited area, we weren’t able to explore much of the 15km of available trails. Instead, we made a small loop around the snow making area and wound around the tail end of one of the two dedicated snowshoeing trails.

Despite the not so ideal conditions, we had a good hike. Addie made snow angels and asked a lot of questions about the snow making machines. When she got tired, I kept her going by feeding her M&Ms. The twins were generally quiet and content taking in their surroundings.

As we neared the end of our hike, I caught a glimpse of the Charles River on our left. (Anytime I see that river, I get nostalgic for all my time spent rowing and coaching there…) Addie, Kate and I checked out the water, then headed back to the Winter Trails Day tents. Overall, we had a successful day – we got a chance to snowshoe, check out the Weston Ski Center, and I am pretty sure Stacy will go snowshoeing with us again!

Because we own snowshoes, I can’t imagine going back to the Weston Ski Track unless we hit another snow drought, but it seems like a great place for anyone interested in giving snowshoeing or cross-country skiing a try. Who knows – maybe we’ll go back and try cross-country skiing when the kids are older!

Know Before You Go

The Weston Ski Track offers cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Rentals and lessons are available. Check the website for the most up-to-date prices for trail passes and rental equipment.

Hours

Open from mid-December to early-March, depending on conditions – Monday-Thursday, 10am-9pm; Fridays from 10am-6pm, and Weekends & Holidays from 9am-6pm.

Directions

The Weston Ski School is located at 190 Park Road, Weston, Massachusetts.

From Boston: Take the Mass Pike to exit 15. Stay left after the toll booth. At the end of the ramp, turn left onto Park Road, following a sign for Route 16. Weston Ski Track is a quarter-mile down the road on the left.

From the West: Take the Mass Pike to exit 14 (Rt. 128 North and South). After the toll, follow signs for Rt. 128 North and Rt. 30. Take exit 24, Route 30. Turn left onto Rt. 30 West. Turn left at the second set of lights onto Park Road. Weston Ski Track is a half mile down the road on the left.

From the North: Take Rt. 128 South to exit 24 (Rt. 30). Make a left turn at the end of the ramp onto Rt. 30 West. At the next set of lights turn left onto Park Road. Weston Ski Track is a half mile down the road on the left.

From the South: Take Rt.128 North to exit 21 (Rt. 16). Turn left at the end of the ramp and follow Rt. 16 West for 1/2 mile. At the second set of lights, turn right onto Concord Street. Weston Ski Track is one mile up the road on the right.