Arrowhead Provincial Park

After our most recent trip we decided to start a blog to share some of our adventures.

 Our most recent trip was to Arrowhead Provincial Park. We have wanted to visit the park for the past couple of winters and we had an open weekend so we went ahead. We were certainly not disappointed. Arrowhead is a winter wonderland for anyone who enjoys being outside in the winter (and quite possibly for those who don't enjoy it).

We arrived early Saturday morning and planned on cross country skiing. The trails were impeccably groomed with tons of snow, a far cry from the ice covered grass back home. The entire family (plus the inlaws) left the Arrowhead Warm Up Shelter and skied the 3.2 kilometres around the Roe trail (trail map). Despite the fact that the trail was an easy ski with few ups and downs the scenery was just stunning. Our son who is seven had no troubles with the distance. He would have been happy to go at least a little further. Our daughter who is five did get a little tired and was towed for a short while. After a bit of a rest (for her) she was happy to finish the under her own steam. I was very impressed. On our way back to the warmup cabin we skied past a pile of lessons for the young and old. If you live in the area this would be a great way to learn or improve you skills.

Skiing the Roe Trail

Once the Roe trail was done the rest of the gang headed to the warmup shelter while my father-in-law and I completed the Arrowhead Lake trail. It was a beautiful 5.3 km loop around the lake. We didn't do the Beaver Meadow extension but it will be a must for next time. There are so many trails to explore. We'll certainly have to come back to check them out.

Once the skiing was finished we headed over the the tubing hill. What a riot. The ride was long and fast. Many adults were content to do one run and call it quits (it's a long walk back up), but kids just want to keep going.

Saturday night we gave the skating trail a try for their Fire and Ice night. On Saturdays they light a tiki torches around the trail. Talk about a magical experience. Imagine skating through the woods in the dark. It was a very popular event. The camp fires were going at the trailhead and we brought some marshmallows along to toast. We returned on Sunday to skate in the daylight. It was a picture perfect day. The sun was shinning, there was snow on the trees and the temperature was in the minus twenties.

Along the Skating Trail

The Muskoka Loppet was taking place on the Sunday so most of the ski trails were closed to the public in the morning. We decided to do some snowshoeing. Another great experience. The trails made their way through the beautiful forest. It was so picturesque. At one point our son said "I wish we could live in Huntsville".

Mayflower Lake Trail

We had a great time and will certainly will be back. We stayed at one of the inns just outside of the park which was very convenient. The park was very busy Saturday afternoon. We were there early but as we were leaving the line of cars waiting to get into the park stretched for hundreds of metres. In the future we will look at staying in one of the cabins located within the park.

We applaud Ontario Parks, and specifically Arrowhead, for making the outdoors more appealing to more people during the winter months.