What’s winter without snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and skating?
These essential experiences all have one thing in common: you need the right gear to participate!
Here’s where you can rent or borrow winter gear in 2024:
Snowshoes
Nature looks completely different under a glittering blanket of snow. Strapping on a pair of snowshoes for a trek along a trail lets you experience our provincial parks in a totally new way.
Eight parks rent snowshoes to visitors who don’t have their own:
- Algonquin Provincial Park (from outfitters located outside the park. Rentals are limited at the East and West Gates)
- Arrowhead Provincial Park
- Frontenac Provincial Park
- Killarney Provincial Park (offered by the Friends of Killarney at the Outpost store. Please call ahead at 705-287-2800)
- Pinery Provincial Park
- Silent Lake Provincial Park
- Wasaga Beach Provincial Park
- Windy Lake Provincial Park
Be sure to check out why each of these is a great location to visit in the first place!
Cross-country skis
Cross-country skiing is a great way for families to get outdoors and enjoy the winter together. Plus, skiing comes with many proven health benefits.
Here’s where you can rent a pair of skis and glide through frozen forests:
- Arrowhead Provincial Park
- Killarney Provincial Park (offered by the Friends of Killarney at the Outpost Store. Please call ahead at 705-287-2800)
- Pinery Provincial Park
- Wasaga Beach Provincial Park
- Windy Lake Provincial Park
Skates
Skating through the forest under the stars at Arrowhead has become a bucket-list item for Ontarians. The park offers skate rentals at the new Visitor Centre for guests who need them.
Arrowhead can get quite busy on weekends. Check out our guide on how to have a stress-free experience there.
Ice fishing
Windy Lake offers a fantastic opportunity for those looking to give ice fishing a try.
A complete ice fishing package is available at the Park Office, including portable shelters and equipment. Staff will even transport everything out onto the ice and help set it up (in the best fishing spots, of course).
Disc golf
Bronte Creek Provincial Park‘s disc golf course stays open all year.
The Bronte Creek Disc Golf Club offers a disc lending library at the beginning of the course for guests who don’t have their own discs.
A snowy landscape offers a whole new set of obstacles to play through.
