The perfect winter getaway from Toronto

Winter in Arrowhead Provincial Park has upped its game this season with the opening of a new visitor centre. We visited this past week to check it out as well as the activities which make it one of the top parks in Ontario for winter fun!

Ice skating

Arrowhead has become well known in recent years for having one of Ontario’s best skating trails. Lined with tiki torches, skating the 1.3km loop through the forest is a true winter wonderland experience.

It takes a lot of effort to create the trail each year, with 50,000 gallons of water to used to flood the route, so it would be a shame not to make the most of it!

Cross-country skiing

There is an extensive network of cross-country skiing trails at Arrowhead. Trail difficulty ranges from beginner to expert, so whether you’ve been cross-country skiing before or not, there’s likely to be a trail for you.

Keep an eye out for the Arrowhead Nordic Ski Club, who will be offering lessons to beginners this season.

Snowshoeing

If skating or cross-country skiing is too fast paced for you, then Arrowhead also has a number of snowshoe trails. Cut through the deep snow and take your time to enjoy the winter wonderland that the snow has created in the park’s forest and lakes.

Tubing

The winter activity fun doesn’t stop there though. Head on over to Arrowhead’s snow tubing hill and let gravity do the rest with winter’s easiest and most fun activity!

Stay in a cosy cabin

There’s clearly enough at Arrowhead to keep you occupied, so rather than head back to the city after a day of playing in the snow, why not stay in one of the park’s cosy, heated cabins? Once settled, get your campfire going, toast some marshmallows and enjoy some s’mores!

Arrowhead Visitor Centre

Arrowhead’s brand new visitor centre is a beautiful building close to cross-country skiing and snowshoe trails. It’s everything you’d expect from a new building in 2018, with energy efficiency features and a window design to deter bird strikes.

Inside you can warm up by the fireplace built from local stone, or rent your skis, skates and snowshoes.

Arrowhead Provincial Park opens for the winter season on December 14th, 2018, and is a 2.5 hour drive from Toronto. Alternatively, Parkbus runs service to the park in both winter and summer.

Have you ever been to Arrowhead? What’s your favourite park?