Clarissa Kell | Daily Press Escanaba Parks and Recreation Director Kim Peterson holds up one of the snowshoes available to rent for free through the Snow Trek program at the Escanaba Civic Center.

ESCANABA — For the past seven years, the Snow Trek snowshoe rental program has been offering residents the ability to enjoy the winter by being active at no cost.

The free rental program started when Public Health Delta and Menominee Counties received a WISEWOMAN Systems and Environmental Change grant and purchased the snowshoes.

“It has been very successful … this is our seventh season. It was incredible to see the usage that (the snowshoes) were getting,” Kristi Steger, health educator at Public Health, said.

She explained the goal of the program is to offer the activity to WISEWOMAN participants and others in the community in order to increase physical activity in the winter months. WISEWOMAN stands for Well Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation.

“Usually physical activity tapers off (in winter),” Steger said. “This program is a great way to boost physical activity when it might otherwise taper off.”

Snow Trek became a joint project when the Escanaba Parks and Recreation Department got involved the first year the program started.

“Community partnerships are extremely valuable,” Steger said. “It is helpful to have these other check out locations to make the snowshoe renting more accessible.”

Rentals are available in Escanaba at the Public Health Delta and Menominee Counties building, located at 2920 College Ave., between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, though hours may vary. At the Escanaba Civic Center, snowshoes can be rented Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m.

Outside of Escanaba, snowshoes can be rented from either the Marinette-Menominee YMCA, located at 1600 West Drive in Menominee, or at Moraska Saw and Supply, located at W3894 US-2 in Powers.

The Escanaba Parks and Recreation Director Kim Peterson said the of the program each year is completely dependent on the weather. Last winter there were 98 snowshoe rentals from the civic center location, while the winter before there were 113 snowshoe rentals.

“About every weekend in the winter they’re all checked out. If there is snow on the ground, every weekend they will be checked out,” Peterson said.

Steger said the amount of usage always depends on the type of season the area is having.

Residents who want to try their hand at snowshoeing by renting through this program must be over the age of 18 and should know their weight, as snowshoes are based on the amount of weight the shoe can carry.

“All they have to do is give us a copy of their photo ID and they can take the snowshoes and the poles — we have poles that go with them,” Peterson said. “They can check out as many pairs as they need.”

At the Public Health, Delta and Menominee County building there are nine pairs of different sizes of adult snowshoes.

The Civic Center has 16 pairs of snowshoes ranging in sizes for adults and youths.

The YMCA location has 15 pairs of snowshoes including sizes for adults and youths and the Powers location has six pairs of snowshoes available.

Snowshoes cannot be reserved and must be returned within 48 hours of the time they are rented.

The following locations were suggested by the Escanaba Parks and Rec. Department as places for people to snowshoe: Ludington Park, Veteran’s Park, Royce Park, Stephenson Park, North 30th Street Trails, Old Escanaba Ski Hill, Days River Pathway, Rapid River National Trails, Cedar River Pathway, Bay College at its soccer fields and walking trails, and the open field behind the Escanaba High School.

The North 30th Street Trails, also known as the city’s recreational non-motorized pathway, has a special four mile trail for snowshoers connected to it. The pathway, which includes groomed cross country ski trails has entrances on North 30th Street and on US 2-41 next to the Comfort Suites.

Snowshoers may also choose to follow the other loops on the trail, but are asked not to snowshoe on the groomed portion in the middle of the pathway. The grooves in the groomed snow provide tracks for cross country skiers to follow, which are easily damaged by snowshoes.

“We just ask common courtesy if they are going to take the cross country ski trail, to just stay off to the side on their snowshoes,” Peterson said.

With the recent snowfall, Steger said she is anticipating people calling and coming in to the locations to check out snowshoes.

“It is a great time to get out there,” she said.