Ontario transforms into a winter wonderland as the temperatures drop and offers many activities that make the cold months truly enjoyable.
Winter enthusiasts are excited about a paradise that boasts an abundance of fluffy snow, exciting adventures, and solitude.
Ontario has everything for everybody, from seeking an active family vacation in the great outdoors to the opportunity to learn new skills and challenge your existing ones.
Let’s explore some of the best winter activities in Ontario. Pack a winter coat or ski jacket to protect yourself from the cold.
Ice Skating
Ontario’s top ice skating paths provide unforgettable experiences with the natural world for skaters of all skill levels. It is just for you, whether you enjoy the icy sensation of flying on steel wings with a cool breeze on your nose or searching for an enjoyable outdoor time pass with your children.
- Rideau Canal Skateway is Ontario’s largest naturally frozen skating rink, offering 7.8km of icy fun. Each winter, NCC transforms a UNESCO World Heritage Site into the world’s largest skating rink, making it the pride of the National Capital and a signature destination.
- Nathan Phillips Square is a large plaza outside City Hall famous for its free public events. It has a fountain throughout the spring, summer, and fall, but it is transformed into an artificial outdoor ice rink during winter. Skate in the city’s heart with a spectacular Toronto Skyline backdrop.
- Woodview Mountaintop Skating is hidden within Blue Mountain Resorts. You can enjoy breathtaking views of Niagara Escarpment while skating along this 1.1km skating loop. You won’t get bored during this enchanted skating experience because thousands of interactive multicolored lights illuminate the trees along the path.
Snowshoeing
You can explore Ontario’s winter landscapes on snowshoes. It is a traditional wintertime mode of transportation. Ontario is an ideal location to experience this fantastic indigenous technology. You may escape the crowded pathways and float on the snow, enjoying the solitude of the winter forest with snowshoeing. Modern alpine-style snowshoes with metal frames and gripping crampons offer traction in steep terrain, while traditional wooden snowshoes offer impressive float.
- Nature’s Harmony Ecolodge in Mattawa offers charming winter lodging and excellent snowshoe routes for a closer look at the Ottawa River Valley’s winter wilderness. It is an all-season destination in the Laurentian Mountains, where you can escape daily stress, enjoy simple pleasures, and engage in outdoor activities. Experience a comfortable off-grid lifestyle and learn more about environmental sustainability.
- Stokely Creek Lodge features stunning waterfalls and summit views of some of Ontario’s highest mountains. It maintains nearly 30km of dedicated snowshoe trails in the Alogma Highlands, just north of the U.S. border in Goulais River, Canada.
- Minaki Yurt Adventures is near Kenora and offers excellent snowshoeing access in Northwestern Ontario’s boreal woods. It also provides distinctive all-season lodging right on the doorstep of nature.
Fat Biking
Fat biking, often known as winter cycling, is a relatively new phenomenon widespread with good cause in Ontario. It allows you to continue riding this winter if you are two-wheeled, and because of its stability, it is more accessible to amateurs than traditional mountain riding. The top fat bike locations provide beginner rental options and a range of clearly marked and well-maintained routes that appeal to newbies and hardcore riders.
- Walden Trails near Sudbury offers an exciting fat biking ride on well-groomed trails. The Walden Mountain Bike Club creates and manages less than 20km of singletrack paths within the 140-hectare park. Moreover, the well-marked paths are designed to utilize the rocky and mountainous Precambrian shield topography.
- Georgian Nordic Outdoor Activity Centre is just a 10-minute drive from Parry Sound’s downtown and has almost 20km of trail dedicated to fat biking. Bikers can discover meandering single tracks and smooth trails with expansive views as they traverse old-growth forests on private and crown land.
- The Hydrocut is recognized across Canada for its 35km of flowing trails, which attract over 80,000 visitors per year. It is renowned for its challenging technical features and is consistently ranked as one of Ontario’s top MTB riding destinations. The trials are free to the public, and there are two trailheads: the Glasgow parking lot in Kitchener and the Snyder’s Road parking lot.
Winter Hiking
Most of Ontario’s top hiking trails stay open in winter, offering endless adventure opportunities. You’ll find excellent spots for a refreshing walk through snowy woods on well-packed, boot-friendly trails. However, don’t forget to grab a pair of ice cleats for better traction on slippery surfaces.
- Bruce Peninsula National Park features towering cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment plunging into the blue waters of Georgian Bay. It is a traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation and a world-famous hiking in a rugged landscape, home to orchids, ferns, and black bears. Get a guided experience of stunning limestone cliffs and caverns in the quieter winter months with EcoAdventures.
- Kakabeka Falls are particularly stunning when covered in ice. It is the second-highest waterfall in Ontario and is accessible year-round. The Kaministiquia River’s deep rock cutting has exposed fossils dating back 1.6 million years at the base of the falls. Likewise, the simple Mountain Portage Trail provides breathtaking views of the valley and waterfalls known as the Niagara of the North.
- Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site was built in 1895. It was the first to operate using electricity and the last link in an all-Canadian navigational chain from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Superior. Cross the national historic site to access South St. Mary Island and a pleasant network of nature trails for easy walking. It is located adjacent to the city’s downtown core.
Cross-Country Skiing
Cross-country skiing offers a unique way to explore Ontario’s stunning winter landscapes. Its skiing route draws devoted winter sports fans from all over the world. At the same time, it is excellent for beginners to learn new skills and experience endless glide on perfect snow.
- Arrowhead Provincial Park is known for its extensive trail network and popular fire and ice nights when the trails are lit up for a magical nighttime skating experience. It offers 33km of trials, including 28km of classic ski trails and 16km of skate ski trails, catering to all skill levels, from beginner to expert. The annual Muskoka Loppet takes place in the park in January.
- Killarney Provincial Park offers scenic trails with stunning views of lakes and forests. It is a 645-square-kilometer wilderness landscape that showcases the wild Georgian Bay Coast of pink granite and over 50 obvious sapphire lakes set among Jack Pine hills. It is the home of the famous Herbert Fisheries fish and chips, and its historic village was founded in 1820.
- Algonquin Provincial Park is voted one of Canada’s best cross-country skiing getaways, with well-maintained classic and skate skiing trails. The immense interior of Algonquin, which consists of 7,635 square kilometers of forests, bogs, lakes, and rivers, is home to thousands of lakes, rocky ridges, and maple hills. It offers just as much for visitors in the winter as it does in the summer.
Ontario transforms into a winter wonderland with many activities to enjoy. So bundle up, embrace the cold, and discover the magic of Ontario this winter.
What do you think about the best winter activities in Ontario? Let us know in the comments section below!
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