Winter scenes at Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge
Spectacular winter scenes at Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge in northern Idaho, Dec. 17, 2021. USFWS photo: Sara Straub

 

The late sunrise time in the Kootenai Valley, only about 45 minutes from the Canadian border, keeps things chilly in the morning, where the low temperature on this day was in the single digits, said Straub, the USFWS refuge manager there.

 

“It was an absolutely stunning and crisp morning on the refuge with a fresh dusting of sparkly snow and hoarfrost blanketing the trees,” said Straub.

 

The rare powder snow blanketed the entire 2,800-acre refuge, turning cattails into popsicles, adding a layer to the iced-over refuge ponds and making the nearby Selkirk Mountains even more stunning.

 

In the winter, a herd of a few hundred elk often wanders down in the evenings, and rough-legged hawks can be seen hunting for mice in the uplands.

While the driving tour road is closed to vehicles for safety, visitors are welcome to cross-country ski, snowshoe, walk or bike on it.

 

- Visit Kootenai NWR: www.fws.gov/refuge/Kootenai/

- Find a refuge near you: go.usa.gov/xeQ7b

 

#Idaho #PNW #wintertime #winter #idahome