- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- home style today articles
- home style today q&a
- traveling today articles
- traveling today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Snow, Glorious Snow!
Winter Travel in Canada
By Michele St. Martin
No ifs, ands or buts about it, skiing is the big draw of the Canadian Rockies, but if you prefer staying horizontal to schussing down mountains, cross-country skiing may be just the sport for you, and most resorts offer this Nordic sport. Love the outdoors? Along with both types of skiing, you can also try ice fishing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and more. Snowmobiling can be daring or staid. Spend a whole or half-day exploring the backcountry of the Rockies, and be sure to bring along your camera to photograph the wildlife and scenery.
If adventure is your middle name, resorts in the Rockies offer dog sledding or skijoring (cross-country skiing with a sled dog). For the more sedate among us, photo tours, hay rides and riding in horse-drawn sleighs are also popular.
If you're going to the Rockies this year, you might want to think about traveling in January to enjoy two special events: the International Ice Sculpting Competition (teams and individuals carve blocks of ice into temporary pieces of art; there's even a "Little Chippers Station" in the village of Lake Louise) and the Banff/Lake Louise Winter Festival. Celebrated annually since 1916, the Winter Festival offers an art walk, family winter carnival, torchlight parade, Mountain Madness Relay Race and more.
"Ottawa, our capital, is one of Canada's best kept secrets," says Louise Crandall of the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies. Crandall adds that Ottawa's Winterlude is one of the largest winter festivals in North America. "Winterlude takes place over three weekends in February and offers a large variety of outdoor activities popular with families. It features snow and ice sculptures, a kid's playground in snow, races, cultural events and much more at venues all around the city."