Ice Skating

One of the most iconic winter activities has got to be ice skating. As kids we would take school trips to local skating rinks, and of course what would hockey be without ice skating? If you love to ice skate, there are several areas close to the Kearney Cabin that you have to check out this winter.

First we have to talk about the trails in Arrowhead Provincial Park. They turn the roads to all the camping locations into one large ice skating trail that is over a kilometer long. This trail was voted part of the 19 stunning natural ice skating rinks around the world by Travel + Leisure. It continues to become more and more popular. In 2021 they started offering prebooking and registration to make sure they remain within the maximum capacity so be sure to book online before going. You can learn more about it here: https://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/advance-daily-vehicle-permits/

Saturdays tend to be the busiest with long waits to get into the park. In some instances, cars have even been turned away. Best times to visit are midweek or Sunday. Ice is always best first thing in the morning at 9:00am or 1:00pm in the afternoon after they do their ice maintenance.

If you want to make it a full day, why not try other activities at the park such as snow tubing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, or even winter bird spotting.

Arrowhead provincial park offers the “Fire and Ice Nights” where they light up the trail every Friday and Saturday night starting late January and continuing depending on weather and ice conditions. These nights fill up fast so make sure to make your reservation as soon as possible.

If you are not interested in travelling and want to stay close to the Kearney Cabin, the city has turned a local pavilion into a covered outdoor ice skating rink. It is just minutes down the road by walking, but for those colder days and nights you can drive for less than a minute to get there. Turn left out of the driveway, turn right onto Main Street and it will be on your left hand side. Lots of room to skate but an impromptu hockey game has been known to break out.

For those that like Ice Skating, you will enjoy these locations. What a great way to enjoy the winter outdoors. Looking for something else to do while visiting the Kearney Cabin? Check out these Winter Activities.