Do you enjoy exhilarating outdoor activities on a crisp winter's day? Then pack your skates and head for Ottawa and the 7.8 kilometre-long Rideau Canal Skateway, the world's longest skating rink. Whether you're alone or with friends or family the Skateway can provide a great workout and loads of fun. Start off downtown, near the Parliament Buildings, and skate your way to the locks at Carleton University. there are 35 access points to the Skateway, plus several food concessions, change facilities and washrooms. And if you forget your skates at home or don't have any, no problem! You can rent a pair on-site. Or, to travel the canal in a more leisurely manner, hire a sleigh! Heated shelters provide a welcome place to warm up on a cold day, and believe me, you'll appreciate it. The first three weekends in February are a particularly festive time in Ottawa, when Winterlude, Ottawa's winter carnival, is held. Enjoy bed races, figure-skating shows and ice-sculpting.
For an outdoor adventure in the wilderness head to Toronto and the Markham-based Call Of The Wild for three- and four-day dog sledding tours of Algonquin Park. Teams of six or eight Huskies whisk you along at 20 to 30 kilometres per day, through the forests, over hills and across frozen lakes. If you're lucky you might spot a wolf or a moose (but no bears-they're in hibernation). This is the heart of Group Of Seven country, so just imagine the landscapes!
At night you relax at Eco Lodge on the southern edge of the park. Designed to have minimum impact on the environment, the lodge uses alternative energy sources to keep you warm and provide you with steaming showers and a hot tub. Guests are given basic instruction on proper dogsledding technique-details like remembering the dogs' names so they'll obey you! Guests are also expected to help with the chores at night, such as putting the sleds away and taking care of the dogs.
Call Of The Wild also offers a three-day tour of Algonquin on dogsleds, cross-country skis and snowshoes, as well as a five-day snowmobile tour of the park and a three-day snowmobile tour of the Haliburton Highlands.
Another way of exploring the area is, of course, to go on your own. Algonquin and Arrowhead provincial parks offer cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, skating and snowtubing. Nearby areas also offer tobogganing, downhill skiing and snowboarding. Equipment rentals are available.
Temagami is best know for its old-growth forest, but Lake Temagami also has excellent ice fishing that lasts from early January to mid-March. Take along a saw, a chair or a hut and a fishing rod, and try your luck. Lake trout, walleye, bass, pike and whitefish can all be found in the lake. With an area of 20,243 hectares and a distance of 40 kilometres from end to end, the lake provides a great opportunity to try your hand at the sport!
In the mood for a little less emotion? Then head to Sault Ste. Marie for Bon Soo, Ontario's second largest winter carnival. The event lasts from February 1 to 10 and features 125 outdoor and indoor events, ranging from snow sculpturing and sleigh rides to dances and sporting events. Opening night will be celebrated with a fireworks display.
For hardy souls, there's a polar-bear dip in St.Mary's River, and Fantasy Kingdom, a popular snow-sculpture creation located on the waterfront beside city hall. This year's theme, "Fairy Tales", will be created by Paul Dawkins. For curling fans, the National World Curling Tour will be town at the same time as the carnival.
To sit back on view the area's rugged scenery in perfect comfort, take the Algoma Central Railway's Snow Train. Departing Saturdays from late December until mid-March, with three special Sunday runs in February and one Tuesday run, the Snow Train twists and turns through the frigid rock-lined landscape of the Canadian Shield north of Sault Ste. Marie as far as Eton, where the engines are changed and the train makes its way back. Unlike summer and fall, however, in winter there are no stopping points where passengers can get off the train and walk around.
At 163 kilometres, the train begins a 152-metre descent to the floor of Agawa Canyon, intersected on the east side by a stream. The leaves the canyon through the north portal where the canyon walls are a mere15 metres apart. Snowmobilers will be pleased to know that snowmobiles can be taken on the regular trains from Sault Ste. Marie to Hearst. (Reservations are required for baggage car space well in advance.) Access to thousands of kilometres of groomed and signed trails is provided at various points along the way. The trails are part of the Trans-Ontario Provincial (TOP) system. (Trail permits required.) Four day trips are available from Hawk Junction and Dubreuilville. Travellers can also set out from Hearst on a trip of a week or more. There are various lodges along the line. But, be prepared - it can be bitterly cold! Daytime temperatures in January average -12 C and nighttime -25 C. February temperatures are only slightly higher.
As the temperatures begin to rise, so does the sap in the maple trees. It's the ideal time to visit a sugar bush! While most sugar bushes are located in the northern parts of Ontario, White Meadows Farms is located just outside of St.Catharines, near Niagara Falls. Starting in the first weekend in February and continuing through to the last weekend in March, the 16 hectare sugar bush offers wagon tours and delicious all-day pancake breakfasts with maple syrup. You can also watch sap boil in the sugar shack. During March break the farm is open daily. The store, which sells sells maple products (maple toffee, sugar and maple fudge, maple jelly and maple- scented candles) is open year-round.
Just west of St.Catharines, at Grimsby, watch the spring migration of hawks and other birds of prey at Beamer Conservation Area on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment. The migration lasts from early March to mid May with the peak in mid April. Winds blowing along the escarpment provide the lift the birds need The wind factor and the old-growth trees make and a tower built for birdwatchers, make Beamer a prime area for hawk watching. It can be quite breezy there so bundle up.
Ottawa, Toronto, Grimsby and St.Catharines can all be reached by Via. Huntsville and Temagami are served by the Ontario Northland's Northlander out of Toronto. To get to Sault Ste. Marie, take Via to Sudbury and a bus to Sault Ste. Marie.
The Strathcona Hotel: Nestled in the heart of the financial district, theatre, sports and shopping. Right across from Via Rail at Union Station. Totally renovated, this hotel offers upgraded accommodation featuring work desk, data port. TV high speed internet access. 1-800-268-8303, www.thestrathconahotel.com/ [Note: This was added to the piece by the editor to accommodate an ad by the hotel.)
The Carmichael Inn & Spa Ottawa, bed & breakfast located just a few blocks from the Rideau Canal Skateway. 1-877-416-2417 www.carmichaelinn.com/
Loon Lodge, Temagami Located right on the lake. Ice fishing services available. 1-705-237-8918 www.loonlodge.com/
Holiday Inn Sault Ste.Marie: The host hotel for Bon Soo, located right on the St.Mary's River. 1-888-713-8482 www.holiday-inn.com/saulmarieon
Four Points Sheraton Located near Brock University, in Thorold. 1-905-984-8484 www.fourpointsuites.com/
Ontario Travel 1-800-ONTARIO, www.ontariotravel.net/
Algoma Central Railway 1-800-242-9287, www.agawacanyontourtrain.com/
Bon Soo Ontario Winter Carnival 1-705-759-3000, www.bonsoo.on.ca/
Call Of The Wild 1-800-776-9453, www.callofthewild.ca/
Lake Temagami Ice Fishing, 1-800-661-7609, www.fishontario.com/best-sports/temagami/temagamihome.html
Rideau Canal Skateway www.canadascapital.gc/ca/seasonal/rideau_e.html
Toronto Winter Fest 2002 1-416-338-0338, www.citytoronto.on/special_events/winterfest
White Meadows Farms 1-905-682-0642, www.whitemeadowsfarms.com/
I Hate Winter: A Guide To Winter Outings In Ontario, by Sue Lebrecht, Boston Mills Press, 1999
Ontario: Ulysses Travel Guide, Ulysses Trade Publications, 1999
C2002 Peter D.A. Warwick
Return To Writing Credits