Ontario Provincial Parks dot the map of the province. They’re in just about every region where you find cottage rentals.
But, these parks don’t just offer summertime fun. They have plenty of year-round activities for the whole family to enjoy!
Check out our list of Best Winter Activities Available at several popular Ontario Provincial Parks!
Frontenac Provincial Park
Located in Eastern Ontario, just North of Kingston, Frontenac Provincial Park is home to several hiking-turned-snowshoe & x-country ski trails!
Whether you’re looking to go out on a winter hike or snowshoe for an hour or the full day, Frontenac Provincial Park has several trails to choose from ranging from 1.5-8KM in length.
If x-country skiing is more your speed, this Eastern Ontario park also offers three ski trails ranging from novice to more difficult.
Check out the Frontenac Provincial Park’s Winter Trail Guide before hitting the road.
Silent Lake Provincial Park
If you’re visiting the Haliburton or Bancroft area this winter, check out Silent Lake Provincial Park for a fun-filled day of x-country skiing, snowshoeing, or ice fishing!
If x-country skiing is more your speed, there are 4 loops, totaling 34KM of trails to discover!
But, if your preference is snowshoeing, that’s available too! There are two snowshoeing trails, one is 3KM and the other is 5KM in length. If this is your first time trying snowshoeing, or you haven’t purchased a pair of your own yet, snowshoes are available for rent at the park office.
If you’re more interested in ice fishing, bring your own gear & get ready to catch some Trout, found at various depths throughout the lake.
Arrowhead Provincial Park
Planning a visit to Muskoka this winter? Don’t miss an opportunity to visit Arrowhead Provincial Park! This park really shines during the winter season since it offers such a wide array of activities for the whole family to enjoy.
Want to go x-country skiing? No problem – they even offer rentals!
Thinking about introducing your kids to snowshoeing? There is over 8KM of loops available to explore & rentals are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
What about something a little more exciting? Arrowhead Provincial Park also offers snow tubing! Unfortunately, the tubing was unavailable during the 2020/2021 season, however, we have reached out to the park to see if they have plans to bring it back for future winter seasons.
Finally, beginning in late January, Arrowhead Provincial Park also offers a 1.3KM skating trail. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the park lines the trail with tiki torches and hosts Fire & Ice Skate Nights that both locals and tourists alike have come to know and love.
Don’t visit Arrowhead Provincial Park this winter, without first checking their Complete Guide to Winter at Arrowhead.
Algonquin Provincial Park
We couldn’t talk about Ontario Provincial Parks without mentioning Algonquin!
Algonquin Provincial Park is so large that it stretches almost from Haliburton, over to Muskoka, up towards North Bay and into the Eastern Ontario region.
With a park of this size, you’ll never run out of things to do and see, no matter what season you visit! But, since we’re talking about winter activities, let’s focus on those.
First, there are the basics – snowshoeing and x-country skiing. With over 110KM of x-country ski trails & another 9 snowshoe loops ranging from 3.5-35KM the adventures are endless!
But, Algonquin offers more than that!
Algonquin Provincial Park is also well known for wildlife watching, ice skating, ice fishing, snowmobiling & even dog sledding!
Snowshoes & x-country skis are available for rent at Algonquin Outfitters.
If you’re looking to partake in wildlife watching, ice skating or ice fishing, you’ll have to bring your own gear or borrow it from friends & family.
But, for snowmobiling and dog sledding, check out our Preferred Vendors list for some great contacts!
Check out everything Ontario’s Provincial Parks have to offer during the winter, while you visit one of our heated, fully equipped, comfortable cottage rentals!
