Plenty of family friendly things to do when the snow sticks to the ground

“Finally! Winter is here!” – my daughter when she saw the snow coming this week.

With a series of flurries earlier this week, and waking up to a quality but not overabundant snowfall this morning, we can now feel like winter has arrived.

Taking a look at the upcoming forecast and we can safely make plans to enjoy our favourite things to do in the winter.

While most of our outdoor excursions happen close to home in Muskoka, there are more than a few that can be enjoyed anywhere that ice and snow exists.

Outdoor ice skating. Now that some consistent minus temperatures are on tap, we’ll be seeing the many ice skating trails throughout Muskoka and central Ontario open up soon. Our favourite is the Arrowhead Provincial Park trail, but there are plenty of others like Woodview Mountaintop Skating at Blue Mountain, the Cranberry Marsh Skating Trail, and the Simcoe County Museum trail.

Building snow people. Whether it’s a snow man, snow woman, snow kids, or any other snow person, when the snow has fallen and it’s ripe for packing (there needs to be a touch of wetness to make it a bit heavy), you and yours can spend hours of fun in your own backyard. And get creative with the decorations – grapes, stones, buttons, toothpicks, carrots, even hats and scarves are great accessories.

Building forts and mazes. Either as a place for your snow people to live, to add wrinkles to an outdoor game of hide-and-seek, or to protect yourself from the next fun thing to do on this list . . .

Snowball fights. The classic past time is fun for anyone and everyone – as long as you’re not trying to hurt anyone (though a solid snowball to the butt usually gets good laughs).

Winter festivals. What’s winter without attending a few festivals that include so many things to see and do. Horse drawn wagons, kids activities, contests, sledding or skiing down snow covered main streets, and so much more. Coming up in Muskoka are the Bracebridge Fire & Ice Festival on January 27, Port Carling Winterfest from February 2 to 4 (events still to be updated, but dates confirmed), the Gravenhurst Winter Carnival from February 15 to 18, the Dorset Snowball February 17 and 18, Baysville Winterfest on February 18, and culminating with Snowfest in Huntsville on February 24.

Sledding/tobogganing. Literally anywhere you find a snowy hill and have something to slide on is an opportunity to enjoy the classic winter to do that’s fun for the whole family (from wee ones to grandparents).

Snowshoeing. We didn’t get out for many snow shoeing adventures last winter due to spending more time skating and tobogganing than anything else, but it’s a fun pasttime that can be done anywhere an mid-to-deep snow exists. Some of the best snow shoeing is done off trail when there is at least a foot or two of the fluffy white stuff to walk on. Here is a link to some great tips for first-timers courtesy of Snowshoe Magazine: https://www.snowshoemag.com/top-10-tips-for-first-time-snowshoers/

Skiing. We’re not much of a skiing family, but plenty of our friends are either Nordic skiing in provincial parks, or hitting the hills at Hidden Valley (in Huntsville) or Blue Mountain (near Collingwood).

Ice Fishing. It’s not on my radar, but those who love it really love it. For more, check out: https://www.destinationontario.com/en-ca/articles/ice-fishing-ontario-made-easy

I’m sure there are plenty of other fun outdoor activities people enjoy, but no matter what you do, it’s always nice to treat yourself and your family to a warm beverage like hot chocolate or tea or a nice coffee when you’re done!