The snowshoe hare takes its name from its huge hind feet. Fur on the soles spreads its weight on deep snow and gives it grip, and the big feet help it zigzag away from predators. It is a mid-sized hare of about 3 to 4 pounds, with long ears and a short tail, and it is the smallest hare in Oregon.
Many snowshoe hares change color with the seasons. The molt takes about ten weeks and is timed by day length. In summer the coat is grayish brown with a whiter chin, belly and tail; in winter it turns mostly white, with dark rims on the ears. In Oregon, hares east of the Cascades and some within the Cascades turn white, so Mt. Hood hares may be white or stay brown through the winter.
Snowshoe hares feed mostly at night and around dawn and dusk, resting by day in shallow hollows under ferns, brush or fallen logs. In summer they eat grasses, clover and other green plants; after frost they switch to buds, twigs, needles and bark. A long list of predators hunts them, from bobcats, coyotes and martens to owls and goshawks, so they depend on thick cover. Look for them, or their big tracks in snow, in dense stands of young conifers and brushy openings.
How to identify it
A medium hare, just over a foot long, with long ears and very large, furry hind feet. The summer coat is grayish brown with a white chin, belly and tail; in populations that change color, the winter coat is mostly white with black-rimmed ears.
Habitat
Dense young conifer stands with low branches near the ground, brushy thickets of vine maple, willow and rhododendron, and small clearings nearby, mainly in upper montane forest. On Mt. Hood, look in thick forest regrowth and brush.
Sightings in the forest
30 research-grade sightings in Mt. Hood National Forest on iNaturalist, most recently on August 22, 2026. See them on iNaturalist →