We all need something to do with our little ones when we can get outside, Here are the TOP 5 Family Fun Winter Adventures to get you adventuring and keep the kids enaged and having fun in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo!
Top Five Family Fun Adventures for the little ones
Snowshoeing! Being able to get outside and explore our trails and even go off the trail in our region is a huge benefit. With so many options available for such a wide range of ages and abilities there is truly no better way to get outside and explore Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo. We also offer snowshoes to rent even for the youngest ones.
With trails being so close to home to it provides a safe parachute for parents to pull for kids when it gets too cold, or they get tired. *Hint* Going off the beaten track will make those little ones feel like explorers but also tire them out, the fresh air tired, that will help them sleep so you can get a relaxing evening too.
2. Ice Skating!! While we don't rent out ice skates we still strongly recommend heading out to one of our amazing skating areas! The Lions Park downtown has an amazing path that is well maintained, as well as lights on the trees to provide the perfect atmosphere for the kids to create some winter memories!
Staying in town too, there is the MacDonald Island Park skating surface outside on footballs fields! Again, illuminated with some amazing lights to create more memories for years to come. If looking for skates for any age we recommend checking out Stratosphere Sports downtown by Avenue Coffee! Burton, the owner of Stratosphere Sports will for sure get you set up!
3. Skiing!!! We will be honest this is one of our favourites! Whether it is doing double french fries down Valley View at Vista Ridge, chasing our son down the bunny hill out there as well or hitting the incredible trails in Birchwood, groomed by Ptarmigan Nordic Club there is something about strapping something to your feet and gliding away.
Get in touch with either place to ensure there are rentals for you. Some tips and tricks to make these experiences enjoyable for everyone involved are to stay warm, have fun and keep it short and sweet, plus treats, treats and more treats! If you can keep the little ones engaged, and warm you will have a great 15 minutes of fun to start! Slowly build from there and you will soon have a life long skier on your hands whether its sticking to the groomed trails in town or doing pizza and french fries on whichever hill you grow on to!
4. Tubing!!!! For this activity head back out to Vista Ridge Resort. Here you will get to experience a great Canadian past time of sledding, and tubing! Make sure to sign up early, and stay warm! These excursions are great fun for all ages and must be topped off with a hot chocolate at the end.
If not wanting to make the trek out to Vista Ridge there are numerous spots in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo that offer great sledding right within town. A few that come to mind would be the Surekha's hill down by the Snye, just make sure to park at the bottom parking lot to leave space for those looking to experience the fine cuisine and atmosphere at this locally family owned restaurant. Another one is the hill by the football fields beside the Suncor Energy Centre for Performing Arts, attached to Holy Trinity Catholic High School, this place offers a great area for everyone to go down all at once and try out those new tobbogans and sleds that they get for Christmas. Last, but not least is the small hill across from Tower Road, where the Birchwood Trails comes out from Dickensfield and back into to Timberlea. This hill is perfect for the ones just learning to slide and getting their faces wet with snow, it is very easy, just make sure to take caution when crossing the road!
5. Dog Sledding!!!!! For some of us our family consists of 4 legged children, so we thought we would include our fur babies in winter family adventures. Depending on how adventurous you are and if you have taken the pulling course from Controlled Chaos you might already be on the trails enjoying some kick sledding!
If not we highly recommend checking out this dogsledding experience! The handlers are amazing, and will not only give you a great tour on the trail, but provide you background information and fill your soul with joy when you hear the dogs yelping with excitement as they are being harnessed and literally almost screaming to start pulling! This is one experience you will not want miss!
Well if you made it this far, give yourself a well deserved round of applause! We hope you are able to get out this winter and experience Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo, please stay warm, stay dry and have fun!