Visiting Canada in winter is an opportunity to engage in extraordinary activities in the midst of nature. There are many opportunities to evade completely!
If you had to choose a season to travel to Canada , winter is certainly the best choice you could make. Not that the country is less beautiful in the summer, or that there are less things to do, but winter is an opportunity to practice unusual activities, which can only be done on snow, ice and cold!
To convince you to visit Canada this winter, a list of the best things to do in Canada during the winter. And you'll see you're not bored!
1. A dog walk
Photo credit: Flickr – Jamie McCaffrey
A sled dog ride is a "classic" to be done in Canada in winter and throughout the country. Note that the best places to practice this activity are in Quebec, the Rockies and the Yukon. That’s where the famous Yukon Quest , which is a endurance race between Yukon and Alaska.
Whether in Quebec, Alberta or British Columbia, many ski resorts offer sled dog rides. If you go to Canada to ski or snowboard, at least half a day with the huskys!
2. A horse-drawn ride
Photo credit: Flickr – davebloggs007
Huskys are not the only ones to pull sleds as in Canada, it is also possible to ride a horse-drawn sled. Canada’s ski resorts generally offer this activity to move from one point to another, or to take a walk in a snow-covered forest.
3. Take the handlebar of a snowmobile
Photo credit: Flickr – Vincent Battez
Snowmobile in Canada in winter is a must-see experience. In fact, the one that is surnamed the skidoo (named a manufacturer) was invented in Quebec, and it is not surprising to learn that the best snowmobile spots are in Quebec. But no matter where you are in Canada, you will always have the opportunity to drive a snowmobile... where there is snow.
Many local travel agencies offer snowmobile days during longer or shorter stays.
4. A snowshoe hike
Photo credit: Flickr – Shawn Harquail
You will have noticed that spending a winter in Canada will result in a sporting holiday! And one of the best things to do in Canada in winter is snowshoeing. This way of moving allows you to reach often remote corners, ideal to observe nature and wildlife, as long as you are accompanied by an experienced guide.
However, a snowshoe ride is far from being a simple health walk. This will give you the equivalent of a good sports session, a way to enjoy a little more a spa at the end of the day.
5. Dive into the hot water of an outdoor spa
Photo credit: Flickr – Andrey Zhukov
Dip in a whirlpool bath outside while the snow falls around you is an experience to live. Most winter resorts offer outdoor Jacuzzi.
6. Fishing under the ice
Photo credit: Flickr – J. Michel (aka: Mitch) Carriere
Wherever there is a frozen lake, it is possible to make ice fishing (also known as white fishing). For the most frying (better not to be frying if you want to visit Canada in winter), there are many places where you can stay warm in a heated hut and fish in a hole in the ice.
Ice fishing is a way of life in the Northwest Territories (North Canada). It is possible to fish trout or pint on an indoor lake.
7. From hiking on ice
Photo credit: Flickr – davebloggs007
The caves and frozen waterfalls are some of the incredible curiosities that can be observed during a walk on the ice. The most popular spots are at Maligne Canyon and Johnston Canyon in the Rockies. To visit these canyons, you will follow an experienced guide and will be equipped with special shoes, then you will walk through the frozen canyon. You’ll feel like you’re entering an ice kingdom, with ice caves, natural ice sculptures and petrified waterfalls.
8. Skating on a frozen lake
Photo credit: Flickr – Wilson Hui
Cities like Montreal or Quebec have an open rink for the public in winter, as well as most winter sports stations. But to have a much more exciting experience, go skating in Lake Louise. Rent your skates and survey the frozen lake ice, which is cleaned every day. The lake, with the Victoria Glacier and the Rocky Mountains, offers a spectacular setting.
9. Sleep in the Hotel de Glace
Photo credit: Flickr – O.Taillon
The Hotel de Glace (or Ice Hotel) not far from the city of Quebec, is in a few ways an icon of the Eastern Canadian with high ceilings, snow vaults and ice sculptures. It has 44 rooms with solid ice beds. The "beds" are provided with a mattress above the ice and many blankets, but most guests of this ephemeral hotel sleep in downs specially designed for extreme cold nights.
10. Get on board a snow buggy
Your new toy is no longer the snowmobile or quad, but the snow buggy! The advantage is that you can enjoy a walk with two as you will sit side by side. The snow buggy is like a small car, and everything is automatic. It comes to driving a quad with much more maneuverability and security.
11. Raise your eyes and watch the spectacle of the Northern Lights
Photo credit: Flickr – Studiolit
Watching the sky and seeing a curtain of green lights is something spectacular. The Northern Lights are a surrealistic show that offers nature. They can appear at any time in the sky between September and May. To see them in real far beyond the experience of seeing them on TV in a documentary. In Canada, the sky becomes a giant screen of moving colors. Is that magic? Of course!
12. Become great nature artists with the snow tagging
This is a winter activity you probably never heard of. The snow tagging (or graphineige) is the creation of a gigantic drawing with the traces of your snowshoes on the surface of a frozen lake. Starting from a picture drawn on a sheet you can create all kinds of gigantic drawings, in the way of “crop-circles” in the fields.
This activity began in Quebec, and in the Mauricie National Park, it is possible to get a compass to create your own drawings in the snow. Nice, isn't it?
How to visit Canada in winter?
Many are those who like to organize their trips from A to Z without going through an agency. We love to do it for more freedom. But to visit Canada in winter, it’s another pair of sleeves! Agencies organize for you a full stay with snowmobile hikes, sledge dog rides, ice fishing, etc. with accommodation in a hostel in the middle of nature, with your round-trip flight from Paris. In short, it’s rather tempting when you don’t know the region at all and you have to organize an all-inclusive stay without knowing who to address.
We do not always have the habit of mentioning the name of agencies, especially in order not to influence the reader, but we must admit that the agency Aventures Nouvelle-France is an expert on travel to Canada in winter. We give you their site and address:
Aventures Nouvelle-France 190 rue Brassard St-Michel-Des-Saints, Qc, J0K 3B0, Canada
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