As an alternative of dreading that first snowfall in Canada, get exterior and embrace the winter season. In the course of the winter months, Canada turns right into a winter wonderland. Canadians know easy methods to beat the winter blues. When you learn to gown for chilly climate, you’ll discover that there are many issues to do in winter in Canada that make it value heading up North for the vacations. So as an alternative of hibernating this winter get exterior and begin planning a winter journey to Canada. Don’t neglect to bundle up!
Enjoyable Issues to do in Winter in Canada
Go Snowboarding and Snowboarding
Canada is blessed with a few of the finest areas for downhill snowboarding and snowboarding on the earth. Along with the gorgeous snow-capped mountains, guests may also examine illustrious ski resorts that provide glorious lodging and services that complement the out of doors enjoyable. Canada has a few of the finest ski resorts on earth from Whistler Blackcomb to Mont Tremblant, you possibly can downhill ski in Canada from coast to coast!
You possibly can have the perfect snowboarding and snowboarding expertise between Alberta and British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada with the most well-liked being Whistler Blackcomb, Revelstoke, Solar Peaks, and Large White in BC. When snowboarding in Alberta, Lake Louise in Banff Nationwide Park is the premier ski resort however different nice ski resorts embrace Sunshine Village and Marmot Basin. In jap Canada, Quebec is the place of alternative with Mont-Tremblant, Mont Saint Anne, and Le Massif being favourites. And proper right here in Ontario, we love a weekend getaway to Blue Mountain too!
SkiJoring
Cross nation snowboarding can be very fashionable with Canadians. You are able to do this winter sport in Canada almost anyplace and most ski resorts supply it as nicely. When you aren’t prepared for downhill snowboarding, give X-country snowboarding a attempt. It’s enjoyable for the entire household. For a really distinctive Canadian winter journey, attempt skijoring. It mixes snowboarding with dogsledding and is a rip-roaring good time.
Watch the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)
The Aurora Borealis, also called the Northern Lights, is a pure show of sunshine within the night time sky. This phenomenon is simply seen within the Northern Hemisphere. The native Cree Folks known as the Auroras “The Dance of the Spirits”. It can price you nothing to gaze on the stunning Aurora Borealis and there are many locations to see the Northern Lights dance whenever you go to Canada in winter.
The place to See Northern Lights in Canada
Head to Yellowknife, Goose Bay in Labrador, the shores of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, and the prairie provinces of Canada to get the perfect view of the Aurora Borealis. We’ve additionally seen distinctive Northern Lights in Alberta round Jasper Nationwide Park and Banff Nationwide Park. And we watched the auroras each night time whereas looking for polar bears with Churchill Wild.
Skate on the Rideau Canal
Ice skating on the Rideau Canal is among the most iconic issues you are able to do in winter in Canada. Often, the skating season on the UNESCO World Heritage Web site begins throughout Winterlude, Ottawa’s winter carnival. You possibly can lease skates and hop on the world’s largest skating rink. It stretches for miles with warming stations, the place you possibly can pattern frozen maple syrup and beavertails with loads of enjoyable adventures alongside the Rideau Canal that runs by way of the town of Ottawa.
Attend a Winterlude
Talking of Winterlude, Canada has loads of winter carnivals to attend. When the times develop shorter and colder, Canadians like to get outdoor to rejoice with lights, ice sculptures, and winter actions. All through the winter, you’ll discover winter carnivals in each province. Our favourite is Winterlude in Ottawa.
Winter Carnivals
We’ve attended it a number of occasions profiting from all of the winter enjoyable together with snow tubing, the ice bar at Andaz, the winter zipline community in Gatineau, and exploring all of the ice formations and ice sculptures. One other good spot to go ziplining within the winter is on the Marble Mountain Ski Resort in Newfoundland and Labrador. (We haven’t been there but, however it’s on our checklist!)
Carnivale Quebec Metropolis
Quebec Metropolis has the well-known Carnivale winter carnival. This UNESCO World Heritage Metropolis actually comes alive in winter. The outdated metropolis is remodeled right into a winter wonderland that feels frozen in time. You possibly can go to the well-known Ice Resort and have a drink on the ice bar. Opening in 2001, it was North America’s first Ice Resort and you may watch ice sculpture competitions. Be certain to go to North America’s most European Metropolis within the winter. We beloved our winter keep in Quebec Metropolis.
Different winter festivals in Canada are the Winter Competition of Lights in Niagara Falls, the Competition du Voyageur in Winnipeg, Jasper in January, and the Montreal Lumiere Competition. On the winter festivals, you possibly can anticipate to see an ice sculpture competitors, snow tubing, ice skating, and delightful ice bars the place you possibly can wrap your self in a blanket and benefit from the brisk air. Learn extra: Montreal Festivals – Have fun Canada’s Coolest Metropolis
Ice Wine Competition
A winter competition that’s distinctive to Canada is the Ice Wine Competition in Niagara Falls. We love heading outdoor to style the scrumptious ice wines of the Niagara Area. The wineries open their doorways to pattern meals and the area’s fashionable dessert wine constituted of their frozen grapes whereas showcasing ice sculptures and winter cheer. We’ve got even gone snowshoeing and ice tasting on the ice bar, or just having fun with the nice outdoor in the course of the Ice Wine Competition. In case you are searching for distinctive winter issues to do in Canada, this competition is a superb begin! Learn extra: Snowshoeing Wine Tour Niagara Falls
Frozen Niagara Falls
Canada has stunning waterfalls and when they’re frozen, they’re much more magical. You will discover them anyplace within the winter however one of the vital iconic issues to see is a frozen Niagara Falls. Nothing compares to seeing the huge frozen horseshoe falls. Seeing Niagara Falls frozen is one thing that’s actually distinctive.
Frozen Waterfalls
And apart from, simply because it’s winter, it doesn’t imply the city of Niagara Falls closes down, the truth is, it’s a rip-roaring good time on this Canadian vacationer vacation spot. There are stunning frozen waterfalls all through Canada. As soon as the temperature drops the winter wonderland of frozen cascades takes over the panorama. Learn extra: Romance in Niagara Falls, Ontario’s Greatest Weekend Getaway
Canine Sledding Excursions
Canine sledding is a legendary Canadian winter journey. It’s so fashionable that you may go mushing in all 13 Canadian provinces and territories. Nonetheless, the sledding interval is decided by the climatic variations throughout the nation. For example, Whitehorse in Yukon enjoys canine sledding from November to March, whereas Quebec’s mushing season runs from January to March. We’ve got gone dogsledding from the Canadian Rockies in Alberta to Northern Ontario. Learn: The Misconceptions of Dogsledding
The place to go Dogsledding in Canada
Ice Climbing
Mountaineering is gaining rising recognition as probably the greatest winter sports activities amongst winter thrill-seekers. It’s a difficult and vigorous exercise that calls for sound bodily health. When you really feel the urge to scale new heights on frozen waterfalls and towering slopes of ice formations, head to the Rocky Mountains of Alberta.
The place to go Ice Climbing in Canada
- Canmore Alberta is taken into account probably the greatest locations on the earth to go mountain climbing with Yamnuska Outdoor
- Quebec additionally has a few of the finest mountain climbing in Canada with Parc de la Chute-Montmorency and Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaieb being the favored selections.
- The Ghost River Valley, Bow Valley, Stanley Headwall and IceFields Parkway within the Rocky Mountains have attracted climbers from throughout the globe to scale the glittering ice in picturesque environment.
Snowmobiling
In case your legs can’t take the pressure of snowboarding, you possibly can gear up for snowmobiling. From Newfoundland to Vancouver, there are quite a few trails that provide the right snowmobiling expertise. Canada has gone past brief trails by setting up the Trans Canada Path, which connects one a part of the nation to the opposite over a 21,500 kilometer lengthy path. There may be a tremendous snowmobile route in Quebec that leaves Quebec Metropolis and goes north to Hudson Bay. We’ve explored the paths of Haliburton in Ontario and the backcountry of Whistler in BC.
Canyoning
There are such a lot of methods to get pleasure from snow and ice. The sub-zero chill freezes the canyons, caves, and crevasses within the areas of Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper Nationwide Park in Alberta. Winter transforms these resort cities into an icy winter wonderland. Climb the glistening canyon partitions and take the ice stroll to discover ice caves and the great thing about areas which might be seemingly inaccessible throughout summer season as you marvel on the frozen waterfalls.
A few of our favourite locations to go on an ice stroll in Canada are Johnston Canyon in Banff Nationwide Park, Maligne Canyon in Jasper Nationwide Park, and Grotto Canyon Canmore. The Ice Caves of Lake Superior can grow to be spectacular when the winter circumstances are proper.
Ice Fishing
Because the temperature drops, the fishing motion heats up throughout Canada. Ice fishing presents a novel fishing expertise to locals and guests alike. Stepping on a frozen lake, drilling a gap within the icy water, inserting a fishing line, and ready in anticipation is usually a rewarding expertise. Most Canadians sit in heat fishing huts however we tried our hand in Northern Ontario throughout a winter expedition however there are many locations to go ice fishing in Canada. From Lake Simcoe (located 60 miles north of Toronto) to Tobin Lake in Manitoba and Renforth New Brunswick. British Columbia and Quebec are additionally good for ice fishing.
Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing is a well-liked winter exercise in Canada because the strategy of snowshoeing is straightforward to study and it’s a cheap exercise. Plan a hike within the winter forest, snowshoe throughout frozen lakes, and ascend mountain slopes. As a bonus, it acts as an amazing exercise too. As a matter of truth, many walkers, runners, and hikers are selecting snowshoeing as their most popular winter exercise as a result of it burns many energy.
Essentially the most well-known snowshoeing locations are Callaghan County in Whistler, The Rocky Mountains in Alberta, and the parks of Northern Ontario We’ve gone snowshoeing in almost each Canadian province and the wonderful thing about this winter expertise in Canada is that anybody can do it. Simply strap on some snowshoes and hit the path.
Pond Hockey
By late December, a lot of the lakes and ponds in Canada are frozen. From frozen lakes to yard ice rinks created by the locals’. There are many locations to get pleasure from skating on public skating rinks and frozen ponds in nearly all Canadian cities. The very best half is that ice skating on a frozen lake is that it’s completely free. Whether or not you might be gracefully sliding on the ice flooring or taking part in a sport of ice hockey, you might be positive to have enjoyable on the ice. Simply be careful for the ‘Skinny Ice’ indicators.
World Pond Hockey Championships
Canadians love ice hockey a lot that we host the World Pond Hockey Championship in Plaster Rock New Brunswick. 100 groups head to the East Coast from around the globe to compete on this distinctive match. Scorching tip: Don’t be afraid to affix a pond hockey sport happening, Canadians are pleasant and can allow you to in on the enjoyable!
The place to go Ice Skating in Canada
Apart from ice skating on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Ontario, there are numerous ice trails and skating rinks across the nation. Winnipeg has the longest ice skating rink on the earth on the Assiniboine River. If you wish to play an iconic sport of pond hockey, the perfect place to try this is on Lake Louise. It is among the most stunning out of doors skating rinks on earth with the Canadian Rockies surrounding the frozen lake.
Sleigh Rides
One of the vital romantic out of doors winter actions in Canada is to take a sleigh trip. We’ve got hopped on sleigh rides from east to west throughout this nice nation, and every has been as magical as the opposite.
With scorching chocolate in hand, a blanket on our laps, and unimaginable northern surroundings, winter sleigh rides are a few of the most romantic issues to do in a Canadian winter. We’ve taken sleigh rides round Lake Louise in Banff Nationwide Park, from the Fairmont in Whistler British Columbia, in Mont Tremblant Quebec, and in Muskoka Ontario.
Scorching Springs
In any case these winter adventures, heat up your bones at scorching springs. Canadians love to take a seat within the out of doors scorching tub. Nothing is kind of as magical as having the snowfall throughout you because the steam rises from the new tub. A few of our favorite scorching springs in Canada are the Banff Scorching Springs in Alberta, Harrison Scorching Springs in British Columbia, and Takhini Scorching Swimming pools within the Yukon.
Backcountry Lodges
Get away from all of it at a backcountry lodge. Dogsled, cross nation ski, snowshoe or snowmobile right into a backcountry lodge anyplace in Canada. A few of our favorite locations are with Winterdance in Haliburton, Ontario. Get utterly off the grid and take horses to discover the Canadian Wilderness. Or ski into Sundance Lodge in Banff, Alberta for a really off-the-grid expertise. You will discover backcountry lodges all through Canada and they’re actually extraordinary. Sit by the roaring hearth, sip mulled wine and hearken to tales by the native tour operators. They at all times have probably the most fascinating lives.
And there you will have it! The entire finest issues to do within the winter season in Canada. From the West Coast and the Canadian Rockies to our nationwide parks and iconic cities, Canada is a tremendous place to go to in Winter. In case you are searching for a novel trip vacation spot, contemplate a visit to Canada in the course of the winter months. It’s a visit you’ll always remember.