Instead of fearing that very first snowfall in Canada, get outdoors and accept the winter. Throughout the cold weather, Canada becomes a winter season wonderland. Canadians understand how to beat the winter season blues. When you find out how to dress for winter, you’ll discover that there are a lot of things to do in winter season in Canada that make it worth directing North for the vacations. Rather of hibernating this winter season get outdoors and begin preparing a winter season journey to Canada. Do not forget to wrap!
Fun Things to do in Winter in Canada
Go Skiing and Snowboarding
Canada is blessed with a few of the very best areas for downhill snowboarding and snowboarding worldwide. In addition to the stunning snow-capped mountains, visitors can likewise inspect renowned ski resorts that use exceptional lodging and centers that match the outside enjoyable. Canada has a few of the very best ski resorts in the world from Whistler Blackcomb to Mont Tremblant, you can downhill ski in Canada from coast to coast!
You can have the very best snowboarding and snowboarding experience in between Alberta and British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada with the most popular being Whistler Blackcomb, Revelstoke, Sun Peaks, and Big White in BC. When snowboarding in Alberta, Lake Louise in Banff National Park is the premier ski resort however other fantastic ski resorts consist of Sunshine Village and Marmot Basin In eastern Canada, Quebec is the location of option with Mont-Tremblant, Mont Saint Anne, and Le Massif being favourites. And right here in Ontario, we enjoy a weekend vacation to Blue Mountain too!
SkiJoring
Cross nation snowboarding is likewise incredibly popular with Canadians. You can do this winter season sport in Canada almost anywhere and most ski resorts use it. Offer X-country snowboarding a shot if you aren’t prepared for downhill snowboarding. It’s enjoyable for the entire household. For a genuinely special Canadian winter season experience, attempt skijoring. It blends snowboarding with dogsledding and is a rip-roaring great time.
Watch the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)
The Aurora Borealis, likewise referred to as the Northern Lights, is a natural display screen of light in the night sky. This phenomenon is just noticeable in the Northern Hemisphere. The native Cree People called the Auroras “The Dance of the Spirits”. When you go to Canada in winter season, it will cost you absolutely nothing to look at the stunning Aurora Borealis and there are plenty of locations to see the Northern Lights dance.
Where to See Northern Lights in Canada
Head to Yellowknife, Goose Bay in Labrador, the coasts of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, and the meadow provinces of Canada to get the very best view of the Aurora Borealis. We’ve likewise seen remarkable Northern Lights in Alberta around Jasper National Park and Banff National Park And we saw the auroras every night while searching for polar bears with Churchill Wild.
Skate on the Rideau Canal
Ice skating on the Rideau Canal is among the most renowned things you can do in winter season in Canada. Typically, the skating season on the UNESCO World Heritage Site starts throughout Winterlude, Ottawa’swinter carnival You can hop and lease skates on the world’s biggest skating rink. It goes for miles with warming stations, where you can sample frozen maple syrup and beavertails with a lot of enjoyable experiences along the Rideau Canal that goes through the city of Ottawa.
Attend a Winterlude
Speaking of Winterlude, Canada has a lot of winter season carnivals to participate in. When the days grow much shorter and cooler, Canadians enjoy to get outdoors to commemorate with lights, ice sculptures, and winter season activities. Throughout the winter season, you’ll discover winter season carnivals in every province. Our preferred is Winterlude in Ottawa.
Winter Carnivals
We’ve attended it a number of times making the most of all the winter season enjoyable consisting of snow tubing, the ice bar at Andaz, the winter season zipline network in Gatineau, and checking out all the ice developments and ice sculptures. Another fantastic location to go ziplining in the winter season is at the Marble Mountain Ski Resort in Newfoundland and Labrador. (We have not existed yet, however it’s on our list!)
Carnivale Quebec City
Quebec City has the popular Carnivale winter season carnival. This UNESCO World Heritage City really comes alive in winter season. The old city is changed into a winter season wonderland that feels frozen in time. You can go to the popular Ice Hotel and have a beverage at the ice bar. Opening in 2001, it was North America’s very first Ice Hotel and you can enjoy ice sculpture competitors. Ensure to go to North America’s most European City in the winter season. We liked our winter season remain in Quebec City.
Other winter season celebrations in Canada are the Winter Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls, the Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg, Jasper in January, and the Montreal Lumiere Festival At the winter season celebrations, you can anticipate to see an ice sculpture competitors, snow tubing, ice skating, and stunning ice bars where you can cover yourself in a blanket and delight in the vigorous air. Read more: Montreal Festivals – Celebrate Canada’s Coolest City
Ice Wine Festival
A winter season celebration that is special to Canada is the Ice Wine Festival in Niagara Falls. We enjoy heading outdoors to taste the tasty ice red wines of the Niagara Region. The wineries open their doors to sample food and the area’s popular dessert red wine made from their frozen grapes while showcasing ice sculptures and winter season cheer. We have actually even gone snowshoeing and ice tasting at the ice bar, or just taking pleasure in the outdoors throughout the Ice Wine Festival. This celebration is an excellent start if you are looking for special winter season things to do in Canada! Find out more: Snowshoeing Wine Tour Niagara Falls
Frozen Niagara Falls
Canada has stunning waterfalls and when they are frozen, they are much more wonderful. You can discover them throughout the winter season however among the most renowned things to see is a frozen Niagara Falls. Absolutely nothing compares to seeing the enormous frozen horseshoe falls. Seeing Niagara Falls frozen is something that is really special.
Frozen Waterfalls
And besides, even if it is winter season, it does not indicate the town of Niagara Falls shuts down, in reality, it is a rip-roaring great time in this Canadian traveler location. There are stunning frozen waterfalls throughout Canada. When the temperature level drops the winter season wonderland of frozen waterfalls takes control of the landscape. Read more: Romance in Niagara Falls, Ontario’s Best Weekend Getaway
Dog Sledding Tours
Dog sledding is a famous Canadian winter season experience. It is so popular that you can go mushing in all thirteen Canadian provinces and areas. The sledding duration is identified by the weather variations throughout the nation. Whitehorse in Yukon takes pleasure in pet sledding from November to March, whereas Quebec’s mushing season runs from January to March. We have actually gone dogsledding from the Canadian Rockies in Alberta to Northern Ontario. Read: The Misconceptions of Dogsledding
Where to go Dogsledding in Canada
Ice Climbing
Ice climbing is getting increasing appeal as one of the very best winter season sports amongst winter season thrill-seekers. It is a energetic and tough activity that requires sound fitness. If you feel the desire to scale brand-new heights on frozen waterfalls and towering slopes of ice developments, head to the Rocky Mountains of Alberta.
Where to go Ice Climbing in Canada
- Canmore Alberta is thought about among the very best locations worldwide to go ice climbing up with Yamnuska Outdoors
- Quebec likewise has a few of the very best ice climbing up in Canada with Parc de la Chute-Montmorency and Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaieb being the popular options.
- The Ghost River Valley, Bow Valley, Stanley Headwall and IceFields Parkway in the Rocky Mountains have actually drawn in climbers from around the world to scale the flashing ice in attractive environments.
Snowmobiling
If your legs can not take the stress of snowboarding, you can get ready for snowmobiling. From Newfoundland to Vancouver, there are many routes that use the best snowmobiling experience. Canada has actually surpassed brief routes by building the Trans Canada Trail, which links one part of the nation to the other over a 21,500 kilometer long path. There is an incredible snowmobile path in Quebec that leaves Quebec City and goes north to Hudson Bay. We’ve checked out the routes of Haliburton in Ontario and the backcountry of Whistler in BC.
Canyoning
There are numerous methods to delight in snow and ice. The sub-zero chill freezes the canyons, caverns, and crevasses in the areas of Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper National Park in Alberta. Winter season changes these resort towns into an icy winter season wonderland. Climb up the glowing canyon walls and take the ice walk to check out ice caverns and the charm of areas that are apparently unattainable throughout summer season as you admire the frozen waterfalls.
Some of our preferred locations to go on an ice walk in Canada are Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park, Maligne Canyon in Jasper National Park, and Grotto Canyon Canmore. The Ice Caves of Lake Superior can end up being magnificent when the winter season conditions are.
Ice Fishing
As the temperature level drops, the fishing action warms up throughout Canada. Ice fishing provides a distinct fishing experience to visitors and residents alike. Stepping on a frozen lake, drilling a hole in the icy water, placing a fishing line, and waiting in anticipation can be a fulfilling experience. A lot of Canadians being in warm fishing huts however we attempted our hand in Northern Ontario throughout a winter expedition however there are a lot of 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 likewise great for ice fishing.
Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing is a popular winter season activity in Canada as the method of snowshoeing is simple to find out and it is an affordable activity. Strategy a walking in the winter season forest, snowshoe throughout frozen lakes, and ascend mountain slopes. As a perk, it functions as an excellent exercise too. As a matter of reality, lots of walkers, runners, and hikers are selecting snowshoeing as their chosen winter season activity since it burns lots of calories.
The most popular snowshoeing locations are Callaghan County in Whistler, The Rocky Mountains in Alberta, and the parks of Northern Ontario We’ve gone snowshoeing in almost every Canadian province and the fantastic feature of this winter season experience in Canada is that anybody can do it. Simply strap on some snowshoes and took off.
Pond Hockey
By late December, the majority of the lakes and ponds in Canada are frozen. From frozen lakes to yard ice rinks produced by the residents’. There are a lot of locations to delight in skating on public skating rinks and frozen ponds in nearly all Canadian cities. The very best part is that ice skating on a frozen lake is that it is definitely totally free. Whether you are with dignity moving on the ice flooring or playing a video game of ice hockey, you make sure to have a good time on the ice. Simply look out for the ‘Thin Ice’ indications.
World Pond Hockey Championships
Canadians enjoy 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 all over the world to complete in this special competition. Hot idea: Don’t hesitate to sign up with a pond hockey video game happening, Canadians get along and will let you in on the enjoyable!
Where to go Ice Skating in Canada
Besides ice skating on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Ontario, there are many ice routes and skating rinks around the nation. Winnipeg has the longest ice skating rink worldwide on the Assiniboine River. The finest location to do that is on Lake Louise if you desire to play a renowned video game of pond hockey. It is among the most stunning outside skating rinks in the world with the Canadian Rockies surrounding the frozen lake.
Sleigh Rides
One of the most romantic outside winter season activities in Canada is to take a sleigh trip. We have actually gotten on sleigh flights from east to west throughout this fantastic nation, and each has actually been as wonderful as the other.
With hot chocolate in hand, a blanket on our laps, and extraordinary northern surroundings, winter season sleigh flights are a few of the most romantic things to do in a Canadian winter season. We’ve taken sleigh flights around Lake Louise in Banff National Park, from the Fairmont in Whistler British Columbia, in Mont Tremblant Quebec, and in Muskoka Ontario.
Hot Springs
After all those winter season experiences, heat up your bones at warm springs. Canadians enjoy to being in the outside jacuzzi. Absolutely nothing is rather as wonderful as having the snowfall all around you as the steam increases from the hot bath. A few of our preferred warm springs in Canada are the Banff Hot Springs in Alberta, Harrison Hot Springs in British Columbia, and Takhini Hot Pools in the Yukon.
Backcountry Lodges
Get away from everything at a backcountry lodge. Dogsled, cross nation ski, snowshoe or snowmobile into a backcountry lodge throughout Canada. A few of our preferred locations are with Winterdance in Haliburton, Ontario. Get totally off the grid and take horses to check out the Canadian Wilderness. Or ski into Sundance Lodge in Banff, Alberta for a genuinely off-the-grid experience. You can discover backcountry lodges throughout Canada and they are really remarkable. Sit by the roaring fire, sip mulled red wine and listen to stories by the regional trip operators. They constantly have the most fascinating lives.
And there you have it! All of the very best things to do in the winter in Canada. From the West Coast and the Canadian Rockies to our renowned cities and nationwide parks, Canada is an incredible location to go to in Winter. Think about a journey to Canada throughout the winter season months if you are looking for a distinct holiday location. It’s a journey you’ll always remember.