The mental health benefits that come from getting outside don’t stop when the temperature dips and the snow starts to fly. Daily activity and time outdoors are important at any time of the year! If you usually hibernate through the colder months, resolve to change that and embrace winter this year by bundling up for one of these time-honoured cold-weather activities. Whether you’re trying one out for the first time or just enjoying an old favourite in a new location, there’s bound to be something on this list that will warm your heart and ward off the winter chill.

SKATING

Just strap on some skates and you’re ready to enjoy a fun and low-cost outdoor winter activity. If you don’t have time to venture far from home, there’s a great rink located right downtown at Mississauga’s Celebration Square. To wind your way through some short skating trails with no fees, head to nearby Colonel Sam Smith Park in Etobicoke or Gage Park in downtown Brampton. If you’ve got the time and budget to look further afield, Island Lake Conservation Area in Orangeville (one hour north) has rinks as well as a skating trail most years (check with the park on 2023 status), and Arrowhead Provincial Park is located 2.5 hours north of Mississauga and has a 1.3-kilometre skating trail that’s reached near-legendary status in Southern Ontario. Both make for excellent day trips from Mississauga but can be busy on winter weekends, so be sure to plan ahead. If you’re looking to enjoy a weekend away with the family, check out Fern Resort near Orillia, about an hour and a half’s drive north. Fern is a family-friendly all-inclusive resort, where winter activities include skating on a lake rink and on 1.5-kilometre skating trail, snowshoeing, outdoor curling, ice fishing, and…

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

Cross-country skiing may sound like an embellished walk in the woods, but it’s also a fast-paced workout that will get your heart pumping. If you don’t have your own equipment but would like to try it out, make plans to head north for the day. Note that most locations require rentals to be arranged in advance. Albion Hills Conservation Park in Caledon, about an hour from Mississauga, has equipment rentals along with trails rated easy, moderate, and difficult. Hardwood Ski and Bike is just north of Barrie and 1.5 hours north of Mississauga with cross-country ski trails for all abilities ranging from 3 to 22 kilometres (snowshoeing and winter fat biking are also offered). For a weekend getaway with a variety of winter sports on offer, check out Horseshoe Resort, which is also located just north of Barrie and has beautiful forested trails of varying difficulty while also offering snowshoeing, fat biking, downhill skiing and snowboarding, and…

TUBING

Tubing takes tobogganing to the next level of exhilaration! This is a great activity for older kids with bundles of energy: they’ll sleep especially well after an afternoon blasting down hills and breathing in fresh air. Horseshoe Resort is one option, or take a look at Snow Valley Ski Resort, which is also near Barrie and offers three lifts and 14 tubing runs. Snow Valley offers downhill skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing, and it’s also one of very few places that has a separate tubing kids zone for children under 42 inches tall. Chicopee Tube Park, located in Kitchener about an hour west of Mississauga, is dedicated to tubing and has six chutes up to 900 metres in length. Or if you’d rather stay closer to home, Brampton’s Mount Chinguacousy at Chinguacousy Park offers tubing. Unlike most locations that charge for time windows, Mount Chinguacousy sells tickets in six-ride bundles, which may work better for some families. 

Enjoy the ride!