Wolf Ridge

Superior Snowshoe

Outdoor Recreation Skills
| 4th Grade - Adult
| Half Day 3 hrs
| Difficult


Students will use snowshoes provided by Wolf Ridge to travel to one of several Superior Hiking Trail overlooks above Lake Superior.  Students will discover neat features of winter, like snow and ice patterns, animal tracks, and plants.  Routes leading over frozen lakes, through the frozen wetlands, and possibly an overview of the lake, will provide plenty of opportunity to discover this winter landscape as students stay far away from designated trails.

Class Outline

I. Why use snowshoes?

A. Initial Observations

B. Weight Distribution Probe

C. Snowshoe Designs

1. Materials

2. Bindings

3. Styles

D. Where to?

E. Equipment

II. How do we use snowshoes?

A. Towards the Lakes

B. Technique and Explore

C. Race

III. What can we learn along the way?

A. Hike there

B. Winter Ecology

1. What do you notice?

2. Nature Stories in Winter

3. People Stories in Winter

C. Hike Back

1.  Snowshoe stories

2. We Can Go Almost Anywhere

3. What’s Next

Concepts and Outcomes



  1. Outdoor Recreation- Using physical skills allows us to reach remote natural areas, and gain a sense of place.
  2. Science and Technology- Humans adapt to their surroundings by observing and applying basic scientific principles.
  3. Ecosystems-All living and nonliving components of an environment interact with one another to form an ecosystem.


Upon completion of the Superior Snowshoe class students will be able to:

1. Compare and contrast different materials and styles of snowshoes and bindings.

2. Demonstrate the ability to maneuver across the snow on snowshoes.

3. Evaluate the advantages of snowshoes for winter travel.

4. Note unique natural features in winter like animal tracks, birds, snow and ice patterns, and plants, and connect how they connect to the Lake Superior region ecosystem.


Standards Supported

MN Science Standards Grade Code
Objects have observable properties that can be measured. 4
In order to improve their existence, humans interact with and influence Earth systems. 4
In order to maintain and improve their existence, humans interact with and influence Earth systems. 5
Humans change environments in ways that can be either beneficial or harmful to themselves and other organisms. 5
Substances can undergo physical changes which do not change the composition or the total mass of the substance in a closed system. 6
Landforms are the result of the combination of constructive and destructive processes. 8
Human activity has consequences on living organisms and ecosystems. 9