Engaging in outdoor activities can teach you to embrace winter. | PHOTO: AYAIMAGES/ADOBE STOCK
LIVE AND LEARN
Turn the Outdoors Into Your Classroom
Learning fun new skills can help you make the most of the snowy season.
By Kate Rae
Embrace winter by trying new cold-weather activities. You can find plenty to do outside, and a growing number of instructors, nature centres and community organizations are transforming the coldest months into a season of hands-on learning. This could look like reading a fox’s footprints in fresh snow, snowshoeing in untouched powder or figuring out how to pull off a night in the bush. Here are four outdoor pursuits worth exploring and where to try them out.
SELECT A BOX TO JUMP TO THAT SECTION.
Discover Animal Tracks in the Snow
Outdoor Winter Survival
Snowshoeing for Beginners
Winter Birding
Discover animal tracks in the snow
Ever wondered who’s really sharing your backyard or favourite trail? The moment snow hits the ground, it becomes a running record of every creature that passes through. Learning to read it is like unlocking a hidden story. You don’t need to be an expert to get started; most introductory tracking programs are built for beginners.
In person: The Arboretum at the University of Guelph runs a full-day Introduction to Animal Tracking workshop that goes well beyond spotting a paw print. Here you’ll learn to read stride patterns and gait — or how the animal moves — to figure out whether it was walking, bounding or fleeing. Plus you’ll receive a crash course in scat identification (how to identify different kinds of animal droppings). The day wraps with a guided outdoor search where you’ll put the skills straight to work. All you need is a notebook, a measuring tape and warm clothing.
- Seven hours
- Cost: $107
- Visit: arboretum.uoguelph.ca/events/2026/02/person-introduction-animal-tracking
Online: The Animal Track Identification Course run through Friends of Gatineau Park is an online, instructor-led deep dive into the prints, gait marks and other signs left by wildlife, including foxes and fishers. This course takes place every year in January.
- Four weeks
- Cost: $80
- Visit: ncc-ccn.gc.ca/events/animal-track-identification-course
Outdoor winter survival
Whether you spend your workdays outside or just like knowing you could handle a worst-case scenario, learning how to adapt and thrive in the elements builds practical competence without requiring a guiding certification. Lessons include starting a fire, building a shelter and decision making in cold weather.
In person: The Headwaters Wilderness Program, in partnership with Lure of the North Outfitters, provides the opportunity to learn hot tent camping — which offers the benefit of a heat source within the tent enclosure. No experience or gear is necessary; all the equipment is provided. The program is headquartered in Toronto, with trips around southwestern Ontario that let you choose a convenient location.
- Customizable for single or multiple days
- Cost: $100 per day per person plus outfitting
- Visit: headwaterswildernessprogram.ca/winter-hot-tent-camping
Online: The International Canadian School of Survival’s self-paced Wilderness Safety and Survival course throws you straight into the essentials: starting a fire in challenging conditions, setting snares and building shelters that will keep you alive overnight. It’s designed to be worked through at your own pace, with advanced classes available once you have the fundamentals down.
- Go at your own pace
- Cost: $100
- Visit: icsos.thinkific.com/courses/WSS1
Snowshoeing for beginners
One of the most spectacular aspects of Canadian winters is the picture-perfect landscapes blanketed in snow. Being able to venture farther into parkland, around lakes and up hills can lead to more serene, untouched beauty. Making your way there as the snow gets deeper is the challenge — and snowshoeing is the answer. This sport is low impact, as the snow cushions each step. It’s still a great workout, though, because lifting each foot high enough to take a step counts as cardio. A little technical and safety instruction will give you the confidence to explore.
In person: Crawford Lake Conservation Area, part of Conservation Halton, offers several dates for registration as well as free snowshoe rentals. The beginners’ tour provides an opportunity to try out snowshoeing, while a park naturalist gives tips as you enjoy the trails. Fireside hot chocolate included.
- One afternoon
- Cost: $15 plus gate fees for the conservation area
- Visit: conservationhalton.ca/event/winter-wanderings-guided-snowshoeing-tours
Online: Known as a source for all things outdoors, Mountain Equipment Company (MEC) delivers a primer on getting ready to snowshoe. Extensive insight on picking the right gear gives you an easy entry point into the sport, while understanding the mechanics, technique and etiquette will give you confidence once you get out there.
- Go at your own pace
- Cost: Free
- Visit: mec.ca/en/explore/how-to-start-snowshoeing
Winter birding
Far from being a quiet season for birders, winter reveals which species are tough enough to stick around in the cold — and watching them adapt brings its own kind of fascination. Winter birding programs tend to be low cost and low commitment, making them a simple way to get outside, while winter bird feeding adds to the enjoyment.
In person: The Royal Botanical Gardens in Dundas hosts Family Flock Adventures, a kid-friendly outing that teaches you how to tell species apart by colour, size and song. Dress warmly, bring your own binoculars, and get ready to observe the birds that have been around you all along.
- Nov. 29 and Dec. 20, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- Cost: $20 per person
- Visit: rbg.ca/events/family-birding
Online: Birds Canada’s self-paced course, Identifying Birds in Canada: Common Winter Species, is a great place to start. Learn to confidently identify 28 of the species most commonly spotted across Canada once the temperature drops.
- A few hours; go at your own pace
- Cost: Free
- Visit: learn.birdscanada.org/all-courses/winter-bird-id
Related stories
Reel in the Fun With These 3 Tips for Ice Fishing
The End of the Road: Arrowhead Provincial Park
Enjoy Time With Family and Friends This Winter in Your Own Backyard
Discover Animal Tracks in the Snow
Outdoor Winter Survival
Snowshoeing for Beginners
Winter Birding