A favorite winter snowshoe route is the snowed-in double track up the east side of Opax Mountain.   We follow the gravel road to the BC Forest Service kiosk near the Mud Lake Demonstration Forest then continue east,  climbing for 3 km onto a forested plateau.   The best views are to the south so we continued along the double track to a large wet area, then we followed a side track to the south, completing our snowshoe with a bushwhack route (breaking trail) up an open-forested slope to the top of the lava flow cliffs that overlook Hanging Valley.

Our last outing on the East Opax route on the snow (Snopax) was a sunny and mild day.

hoar frost in the trees	the view of the grasslands from our lunch stop
deep snow drifts in open meadows on top of Opax	open meadows above the lava flow cliffs
snow-slump sculptures	snow snags on the edge of the meadows

With the warmer temperatures snow clumps had melted enough to slump, then freeze, sometimes into gravity-defying shapes.

sagging snow slumps	frozen snow slumps of evergeens
gravity-defying slumps form anthropomorphic shapes	snow sculptures on fenceposts
another slump sculpture	mushroom-cap snow sculptures

Opax always has a lot of wildlife.   In winter we mainly see tracks and on this day we spot tracks from hares, squirrels, deer, coyote, wolves, lynx, and weasels.

lynx, we think

lots of wolf tracks

Opax always feel remote and wild.   There are 3 good double track access routes, but they see little human presence in winter making it one of the best places for a winter destination.   We will continue to “Snopax” most winters.