The best present you can give yourself this season is outdoors and free for the asking.
Get a dose of nature and gift yourself with serenity. The best time to do that is during, or just after, a freshly fallen snow, and weather forecasts show we’re in for more white blankets touching the ground this winter.
Walking outdoors with a gently falling snow offers a sense of calm and quiet, as if you are in a hushed world.
It’s not your imagination that it’s quieter when snow falls. It’s a scientific phenomenon.
The new snow is mostly air, and the air pockets within the six-sided snowflakes absorb sound waves. The flakes act like “acoustic baffles used in soundproof walls,” says Kathleen Carey of the Montana Natural History Center.
Snowflakes are solid, falling more slowly to the ground compared with the liquid form of rain, which can be loud when hitting the pavement. Sound travels more slowly when it’s cold outdoors, offering us more shelter from noise.
Your chance of experiencing this fleeting quiet is best when you head out the door when the flakes start falling. As snow turns into ice, sounds are not as easily absorbed.
Nighttime walks in the snow among the trees can also be calming and restorative. Short trails at two Lake County Forest Preserves are open at night, illuminated by solar panels. One is a 1.3-mile loop at Old School Forest Preserve in Libertyville. The other is a 1.65-mile, gently rolling loop at the Millennium Trail near the winter sports area at Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda.
I’ve walked the Wauconda trail at night atop a layer of snow, and felt like a spirit wandering in an enchanted forest. The trails are open until 9 p.m. through March 8, and are regularly patrolled for safety. Bicycles and horses are not allowed on the lit trails, giving you a chance to soak up the quiet and breathe in some fresh snowy air after a hard day at work, out shopping or preparing for holiday gatherings.
At night, you might also hear sounds of nocturnal wildlife, for example, a flying squirrel.
Flying squirrels are active at night and glide between tree branches using a membrane of skin extending from the wrist to the ankle. A long tail helps stabilize the squirrel while in the air. The ability to “fly” is helpful for these rodents, which may serve as prey for owls that are also active at night.
You won’t hear the sound of the squirrels gliding from branch to branch at night, but you might hear the high-pitched, squeaky, bird-like chirps they make to communicate with one another. Look up and perhaps you’ll see one gliding from one snowy tree branch to the next.
Beneath the snow layers, wildlife may be taking advantage of the insulation provided by air pockets within the flakes. On a walk through snowy woods during the day, you might notice tiny tracks atop the white blanket. Look where the tracks stop, and you may see a hole in the snow where the creatures have ‘disappeared.”
That hole is the entrance to what’s known as the subnivean zone, a place beneath the snow where wildlife can find warmth. The subnivean zone is a layer of snow that has been transformed into a type of moist gas, which provides a stable temperature in which the mammals can stay away from the colder, blustery atmosphere above.
During this busy time of year, consider taking a peaceful walk outdoors in nature. There are also some free nearby guided outdoor walks at local preserves.
Here are a few you may enjoy:
*Sunday Stroll: 9-10:15 a.m., Dec. 14, Captain Daniel Wright Woods, Vernon Hills. A walk led by Lake County Forest Preserves staff. Requires registration: https://www.lcfpd.org/calendar/sunday-stroll-/20251214/
*2 Miles at 2: Ages 21 and older are invited for a hike around Phantom Prairie, Crabtree Nature Center, Barrington. https://fpdcc.com/event/2-miles-at-2-3/2025-12-17
*Winter Roving Birdwatch: 8:30 a.m., Dec. 18, Giant’s Hollow Trail, Crabtree Nature Center, Barrington https://fpdcc.com/event/winter-roving-birdwatch
Whatever your plans for the holiday season, remind yourself to partake in the free gift of nature.
Sheryl DeVore has worked as a full-time and freelance reporter, editor and photographer for the Chicago Tribune and its subsidiaries. She’s the author of several books on nature and the environment. Send story ideas and thoughts to sheryldevorewriter@gmail.com.
