How to Own Winter Like a Canadian Embrace the thrills of the season in Ontario with four snowy adventures.
OF ALL THE LESSONS I gleaned while traveling in Canada this winter, my favorite came on a bright single-digit morning from a seasoned Ontario Parks superintendent. “There’s no such thing as bad weather,” he said, “just a bad choice of clothing.”
I loved the pragmatic optimism. It was an attitude I encountered regularly during my weeklong exploration of Ontario’s snow-covered cottage country, an area roughly two and half hours north of Toronto. Fortunately, I'd packed plenty of layers and, upon recommendation from a hotel clerk, got a great pair of snow boots my first night in. But sensible advice from charming locals was just the beginning. It wouldn’t be long before I’d also learn how exquisite, meditative and thrilling winter in Canada can be.
A Classic Winter Pastime Goes Next Level
? FIRE & ICE AT ARROWHEAD PROVINCIAL PARK IN MUSKOKA, ONTARIO ?
After the sun goes down in Arrowhead Provincial Park and the giant trees disappear into an inky darkness, I skate along a path of flickering tiki torches into a somewhat discombobulating, fairy tale-like adventure. From the starting straightaway to the gentle inclines, the winding trail makes every city ice rink I’ve been on seem exactly what they are: totally flat.
Visitors can skate on Arrowhead Provincial Park’s nearly mile-long ice trail seven days a week, weather permitting, as well as on specially programmed Fire & Ice nights.
LODGING
Just a 10-minute drive from Arrowhead Provincial Park, the hotel has three restaurants, a spa with a steam room, a petting zoo, its own ski slope and a hot tub.
In 2013, the 3,000-acre park debuted its Fire & Ice skate nights along a nearly mile-long path that winds through campground forest. Within the next two years, the park’s popularity soared. The attraction continues to draw locals, urbanites from the Greater Toronto area, international travelers and even ice breakers (people who breakdance in ice skates). Combined with other outdoor activities, including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and hiking on an extensive network of trails, you could easily fill an entire weekend at Arrowhead.
Several loops later, I carefully step off the ice and into the rest area filled with benches and two fire pits, as well as a gathering of locals with their special brand of humor. Then I amble over to the new visitor center, which opened last July, to return my rental skates and warm up with the giant fireplace and a wide array of locally made soups, including Moroccan peanut, wild mushroom, and roasted acorn squash with maple syrup. Yes, I had all three.
The Thrill of Raw Power, When You’ve Got 20 Legs
? WINTERDANCE DOGSLED TOURS, HALIBURTON, ONTARIO ?
My dog sledding instructions are simple: Don’t let go, step on the brake when you need to and keep your eyes on the dogs. And just like that, we are off into the snow-blanketed wilderness.
I am driving the sled, not just passively sitting and enjoying the view (though you can choose to do that as well). My five Siberian Huskies — Strawberry, Maverick, Blitz, K2 and Paulina — power through 25 miles of rolling, tree-lined trails. When we stop, the intense quiet makes my ears ring. When we mush, I hear only the swooshing of the sled. As we reach thick forest, I use my whole body to lean into turns or race down a hill, and I relax on the smooth surface of a pristine frozen lake.
This is Ontario, boiled down to one wintry afternoon: informal, unexpected, full of adventure and, of course, friendly.
Tanya McCready-DeBruin and Hank DeBruin of Winterdance Dogsled Tours pose with their Siberian Huskies.
Tanya McCready-DeBruin and Hank DeBruin run Winterdance Dogsled Tourswith help from their four children. In the 25 years since they happened upon their first baby husky during a walk at a mall, their family has grown to include 150 dogs. DeBruin, who also works as a millwright, used to be a motorcyclist, a monster trucker and a drag racer. But, “This gives me a greater thrill than any of all that,” he says. “It’s raw power.”
LODGING
Fireplaces, cozy sitting areas, saunas and spas are mandatory amenities in this chilly part of the world, and this century-old hotel has it all.
McCready-DeBruin, a former engineer, wrote “Iditarod Dreamer: A Rookie Team’s Journey” with her husband. “Huskies absolutely live to run,” she says.
Indeed, I spend a large part of my half-day tour holding down the brake so we don’t overtake DeBruin’s team on the single-track trail, assuaging any fears that these pups are forced to work. “I see all the happy tails,” DeBruin says. “That’s instinct for them.”
Buzzing Along Winter’s Edge
? HALIBURTON FOREST AND WILD LIFE RESERVE, HALIBURTON, ONTARIO ?
In Haliburton Forest, a 100,000-acre privately owned and sustainably managed nature reserve with 100 lakes, I zoom on a snowmobile past beautiful vistas as I follow my guide, Tegan Legge. You don’t have to be athletic to operate a snowmobile, she tells me. You just have to release the kill switch, hit the start button and press your right thumb on the throttle to go. And even though my helmet insulates my head from the wind and the handlebars are heated, I’m not working up a sweat.
Left: General Manager Tegan Legge points out the route for a day of snowmobiling in the 100,000-acre Haliburton Forest. Right: The writer Claudine Ko takes a break to do a little ice fishing on one of the reserve’s 100 lakes.
LODGING
Haliburton Forest Holiday Unit
There are spare but very convenient accommodations on the property that can be reserved for groups.
Legge, who is the property’s general manager, says a limited guest count keeps the number of humans you’ll pass to a minimum. We take a break at a cabin, where we eat our packed lunches and warm up by another ever-present stove. Before heading back, we stop for a little open-air ice fishing, which is exciting, if only because I can see exactly how thick the lake’s ice is (roughly eight inches).
On our home stretch, we run into Hershe, the reserve’s 6-year-old resident moose — and the first real one I’ve seen. I’m charmed, but, frankly, if you’re going to visit any on-site animals, let it be the Wolf Centre’s captive-born pack. The stunning creatures, which live on 15 acres of fenced land, will sniff you out past the two-way observatory mirror and then stare straight into your invisible soul.
Getting to the Heart of Winter Camping
? YOURS OUTDOORS, ALGONQUIN HIGHLANDS, ONTARIO ?
It’s the coldest day so far of my week in Canada, with temperatures dipping to minus 8. Tonight I’ll be “hot-tent” camping for the first time — as opposed to cold camping. “Most people when you mention winter camping, they think you're crazy,” says Tim Foley, who owns The Canadian Outdoor Equipment Co., a Mississauga store selling highly curated gear. “But the stove changes everything.”
Barrie Martin, an experience broker for Yours Outdoors, arranged for me to have Foley and Kevin Callan, who wrote “The Complete Guide to Winter Camping” be my guides.
Callan has me remove my waterproof shell for a traditional anorak made of breathable, wind-blocking canvas, and then he suggests I swap out my boots for a pair of mukluks. I’m suspicious, because they are thin and as pliable as bedroom slippers.
“You can feel the land beneath you rather than try to disconnect from it,” he says. “Thrive out there rather than survive.” I embrace the look, especially because I find both items really do work better than my modern gear.
Left: Canadian author Kevin Callan stokes a fire for a night of winter camping. Right: Ko breaks a trail through the forest in the Algonquin Highlands.
We use lightweight toboggans to haul things like an ax, a canvas tent, fresh vegetables and a portable wood stove. About 20 minutes into the woods, we set up camp. When we’re finished, I tie on a pair of vintage wooden snowshoes and head out to explore a frozen pond. It feels like I’ve attached tennis rackets to my feet, but at least I’m not sinking into knee-deep powder.
When I return and duck into a now-toasty tent — pitched right over fresh snow that Foley has lined with insulating boughs — the distinct aroma of burning birch fills the air. Foley crouches in front of the microwave-size stove, a pipe extending through a cutout in the tent’s ceiling, busily preparing a vegetarian chili from scratch and occasionally feeding the fire.
Stomachs full, we make our way back to the middle of the pond and instinctively lie on our backs to look for constellations I’d long since forgotten. I’m sold. This won’t be my last time winter camping. It’s totally silent, totally wild and totally unforgettable.
By Claudine Ko
Photography by T Brand Studio