Winter Cabin Life at Silent Lake Provincial Park

We haven't seen much winter this year so when the snow finally started to fly mid-January we decided we should head north for a couple of days and take in as much winter as we could before it all disappeared. We discovered that Silent Lake Provincial Park had some cabins available, so we booked one and started getting ready. While booking the cabin we noticed that there is no lack of availability during the week. If you can get away during the week this would be a great option.

We booked cabin 206, somewhat randomly and I think it turned out to best cabin for us. It was on the lake side of the road, which meant we could walk out the front door to the lake. The cabins on either side of us were empty for our stay. But most importantly, we were able to turn the hill down to the lake into a sledding hill. I don't think any of the other cabins had such a nice sledding hill right out the door. When you have kids your criteria for a successful location can be quite different.

Cabin 206

We were only able to spend two nights so we made good use of our time. Upon our arrival we notice that mother nature had set the perfect scene for us. The temperature was below freezing, but not by much; the trees were covered in snow, from a storm the previous weekend; and the sun was setting. We unloaded our belongings, had something to eat then headed outside. We roasted some marshmallows then made our way to lake to get a good view of the night sky. The night sky was absolutely stunning. One of our daughters lay on the frozen lake just taking it all in. We talked about how the sky might have looked different thousands of years ago and how it might look different thousands of years from now. We also talked about how vast the universe was and pondered questions such as: what if there are other universes out there? It was certainly the highlight of the day.

The next morning we headed out on the ski trail. We didn't really pay much attention to the map before we left. We figured we would ski until our six year old got tired, then turn around. That's what we had done last time we were here. We left from point A and headed towards point B. There's a steep uphill climb just before B. I was worried that our daughter would get tired or frustrated after climbing the hill then she'd have to walk down the hill and ski back. We decided that Sarah and the girls would turn around at the hill and ski back to the cabin. Our son and I would continue on and do the 5 km red trail. We all had a great ski and met back at the cabin for lunch. While we were out on the trail we realized that all of us would be able to complete the 2.5 km green trail. This would make a great trip for tomorrow.

Some of the Ski Trails

Looking Across the Lake

And We're Off

Stream Flowing Out of Silent Lake

One Way

So Much Snow

All Covered in White

After lunch the plan was to do some ice fishing. We hadn't been ice fishing yet this year since it has been so warm, so we were looking forward to getting out there. Our son went to sort through the fishing gear while Sarah and I cleaned up after lunch. After a short period of time he came in asking where the fishing rods were. When he told me they weren't with all the other ice fishing gear, I realized that they were in the garage at home. Oh well. We dumped all the gear out of the sled and spent a good part of the afternoon sledding down the hill.

Going Down 

Who's Steering This Thing?

Headed for the Jump!

After a bit of sledding I put the skis back on and did the 10 km yellow trail. It was very picturesque The warm-up hut (located at point F) would be a good spot to stop for lunch some day.

Small, Frozen Body of Water

Warm-Up Cabin

When I got back to the cabin we started thinking about dinner. The plan was to BBQ some sausages, but it was so nice out that we all wanted to just be outside. We decided to cook our sausages over the fire instead.

Tending the Fire

Checking on The Sausages

The next morning we packed up (checkout time is 11:00), vacated the cabin and headed out for a ski. We brought a lunch with us so that we could eat on the way. The plan was to ski the 2.5 km loop, stopping about midway for lunch. 

Heading Up the Big Hill

Improvised Picnic Table

When we finished the loop our six year old said "Let's do it again!". We were all shocked that she wanted to go again, but we were all happy to oblige. We had the rest of our lunch by the lake then proceeded to complete the 2.5 km loop again. She was so much better the second time around. She even wanted to go a third time, but we weren't sure we had time (or that she would have the energy). I guess next time we'll have to do the 5 km loop, possibly with an additional 2.5 km loop.

We had a great time at Silent Lake. It was so nice to get a taste of winter. The cabins are a great option. They're very spacious. They can sleep 5 and come equipped with a microwave, fridge, kettle, a small counter with kitchen cupboards and shelves, a dinning table and a BBQ outside. The cabins are very similar to the one we stayed in at Arrowhead. The big difference is that the enclosed porch was heated at Silent Lake and it had an amazing collapsible drying rack. The drying rack was a great place to put hats and mitts to dry. I think I want one of these for home!

Collapsible Drying Rack

Collapsed Drying Rack

If you're looking for somewhere to go for a winter getaway, Silent Lake is a great option. They have 34 km of ski trails, 3.5 km of dedicated snowshoe trails (though you could snowshoe on the lake or on any of the unplowed park roads) and ice fishing (hand powered augers only). We will certainly be back, hopefully with our of our fishing gear.

Solo Ski at Ferris Park

This weekend was shaping up to be one of the best for outdoor activities this winter. There has been a good amount of snow this week. In fact, it seems like it has non-stop snowed for the past two days. The temperature has been just a little below the freezing point. It seemed like a great weekend to get out and enjoy the wintry weather.

The only problem seemed to be that our two daughters woke up sick, our son was exhausted from his school ski trip yesterday and my wife is (hopefully) getting over her cold. When I asked at breakfast who wanted to do some cross country skiing today, our son was the only one that was keen. He changed his mind a short while later, saying that he was too tired. That meant, unfortunately, I'd be headed out on my own. 

I gathered my skis and headed for Ferris Provincial Park. In the past I've accessed the park from the east side of the river where the gate house is. This is the second winter that the gate at the road has been closed so I proceed to access from the west side by at the suspension bridge.

I crossed the bridge, strapped on my skis and had a great ski throughout the park. While in the park I had a few snowmobiles pass me while I was on the Trans Canada Trail and I saw one person on snowshoes heading in as I was heading out.

I captured some video, but not as much as I had expected. When I changed the camera battery about midway through my trip I must not have hit record. It's too bad that the most exciting parts were on the second half of the trip. In any case, here's some footage from my great day of skiing.

Winter Camping at Silent Lake

We decided that for this past Christmas we would get a hot tent. We've set it up in the yard and spent the night in it (a cold one at that) to make sure we knew how everything worked. The time to test the tent out in the wild finally came last Wednesday.

We packed up the van (as well as the car) and headed for Silent Lake Provincial Park. Silent Lake offers a number of options for a winter stay. They have a new set of cabins, as well as a number of different yurts. These roofed accommodations seem quite busy so be sure to book early. In addition, the park also offers winter camping. They have electrical sites that you can drive into and non-electrical sites that you have to hike to. If you wish to winter camp you don't need to book ahead, as they have a good number of sites available.

The comfort station located at the day-use area is open in the winter. It is close to the cabins but would be a long walk from the yurts or winter camping sites. Vault toilets are available in the campgrounds.

Silent Lake

In terms of winter activities, the park officially offers 40 km of cross-country ski trails, some snowshoeing and ice fishing. We saw a number of people taking advantage of the frozen water. Some people hiked out onto the lake. Others shovelled off a section and created a skating rink. The thawing and freezing we had about a week ago made for some perfect ice. We even saw some kids sledding down the hill by the comfort station.

We arrived Wednesday around noon and as it turns out it snowed most of the day (Welcome back winter!). We began setting up our tent right away. The kids explored the site and played around in the snow. We probably should have had lunch first because after a while the kids started to get hungry and cold. We ended up pausing the tent setup so that we could get something to eat but then our four year old started to get really cold. We quickly put the rest of the tent together and got the fire going. Once the fire was going and everyone was happy we proceeded to setup the interior of the tent. The kids were happy to play around inside the tent building forts and playing games.

Loving All the Snow

After some time in the tent we headed outside. The kids decided to make snow sculptures. It was cool to see their creativity in action. 

All Setup

After the sculpting was done we headed inside for some sloppy Joes. They were filling and really hit the spot. We cleaned up, got ready for bed then read a story. I love it when all of our kids can be interested in the same book. Sarah brought along a book called Stick Cat: Cats in the City. All three kids were totally into the book and kept wanting to hear more. I had intended to go outside for a walk and perhaps take some pictures after the kids fell asleep, but I was exhausted and fell asleep shortly after they did. I woke up a few hours later to throw some wood on the fire and went back to bed. It was a fairly warm night but I did seem to wake up every few hours. While I was up I put more wood on the fire. I'm hoping that with a little more practice we'll find the optimal night time setup for the fire.

Thursday was our first full day in the park and I wanted to make the most of it. It started with some pancakes cooked on the wood stove. Our son was the master flapjack flipper. After breakfast we headed to the comfort station to get some water, do the dishes, brush our teeth and do some skiing.

Looking Across the Lake

Once we were ready to go, we hit the trail. 

Trailhead

It started as a perfect day for skiing. The sun was out and it was fairly warm. The trail followed the shoreline of the lake for the first part. It was very picturesque. 

We're Off

Trail Blazing

Over the Bridge

Looking Down Stream

We skied for a total of about an hour. The kids had had enough by this point. It probably just as well that we turned back when we did. The temperature had warmed up to above 0°C and the snow was clumping to the waxless skis.

We headed back to our site where the chicken noodle soup, that had been warming in the slow cooker, was waiting for us. This was the first time we've ever camped at a site with electricity and having a warm meal waiting for us upon our arrival was amazing.

After lunch our son and I made our way back to the comfort station and headed out onto the lake to do some ice fishing. Ice fishing is a new sport to us this winter. Our son has been very excited to try since last winter. He read a ton of books and is teaching me about fishing in the winter. It was very windy so we drilled our holes (the ice was 19" thick) and setup our shelter.

Even In Winter Parents Have Are Responsible

Ice Fishing

We fished for an hour or so but came up empty handed. So we packed up an headed back to the site. We split some more firewood then cooked some pasta and sausages.

I had to work on Friday so I got up early and headed out. Sarah and the kids stayed and enjoyed the day in the park. They did some reading, played some games and went for a couple of walks. One of their walks took them to the campground with the walk-in sites. They walked around and saw that some of the yurts were occupied but they didn't see any tents. It turned out that we were the only tenters in the park during our stay.

I arrived back at the site around 4:30. I was dressed for work and as a result I was quite chilled. We needed more firewood so we loaded up the van, stopped at the comfort station then picked up some wood at the gatehouse. Once back at our site we split the firewood which warmed me up nicely. Then I strapped on the snowshoes and followed what ended up being the easy ski trail. It was a great evening for a walk. 

Although it would have been nice to stay the entire weekend we had decided that Saturday should be our last day so that we could spend Sunday getting everything unpacked and put away. We woke up on Saturday and cooked up some bacon and cinnamon buns. As our eight year old daughter pointed out, this wasn't exactly a healthy breakfast.

After breakfast we went for a ski as a family. I had discovered that just down the road from our site we could connect to the ski trail. So off we went. We made it as far as the trail before our youngest daughter started complaining about cold feet. We usually bring along some hand and foot warmers on winter outings, but for whatever reason they didn't seem to be a priority for this trip (but will be for the next one).

One Last Family Ski

I took her back to the tent, got the fire going and then we read some stories. We packed up some of our stuff and tried to get a bit organized. After a while we drove to the comfort station to use the heated bathroom and to get some water. Sarah carried on with the kids and had a great ski.

Once everyone was back at the tent we packed up some more and had lunch. I was jealous that I didn't get to ski in the morning so I decided to sneak away for a quick ski. Our son decided to come along. We skied the 2.5 km loop opposite to the recommended direction. I think next time we'll go in the recommended direction.

Upon our return we furiously packed everything up and somehow managed to get it to fit in our vehicles.

Our first winter camping trip was a big success. We had a great time and are all looking forward to the next outing. One of the things I love most about coming back from a trip is having dinner together and talking about our favourite parts and things we could do next time to make the trip better.

Christmas Bird Count At Frontenac Provincial Park

Today we attended the Christmas Bird Count for Kids at Frontenac Provincial Park. We had intended to arrive early and ski before the bird count, have lunch and then do the bird count. As it turns out it was a slow morning for us and we didn't arrive at the park until noon. The bird count was to start at 1:00 so we decided to have lunch when we arrived.

At 1:00 Carolyn Bonta began a presentation about common birds found in the park in winter. She talked about how to identify them, along with some of their behaviours. It was a very informative presentation that was engaging for kids and adults alike. She had some specimens on hand so that we could see what the actual birds looked like and she played their calls so that we might be able to identify the birds by sound while out on the trail. 

Once the presentation was over we got into our outdoor gear and headed outside. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shinning, the temperature was around -6°C and there wasn't any wind. We couldn't have asked for a better day.

Looking Out Over South Otter Lake

The Boardwalk

As a group we made a couple of stops when someone heard or saw a bird. We spotted a number of chickadees and a pair of blue jays. We stopped along the boardwalk and Carolyn pointed out some trees that had been heavily used by woodpeckers at one time. Unfortunately, we didn't see any woodpeckers but we did happen to see some crows and ravens as we made our way across the boardwalk. As we were leaving the first boardwalk someone spotted a large bird way off in the distance. I didn't see it but some people said it may have been a turkey vulture. As we turned around to face the other direction we got to witness an amazing site. We saw a bald eagle being chased by a raven. We watched for a while as this chase went on and then noticed another large bird of prey approaching. Its colourings were completely different from the eagle but its size was comparable. We later hypothesized that it was likely a juvenile bald eagle given that both of the birds eventually flew off together. It was quite an amazing site to see.

Snow Covered Boardwalk

Fisher Tracks Leading Down the Creek

 We do a fair bit of hiking and see a lot of cool things but having Carolyn along for the hike was great. She was a fountain of knowledge and was happy to share and answer questions and she was great with the kids. We stopped to look at some footprints that travelled along the creek and she explained that they were fisher tracks and told us why they were fisher tracks. We saw a fair number of track along the creek and even saw where the fisher may have stopped for a drink of water.

A Seat Along the Boardwalk

A Bench 

 We kept hiking but didn't see many more birds. The people at the front of the group spotted a deer before it took off into the woods. Unfortunately, we were at the back and didn't see that deer. The kids saw a few as we drove into the park and there was another one close to the road as we drove out.

After the hike we had some hot chocolate, looked at the specimens and thanked Carolyn for her presentation. Then we headed to the parking lot to grab our skis so that we could ski along the Corridor Trail. There was just enough snow to be able to ski. It was a slow ski with the kids but that's probably a good thing as there were a number of rocks and roots that got uncovered as we skied. The older kids led the way and were having a great time. It was nice to have everyone out on skis again. The four year old had some trouble on the ups and downs but it won't be long until she's zipping along. She fell a lot but laughed about it every time. I love getting out as a family. It's so much fun.

At the Trail Head

Going Up

What a great day. We all had such a good time. The bird count was a great way to get outside and to learn a bit more about the birds in the park. There are lots of bird counts happening around the world at this time of year. If you're interested check out their website here.

We Found Winter at Arrowhead!

If you're a fan of snowy winters and live in southern Ontario, this likely has not been much of a fun winter for you. We've had a lot of rain and freezing rain this winter along with some mild temperatures. Recently we decided to set out to find winter by booking a cabin at Arrowhead Provincial Park for the middle of the week. We had such a blast there last winter we thought we'd go back.

We couldn't have asked for better weather. The Ice Skating Trail reopened the day before we arrived and there was lots of snow for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The temperature was below zero every day we were there and as it seems to do every time we go, it snowed every day. The first couple of days brought a couple of centimetres each and on our last day we must have received close to 10 cm. All of the extra snow meant that the tubing hill opened on our last day.

Snowshoeing at Mayflower Lake

Time for a Rest

Mayflower Lake Trail

Short Loop or Long Loop?

Taking a Break at the Amphitheatre

Resting on the Way Back

Walking Hemlock Ridge

Happy Together

Hurray for Winter!

Friendly Chickadees

Table for Two

So Many Chickadees

Family Skate

One Stride at a Time

Staying at the cabins at Arrowhead Provincial Park provided us with an amazing winter location. The scenery was spectacular, the activities were plentiful and the company couldn't be beat. The time away allowed us to really connect as a family. The distractions of work, school, extra curricular activities, jobs around the house, etc. all faded away for a few days. The only important things for those days were being together and being outside. We can't wait to do it again.

What are your favourite winter destinations?