Unlike hiking a well-traveled trail in the summer, a winter hike presents a variety of challenges, not the least of which involves maintaining your balance on ice.

If you go on a winter nature hike, keep the following tips in mind:

Keep to trails with durable surfaces during a winter hike. Stay on the trail no matter how icy, rocky, wet or muddy it appears. Don't cheat around the edges. Stepping off the sides of a trail to avoid an ice patch can make trail wider.

• Tread carefully over ice covered by snow. Ices mixed with rocks and hard-packed snow usually are durable enough to hike over. A 4- to 6-inch snow cover over ice can make hiking somewhat safe. But always exercise caution and careful steps if you suspect ice under the snow.

• Many ice-covered trails require traversing with crampons attached to hiking boots or using an ice ax. But remember that path conditions can change every few yards, from ice to dirt to snow and back to ice. And crampons can become damaged on granite and gravel.

• Every trail has an icy crux - the most difficult part to traverse. While you can navigate up some ice flows without crampons, the down slop can quickly become a slipper adventure.

• Respect plant life along trails as much as possible. Don't grab that tree to pull yourself up the ice. This will break branches and strip needles off. In addition, walking on shallow or loosely packed snow may crush vegetation lying below. Vegetation is fragile, especially in winter.

• If you must leave a trail to pass around ice hazards, go far off and don't come back for a long way and spread your use and impact. Use the most durable surfaces available and avoid pushing your way through dense vegetation.