28 Ways to Spend Time Outdoors This Winter

Winter can be cold and long and sometimes it feels like it’s never-ending – but instead of looking at the negatives, focus on the positives. Think of all the things that you can do to make the best out of your winter season. To help you embrace the winter, here are 28 ways to spend time outdoors with your family and partner. Most of them are free if you have the gear but some activities like downhill skiing, snow tubing, and visiting holiday lights require additional funds if you can afford it. Some activities are closer to home while others are further away depending on what you choose to do and where you prefer to spend your time outdoors.

1. Cross-Country Skiing

Cross-country skiing is a great way to exercise. There are so many different places to ski including Cooking Lake-Blackfoot and Strathcona Wilderness Centre (east of Edmonton), Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and Bragg Creek (west of Calgary) in Alberta. British Columbia also offers gorgeous ski destinations such as Panorama, and Golden to name a few. If you’re wondering What are the Benefits of Skiing? here is a post to read. Depending on the temperature and wind conditions Happy and Warm X-Country Ski will provide reminders of items to bring for an enjoyable outing and prevent you from getting cold. To get excited to try this activity here are 10 Reasons to Love Cross-Country Skiing.

2. Skating

Skating is one of the ways to spend time outdoors. Many skating rinks can be found in cities. Mountain lakes are also an option for skating once they are frozen over. 5 Awesome Outdoor Skating Rinks in Alberta include Victoria and Hawrelak Park in Edmonton, Bowness Park in Calgary and two mountain lakes: Lake Louise and Pyramid Lake in Jasper. The mountain lakes are for skating at your own risk, without supervision, if you get caught in a bad situation. Take that into consideration when planning your trips. Lakes offer gorgeous scenery and potentially way fewer people than a city skating area.

3. Walking

Kris and I were walking in the town of Jasper in the middle of a snowstorm. We couldn’t see the mountains but it made for nice romantic pictures. Regardless of where you are, it’s easy to go for a walk and get some exercise in nature. It doesn’t matter how long you are outside but the key is to leave the comfort of your couch and get a breath of fresh air. If you’re in Jasper, you can stop by Bear’s Paw Bakery for a treat and a warm beverage if you need an incentive during or after your walk to get you moving. They have two locations depending on where you’re walking in Jasper.

4. Downhill Skiing

Downhill skiing is another way to spend time outdoors. This is a more expensive option but a nice way to spend time in the mountain getting exercise if you can afford it. For the Best Downhill Ski Day in Lake Louise, read this post. I find knowing all the key information before heading out for the day can help to have a fantastic day on the hill. The ski hills I like in Alberta are Lake Louise and Marmot, Jasper. I find Sunshine Village ski hill too crowded for my tastes. Beautiful hills we’ve skied in British Columbia include Panorama, Golden and Whistler. Depending on where you live there are a lot of options available to you.

5. Snowshoeing

Snowshoeing is a wonderful way to go for a walk in the deep snow without falling up to your knees with hiking boots. There are many trails available for snowshoeing as well. My mom and I went snowshoeing near our accommodations in Golden. Snowshoeing allows you to create your own path and be able to veer off trails, which I enjoy. It’s easy to find your way back to your initial destination by following your tracks back to the start. By going in the deep snow, chances are you’ll see the trees covered in snow creating a magical experience to take beautiful scenic pictures.

6. Flying Canoe Volant

Flying Canoë Volant is an evening event that happens every year on the first weekend of February. It’s a winter festival that celebrates French Candian, First Nations and Métis culture. It’s located at la Cité Francophone and throughout Mill Creek Ravine. They offer slides made from snow for children at La Cité Francophone as well as music and dancing at different locations. You can cook bannock (bread cooked with flour on a stick) over a fire. Tipis with lights are set up for viewing and you can enjoy storytelling in them as well. It’s a great event for the whole family or for you and your partner to have some fun exploring different exhibits.

The weather tends to be cold during this time of year, make sure to dress warmly. Merino 250 Top Base Layer 1/4 Zip Long Sleeve and Merino Pant Base Layer are good to keep your body nice and warm on cold evenings.

7. Hiking

Kris and I went hiking with my family up Ha Ling Peak just behind Canmore. There can be snow and ice on this hike depending on what time of you year you choose to hike it. Make sure to hike with your Olang Parigi 2.0 Spike Boot to provide traction in slippery conditions. They also offer warmth with insulation covering the inside of the boot. This hike is straight up so be sure to be in shape when attempting this trail. There are also many hikes in the region to spend time with your partner. Check out more hikes in my Romantic Winter Jasper Hikes post. Jasper is a three-and-a-half-hour drive, maybe longer depending on the winter and road conditions on HWY 93 north. Keep that in mind if you choose to venture in that direction.

8. Sleigh Ride

It’s always nice to go for a sleigh ride with your family or loved ones. What better place to tour Lake Louise and see the lake while being pulled by a horse in a sleigh and being covered up with a blanket? Sometimes Santa gets a ride and sometimes they’ll take tourists as well. You might have to pay a fee to get pulled around. You’ll have to inquire with them if you decide you’d like to hop on for a ride. With the beautiful scenery, it’s a nice experience.

9. Snow Tubing

Snow tubing is a lot of fun. You get the joy of going down the hill and being pulled back up by a machine. This luxury comes with a cost of $20 though to ride for two hours but is worth it to exert less energy than tobogganing. For more details regarding tubing at Sunridge, read my Family Quality Time at Christmas post.

10. Cabane à Sucre

La cabane à sucre has been held at Fort Edmonton in the past but this year it’s being held at Campus Saint-Jean, University of Alberta’s French campus on March 4 from 3 to 5 P.M. The event is free to attend by getting your ticket on Eventbrite. If you want to taste tire d’érable (maple taffy), it costs $5 for two sticks. The event includes dancing and music as well for the whole family to enjoy.

11. Silver Skate Festival

The Silver Skate Festival is happening at Hawrelak park from February 10 to 20th. This event includes skating, snow and fire sculptures, listening to stories as well as culinary events. You can purchase tickets to their culinary events through their website. It’s an awesome way to spend time with your family or partner outdoors. If the weather is nice, you can head for a walk around the park too.

12. Snow Angels

If you’re looking for ways to spend time outdoors, making snow angels is a fun way to spend quality time with your children. They are easy to make; all you need is snow! Compare the snow angels and make it into a competition to see who made the best one. You can also make a snow angel family from biggest to smallest. There are many options, but the goal is to have fun.

13. Tobogganing

Tobogganing is an easy and free activity if you’re wanting to find ways to spend time outdoors with your family or partner. Go shopping at Canadian Tire or Walmart to buy a sled or an inflatable tube to go zooming down the hill. Next, figure out where there are hills in your city to go tobogganing. Edmonton has many different options.

14. Build a Snowman

Making a snowman is always fun. If you happen to be close to snow in the mountains or your neighbourhood park, spend the afternoon making a snowman with the family. Make sure to find rocks for buttons, sticks for his arms, and a scarf to keep his neck warm and toasty. A hat to keep his head warm might be a nice addition. If you have a carrot, you can put that as his nose or a stick will do too. Find leaves or rocks for his eyes. You can use many different items from nature to enrich his look.

Tip: If you build a snowman far from where you live, you might want to place the hat and scarf on the snowman, take a picture then remove it. You can also find elements from nature to make your snowman and use those instead of taking a chance and potentially losing your belongings.

15. Playing Hockey

Playing hockey is always fun with the family. We always played two on two with our family of four.

Tip: Change up the partners after someone has won a game to make it fun and a different challenge.

We liked playing at Lake Louise. Often we were able to play a small game the four of us and make it a family event. It’s possible to find more players as well if you’d like to play pick-up hockey with a bunch of people. What better place to play hockey than surrounded by beautiful scenery at Lake Louise with the mountains behind you?

They also have a skating rink with half an ice castle built to check out for people who are only interested in skating instead of hockey.

16. Ice Maze

The Ice Castle was held at Hawrelak park a few years back but since the pandemic, they haven’t come back which is unfortunate. It was a fun event to attend. The ice was made into icicles towering above us. They also created a maze through the ice castle for families and couples to walk through. Children could line up to go down a slide. At night, they’d light up different parts of the castle in different colours to create a neat effect. Walking through this area made for a neat date night. Although this one no longer exists, Snow Way Out was happening in the Edmonton Ice District for the month of January. There are always other places to go.

17. Enjoy a Fire Outside

Looking for ways to spend time outdoors? Why not enjoy a nice fire by a skating oval or have a fire outside and roast some wieners and marshmallows with the family? It was always a nice activity that I enjoyed doing as a child in the winter. A fire is a fantastic way to warm up too and have great conversations. If you get too cold, you can go back and skate if you’re beside a skating rink.

Tip: My go-to, if you’re in a park, was to do jumping jacks, which would warm me up in no time or sit closer to the fire if you were able to do that.

18. Climbing

For those that are experienced, ice climbing is another way to spend time outdoors in the winter. It’s a great core workout to move your legs and arms on a consistent basis to move upward and onward.

Tip: If you’re a beginner and interested in this exercise, go with experienced friends or consider taking a class that provides all the necessary knowledge, equipment and safety tips to get you going.

19. Curling

Turns out curling is quite a workout as I find out doing this activity back in high school for gym class. It looked easy watching it on TV but it’s a great way to spend time exercising. They have a small curling rink outside at Bowness park in Calgary to give you a chance to practice and throw rocks at a target. Many curling rinks are also inside allowing a curler to curl all through the winter despite the winter weather.

20. Picnic

A picnic is a wonderful way to spend time with your partner and family. Have a picnic lunch while taking a break from doing a physical activity like skating or cross-country skiing. You can also plan a picnic in a park to roast marshmallows and eat hot dogs. Bring your MEC Seat cushion for butt protection from the snow.

21. Shovelling

When considering ways to spend time outdoors, think about shovelling. You don’t need to go far – plus if there’s lots of snow on your driveway, it’s a good workout. Canadian Tire sells bright yellow shovels so that you don’t need to worry about losing it.

22. Ice Walk in Maligne Canyon

Walking in Maligne Canyon is a fantastic way to spend time outdoors this winter. My Maligne Canyon Winter Hike post goes into depth regarding all the things to consider when going on this hike. Bringing Kahtoola Microspikes is essential to provide traction and avoid falling on ice. Have a great hike and take lots of pictures!

23. Drinking Hot Chocolate Outside

I love to boil water at home and put it in a thermos to mix into a mug with hot chocolate after a skate or cross-country ski. It’s a nice treat to have a warm drink with a Carrot Apple Loaf snack after a cold day outside. The rest of your drink can be finished on your car ride home.

24. Snowboarding

Snowboarding might be your preferred activity or you might want to try something different. Sunshine, Lake Louise and Marmot offer great places to snowboard. If you don’t want to spend a fortune on trying out this activity, you can also go to Snow Valley or Rabbit Hill in Edmonton as cheaper options.

Tip: Snowboarding can be hard at times at Sunshine Village on flat sections. Make sure to keep up your speed to keep going and not have to take your foot out of the strap to push yourself forward.

25. Walking in Lights

6 Fun Edmonton Events at Christmas include different destinations where you can walk and see Christmas or holiday lights. Zoominesence is a perfect place to walk and see different coloured lights illuminate the outdoor scene.

26. Winter Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt map is a fun way to involve your children in spending time outdoors in the winter. Get them to find simple things outside such as:

• pine cone
• squirrel
• frozen lake
• tobogganers
• rocks
• snow covered trees

Tip: Put things on a list that can be found outside during the winter in your area.

27. Fat Biking

Fat biking is quickly becoming a popular activity. It’s a great workout to bike ride on snow-covered trails around the city. Check out fat bike trails near me on Google to find areas to explore around your city.

28. Making a Snow Fort

If you happen to have enough snow in your backyard, you can make a snow fort by packing up the sides with a shovel or cutting out cubes to make it look more like an igloo. If there isn’t enough snow around your house, head to a park or the mountains with lots of snow to create a perfect fort for the whole family to enjoy. It can take a long time to build this fun fort so make sure to allow enough time to build it.

Tip: Building it over multiple days might be a good idea if the fort is near your house.

Final Thoughts

There are so many options for some winter fun for the whole family and your partner. Instead of dreading winter, now you can look forward to many different ideas over the course of the season. This list is a good start but you can always add to it as well. Share this post with other families that need the inspiration to get outside close to home or in the mountains. Have other families join you to partake in these activities for a fun-filled weekend together. What are you waiting for? Go have some fun! What will be first on your list of things to do with your family or partner?