Washington County

Washington County photo

Talk about good timing.

A snowshoe outing may never seem as fun as it did earlier today — a Monday in February when the traffic on local roads and highways was crawling as a fresh layer of snow blanketed the area.

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but around rush hour this morning Washington County e-mailed reporters a news release bringing attention to upcoming snowshoe lessons at Lake Elmo Park Reserve.

Here’s the info on the upcoming event:

Snowshoe lessons will be offered to Washington County Park visitors at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21. Instructors from the Tamarack Nature Center will be on hand to help participants trek through the snow. The fee for the program is $5 per person. Participants must be in third grade or older.

The snowshoe program is designed to help people experience the outdoors, burn those extra calories from the winter season, and learn the basics of the ancient art of snowshoeing. The Tamarack Nature Center will provide the snowshoes, so all participants need to do is dress for the weather. There are limited snowshoes, so call ahead to pre-register for the program.

Lake Elmo Park Reserve is at the intersection of County Road 19 and County Road 10 (one mile north of Interstate 94) in Lake Elmo. The program will be at the Trailhead Shelter in the park. Call 651-430-8370 or see www.co.washington.mn.us/parks for additional information on this program. Parking permits are required.