Five tips on how to embrace wintertime in Canada 

Winter is here! With colder weather comes the beauty of the great forests covered with a blanket of snow, and with spending time outside comes the bliss of ending the day sipping a hot chocolate in front of a fireplace. Whether it’s your favourite season or you think it’s the worst, you’ll want to read these five tips on how to boost your happiness and embrace wintertime in Canada. 

1. Dress for Success
Being appropriately dressed is the first rule to enjoy the great outdoors in any season, particularly in the colder months. You should always wear layers, well-insulated winter boots, gloves, tuque, and sunglasses to protect your eyes from snow glare. To avoid that infamous tingling sensation when your hands and/or feet are warming up, treat yourself with merino wool socks and quality gloves or mittens. It’s worth spending a bit of extra money on your winter gear so that you can appreciate your time outside, whatever the temperature. 

2. Play Outside!
Not only are snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and Nordic walking suitable activities to stay fit during wintertime, but it also motivates you to go outdoors and has several additional health benefits. As mentioned in the Marian University of Indianapolis blog post called “Benefits of spending time outdoors in the winter” by Jessica Sobers, there are many mental and physical benefits of spending time outdoors, even after the weather gets cold. With shorter days, getting more light is usually recommended to avoid winter blues; different light therapy devices can supplement that. But remember that there is no better source than natural daylight. 

3. Go off the beaten path
While many trails are not accessible after the first snowfalls, there are places that you can only access in winter. Lacking summer crowds, you can enjoy parts of the Banff National Park all to yourself on a snowshoeing adventure in the Canadian Rockies. It’s also a wonderful time of the year to explore Algonquin Park in Ontario on our multi-day Classic Canadian Winter Adventure. Play in waist-deep powder snow, marvel at the reflection as you pass by frozen lakes, and search for wildlife tracks. Even the landscapes are more spectacular than in summer! 

4. Post-activity benefits
Nothing compares to the blissful feeling of warming up at a comfortable lodge, log cabin or chalet by a campfire at the end of the day. Sipping a cup of tasty hot chocolate in a comfy blanket while looking at the snow falling outside or reading a good book. It sounds cliché, but it is a classic wintertime experience in Canada. 

5. Talk about it
Winter happiness is also about comfort food, ice wine, and daily conversations about the crazy weather forecast. It’s not a stereotype but a truism that most Canadians like to talk about the weather. According to David Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment Canada, “We don’t talk about it in the transition seasons because it just seems lukewarm or so-so. But usually in the dog days of summer or the dead of winter, [weather] tends to punctuate all of our conversations.” 

Winter means darker and colder days, but we hope this will inspire you to embrace the brighter and unique moments it brings. Canada is the perfect playground for outdoor recreation in wintertime, with lots of snow and plenty of wide open spaces to explore. Plan your winter adventure in Canada with Great Canadian Trails.