Visiting Canada in winter is an opportunity to practice unusual activities, surrounded by nature. There are many opportunities to get away from it all!
If you had to choose a season to travel to Canada , winter is definitely the best choice you could make. Not that the country is less beautiful in summer, or that there are fewer things to do, but winter is an opportunity to practice unusual activities, which can only be done on snow, the ice and in the cold!
To convince you to visit Canada this winter, we've put together a list of the best things to do in Canada in winter. And you will see that you will not be bored!
1. A dog sled ride
Photo credit: Flickr - Jamie McCaffrey
A sled dog ride is a “classic” to do in Canada in winter, all over the country. Note however that the best places to practice this activity are in Quebec, the Rockies and the Yukon. This is where the famous Yukon Quest starts , which is an endurance race between the Yukon and Alaska.
Whether in Quebec, Alberta or British Columbia, many ski resorts offer dog sled rides. If you go to Canada to ski or snowboard, plan at least half a day with the huskies!
2. A sleigh ride
Photo credit: Flickr - davebloggs007
Huskies are not the only ones to pull sleds since in Canada, it is also possible to take a sleigh ride on horseback. Canadian ski resorts generally offer this activity to move from one point to another, or to take a stroll in a snowy forest.
3. Take the handlebars of a snowmobile
Photo credit: Flickr - Vincent Battez
Snowmobiling in Canada in winter is an essential experience. In fact, the one nicknamed the skidoo (from the name of 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 more or less long stays.
4. A snowshoe hike
Crédit photo: Flickr – Shawn Harquail
You will have noticed that spending a winter in Canada will mean a sports vacation! And one of the best things to do in Canada in winter is snowshoeing. This means of transport allows you to reach often remote corners, ideal for observing nature and wildlife, as long as you are accompanied by an experienced guide.
However, a snowshoe walk is far from being a simple health walk. This will give you the equivalent of a good workout, a way to enjoy a little more of a spa at the end of the day.
5. Immerse yourself in the hot water of an outdoor spa
Crédit photo: Flickr - Andrey Zhukov
Soaking in an outdoor hot tub while the snow is falling around is an experience to be had. Most winter resorts offer outdoor jacuzzis.
6. Ice fishing
Photo credit: Flickr - J. Michel (aka: Mitch) Carriere
Wherever there is a frozen lake, it is possible to go ice fishing (also called ice fishing). For the more chilly (better not to be chilly if you want to visit Canada in winter), there are many places where you can stay warm in a heated hut and fish in an ice hole.
Ice fishing is a way of life in the Northwest Territories (in northern Canada). It is possible to fish for trout or pike on an inland lake.
7. Ice hiking
Photo credit: Flickr - davebloggs007
The caves and frozen waterfalls are some of the incredible sights that can be seen while walking on 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 be equipped with special shoes, then you will walk through the frozen canyon. You will feel like you are 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 a skating rink open to the public in winter, as well as most winter sports resorts. But for a much more exciting experience, go skating in Lake Louise. Rent your skates and walk the ice of the frozen lake, which is cleaned every day. The lake, against the backdrop of the Victoria Glacier and the Rocky Mountains, offers a spectacular setting.
9. Sleep in the Ice Hotel
Photo credit: Flickr - O. Taillon
The Hôtel de Glace (or Ice Hotel) not far from Quebec City, is in a way an icon of Eastern Canada with high ceilings, snow vaults and ice sculptures. It has 44 rooms with solid ice beds. The "beds" are provided with a mattress over the ice and plenty of blankets, but most guests at this ephemeral hotel sleep in duvets designed especially for nights of extreme cold.
10. Climb aboard 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 ride for two since you will be sitting side by side. The snow buggy drives like a small car, and everything is automatic. This amounts to driving a quad with much more maneuverability and safety.
11. Look up 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 surreal spectacle offered by nature. They can appear at any time in the sky between September and May. Seeing them for real far exceeds the experience of seeing them on TV in a documentary. In Canada, the sky becomes a giant screen of moving colors. Is it magic? Of course !
12. Become life-size artists with snow tagging
This is a winter activity that you have probably never heard of. The snow tagging (or graphineige) is the fact of creating a gigantic drawing with the traces of your steps in snowshoes on the surface of a frozen lake. Starting from an image drawn on a sheet of paper, you can create all kinds of gigantic drawings, like “crop circles” in the fields.
This activity was born in Quebec, and in La Mauricie National Park, it is possible to obtain a compass to create your own drawings in the snow. Nice, right?
How to visit Canada in winter?
Many people 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 is a different story! Agencies organize for you a complete stay with snowmobile hikes, dog sled rides, ice fishing, etc. with accommodation in an inn surrounded by nature, with your return flight included 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 contact.
We don't always have the habit of mentioning the name of agencies, in particular not to influence the reader, but we must admit that the agency Aventures Nouvelle-France is an expert when it comes to travel to Canada in winter . We give you their site and their address: