By Nan Cumming, Executive Director of Portland Trails

Most people aren't lucky like us. For them, enjoying winter sports means an expensive vacation to someplace with lots of snow and scenery. But Portland offers wonderful opportunities for my favorite winter sport—snowshoeing. If you can walk, you can snowshoe. And the Presumpscot River Preserve is my favorite place to do both.

Drive or take METRO Bus #3 to North Deering (for directions, visit www.trails.org). As you make your way through a fine suburban neighborhood you'll probably wonder if this is really your path to a winter wonderland. But that's what is so great about the trail network in Portland— lots of hidden treasures.

The trailhead at the end of Overset offers parking and information. Strap on your snowshoes—your adventure begins immediately as you head down a steep slope into the Preserve. You'll walk through a glade next to a cascade of water, especially magical blanketed in snow. When you reach the Presumpscot, the City seems miles away, your only care whether to follow the River Trail east or west. I suggest you do both. Heading east, you'll see Presumpscot Falls—released six years ago when the Smelt Hill Dam was removed. No one had seen the falls since the dam was built in 1731, but now we can…see how lucky we are? Your walk to the falls will take about 30 minutes, depending on the conditions and how often you stop to admire the scenery.

As you head back through the forest, be sure look across the river to the beautiful ice formations spilling down the rocky cliffs. When you reach the side trail back to the start, you can continue west to a different part of the Preserve—marshes, more steep slopes, and what I think is the most breathtaking view of the river. If you add some of the smaller loops through the woods, you can easily spend a full afternoon tramping through the snow.