When 8 months of the year are cold there is no reason that summer should be the only months that you look forward to. The year should have enjoyable activities, festivals and places to make those other 8 months awesome. Edmonton is truly becoming a winter city with activities and festivals popping up making the brutal cold enjoyable. If that were the case then Edmontonians would not be fun at all! Make sure to enjoy these 5 winter activities in Edmonton before the winter season is over:

5 Winter Activities in Edmonton

Visit the Ice Castle

From December 30^th to March 15^th, 2017 the ice castle takes you to a place where fairy tales are born. It is lit up in the evening. Our 3 year old was singing “Let it go” as she explored the caves and ice while our 1 year old took it all in on the sled. The line up for the slide was definitely worth it and my husband and I had a blast racing with our two kiddos down on the crazy carpets. Portable washrooms are on site and a couple of food trucks. Don’t bring a stroller but sleds are welcome! Booking ahead makes sure that you get your preferred time slot and that you get in when you show up! Check out their hours of operation here.

Downhill Sports

Head to the Rabbit hill or Snow Valley and let your little one try skiing or snowboarding.  If you have your own gear then try taking them to a local school hill to try out their board and bring a sled along as well. We had a blast taking our 3 year and 1 year old to a local school hill in Sherwood park. We even brought out her little snowboard and had her snowboarding for the first time!

Cross-Country Ski

In and around Edmonton there are tracked ski trails to explore. Bring on the snow and enjoy these trails with your family. 

•  Strathcona Wilderness Centre: Beautiful forest trails and a small warming hut to eat your lunch or have hot chocolate at the start. Bring your own gear or rent. They also rent sleds to pull babies as well if you do not have your own. There is also a small $5 trail fee. More Information here.
•  Blackfoot: Host of the famous Birkebeiner ski race, the Blackoot trail is amazing when groomed and located at Cooking Lake-Blackfoot about 15km east of Sherwood Park.
• Goldbar: Located in Edmonton these trails are more challenging
• Victoria Park: Relatively flat and has a skating lane. Near the University of Alberta
• Mayfair golf course: Relatively flat and located near the University of Alberta.
• Riverside golf course: Located just east of downtown in the river valley.
• Derrick golf course: Located in the west end tracks for classic skiing.

Trail conditions, maps and locations can be found here. Above information was provided with the help of Keith Mang an Edmonton Local.

Hike

Did you know that Edmonton has over 160km of trails? Get your kids out of the house and enjoy a walk/hike outdoors. It does not have to be summer to enjoy the Edmonton parks. Bundle up, pack some hot chocolate and go explore. Check out the many different trails here.

Skating

Skate outdoors in Edmonton and make sure to skate at least once at both the Edmonton Legislature and Churchill Square. Enjoy the free skating and the lights around Christmas time.

Edmonton Legislature is open from 10am-10 pm (weather dependent) and located directly behind the Edmonton Legislature free skating.

Churchill square offers free skates for rent. For added fun check out the Edmonton Swing n’ Skate that runs until the end of February. Skate rentals and information on the Swing n’ Skate can be found here.