You can skate on a magical ice trail through a forest near Toronto this winter
Residents of the Toronto area had better get ready for the most perfect holiday activity since the Distillery District's Christmas Market.
Arrowhead Provincial Park — a dreamy getaway about two hours and forty minutes north of the city — has announced the dates for its yearly fire and ice nights, during which you can skate through the snowy forest of Huntsville on a winding ice rink lit by more than 200 tiki torches.
Guests can end their scenic, starry skate through the trees with a toasty cup of hot chocolate and a seat by one of two giant campfires, where marshmallows and hot dogs will be available for roasting. Is there a more idyllic way to spend a wintry evening in the great Ontarian north? (An Arrowhead bear spotting, maybe.)
This year's fire and ice calendar coincidentally (or strategically) includes Valentine's Day among eight other Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 6 to 9pm:
- Saturday, January 4
- Saturday, January 11
- Thursday, January 16
- Saturday, February 1
- Friday, February 14
- Thursday, February 20
- Saturday, February 29
- Saturday, March 7
- Saturday, March 14
The 1.3-km skating trail will be open during the daytime too, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with skates and other winter sports gear available to rent.
Arrowhead also offers camping and more than 33 km of cross-country ski trails, a tubing hill, warming stations and ample space for hiking and snowshoeing during its winter season, which kicks off on Sunday, December 13.
Though the park is a bit of a hidden gem, the fairly-new novelty skate experience has really put it on the map, so beware that it can get busy enough to have a wait time or even reach capacity, especially on Saturdays.
