1. Strap on a pair of snowshoes and trek across the expanse of Balsam Lake Provincial Park.
Although closed for the season, you can still experience this protected area in its winter splendour. Impressive evergreen trees, laden with snow, frame the various trails that lace the park’s terrain. You won’t experience this quiet calm at other times of the year when this wilderness playground fills with visitors. Although the park entrance on highway 48 closes for the winter, you can access the park via North Bay Drive or Balsam Lake Drive. Just follow the signs.
2. Shop for original Christmas gifts on the main street of Lindsay...
...without that get-me-out-of-here feeling spurred by a trip to your local mall. Kent Street, Lindsay’s main thoroughfare, is lined with period-inspired street lamps and retail shops housed in Victorian buildings. When the surveyors planned the main street of Lindsay, they made it wide enough to accommodate the turning radius of a four-horse hitch. Today, the widest main street in Ontario is paved with brick. Residents and shop owners in Lindsay are devoted to maintaining the appearance and character of a by-gone era. The commitment to the preservation of these aesthetics makes Kent Street one of the best small-town streets in Ontario – and a delight for the shopper. For details about stores in Lindsay, please visit www.mylindsay.com/index.jsp.
3. Who says summer has to have a monopoly on fun on your lake in the Kawarthas?
Drive alongside a Kawartha lake in the winter, and you’ll likely spot a new skating rink or two since your last visit. Outdoor skating is idyllic and simply can’t be matched by indoor skating when you hit the sweet spot. Here are the ingredients for perfect outdoor skating conditions:
This magic – which means it is time to lace up your skates - usually unfolds in December.
4. Snowmobiling is a sport that’s gained traction in the Kawarthas
It’s a fun way to explore the rural landscape or experience the 166 kilometres of groomed routes in the Kawarthas, one of the best spots for snowmobiling you’ll find anywhere. For information about trails, conditions, and upcoming events, please visit the Kawartha Lakes Snowmobile Club’s website at: www.klsc.ca.
5. Indulge your desire for winter comfort food
From beef stew to vegetarian curry and smoked chicken pot pies with a visit to Harmony Farm Market in Burnt River. You can also stock up on artisanal cheeses, terrines, desserts, preserves, and gifts. Goldie Hawn gives their food a strong endorsement in the web site’s testimonial section. December hours (weather permitting): Friday 8 to 7; Saturday 9 to 3; and Sunday 9 to 3. Please call to confirm hours. You can contact Harmony Farm Market at 705-488-3300 or info@harmonyfarm.ca. You can find the store at 3290 County Road 121 in Burnt River. Harmony Farm Market is 15 minutes from Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, and Minden.
6. If you’re fond of birding...
...you’ll have another reason to love the Kawartha winter. The Kawarthas is home to a number of birding hot spots, including Carden Plain, which draws bird enthusiasts from across Ontario. The year-round birding at Ken Reid Conservation Area is something to chirp about. The Kawarthas’ diverse terrain offers a spectrum of habitats - from woodlands, open fields, wetlands, and highlands to coniferous forests, rocky landscapes, and rolling agricultural land – that attract numerous bird species. You will find lots of birds along the trails that follow abandoned railroad corridors. Just look up at the winter sky, and you may spot a handsome Cardinal, a species that sticks around through the coldest months. For details about birding hot spots in the Kawarthas, please visit: www.kawarthafieldnaturalists.org/BirdingHotSpots.php.
7. A way of travel used for hundreds of years...
...by Canada’s northern aboriginal people is witnessing renewed popularity. Make a trip to Haliburton, just north of the Kawarthas, and enjoy the thrill of mushing your team of purebred Siberian huskies through the forest on a bracing winter day. Far from the city, the only sounds of hustle and bustle and jostle and clamour you’ll hear will be those of the huskies breathing and the canine team and sled breaking through the snow. You will take in the pristine, jaw-dropping beauty of the Canadian wilderness in winter as you cuddle under your blanket in your five-foot wooden, basket-style sled. Winterdance in Haliburton offers dogsled tours on an almost 5000-acre expanse of private property close to the edge of Algonquin Park. Winterdance - and other commercial operators - will supply everything you need to enjoy a dog-sledding trip in stylish comfort. Winterdance provides food and beverages on its half-day, full-day, and moonlight tours. Just be sure to dress warmly. Winterdance’s dog-sledding trips book up quickly, especially on weekends, so make reservations. For more information, please visit: www.winterdance.com/pack_dogsledtours.php.
8. An outdoor fire is just as spirit-lifting as an indoor hearth-side blaze.
Enjoy an outdoor bonfire over piping hot cocoa with friends this winter – perhaps to finish off an afternoon of cross-country skiing. Where there’s a campfire, there’s warm conversation in the Kawarthas.
9. Bundle up the whole family and head for your nearest woodland
for a Sunday afternoon walk. The bounty? Animal tracks, birds, coniferous trees, and conversation. Follow a set of paw prints and see where they take you. Indeed, snow provides the perfect canvas for the tracks of animals. Make tracks of your own through an unscathed stretch of fresh snow.
10. Victoria Rail Trail cross country skiing
Experience first-hand how much fun – and invigorating - winter can be by taking on the Victoria Rail Trail on cross-country skis. The entire trail runs from Lindsay to Kinmount. The 32-kilometre trip from Fenelon Falls to Kinmount takes you through some of Victoria County's most scenic land, including stretches that appear untouched by man. For details, please visit: http://www.city.kawarthalakes.on.ca/residents/parks-recreation-culture/parks-and-trails/victoria-rail-trail-corridor-vrtc.
Enjoy a fresh take on an outdoor celebration this winter in the Kawarthas.
After all, it’s lovely out there.
Photo courtesy of alex indigo No Alterations Made - Creative Commons
