The Deschutes National Forest, Mt. Bachelor ski area and Discover Your Forest will offer snowshoe tours at Mount Bachelor through March.

Snowshoe tours will be offered at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays as well as during school breaks such as winter break, as snow conditions allow. Reservations are not required except for groups of six or more. No tours will be offered Christmas Day or New Year’s Day.

Participants will learn or practice snowshoe skills while learning about the ecology, geology and wildlife of the Cascades from rangers. Tours will start at the U.S. Forest Service snowshoe hut in Mt. Bachelor’s West Village. Snowshoes are provided, and no experience is necessary. Participants must be 10 or older and wear warm boots and clothing. Tours last about 90 minutes.

Tours are free, but donations to support Discover Your Forest programs are accepted. Discover Your Forest is the nonprofit supporting the Deschutes and Ochoco national forests and Crooked River Grassland.

In addition to the tours, “roving rangers” will answer questions and give impromptu talks at Mount Bachelor between the Outback and Sunrise Express and at the lodges.

Contact: Snowshoe with a Ranger Hotline, 541-383-4055, for up-to-date tour information; Discover Your Forest, 541-383-4771, karen.gentry@discovernw.org, for more detailed information or to schedule a group tour.