Finally! Arrowhead gets a place to warm your toes …
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In the heart of Ontario’s “Cottage Country”, just north of Huntsville and not far from Algonquin, its massive and legendary cousin to the east, Arrowhead Provincial Park has long been known by hardcore cross-country skiers-in-the-know as THE place to be once the snow flies.
Organizations like the Huntsville Ski Club (established in 1932) have been meeting here for decades and Arrowhead Provincial Park has hosted big cross-country ski events from around the world.
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Mens sana in corpore sana
A healthy mind in a healthy body … words to live by!
Many kilometres of skiing and hiking trails are kept meticulously groomed throughout the winter.
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It turns out that more and more people are discovering the exhilaration of getting out into the hinterlands in winter. No more roughing it here! Arrowhead is going out of its way to attract new visitors with warm-up areas, a casual lounge and fireplace, equipment rentals, skills training programs and “Roofed Accommodations” (cottage rentals). Heck, even the cell service is excellent!
Custom-made fire pits are scattered about the new facilities. Bring the marshmallows! Just make sure to leave nothing behind when you depart, that’s just good camp etiquette.
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As befits any new buildings in Ontario Parks, all the latest eco-features have been employed, including bird-friendly glass, recycled wood, energy efficient lighting and a free-draining parking lot (of all things).
Dump your city boots in a cubby and head out on the Ice Trail, a 1.3 km skating loop maintained by an army of volunteers and park staff. Skate rentals are available in the new shop. On special nights you can skate by tiki lights through the woods under a starry sky … perfect!
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Olympia (a family-owned company based in Elmira, Ontario) makes the Canadian equivalent of the “Zamboni” ice resurfacer used at Arrowhead to groom the ever-expanding Ice Trail.
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One of the best ways to get in touch with the park is by using Twitter or Facebook. There are 26 provincial parks open during the winter season and each one has slightly different activities and facilities.
Never feed the birds (or any other critters in the park). It’s a bad idea and completely unnecessary … just hold out your hand and be still for a moment, and they will (like this Black-capped chickadee) come to welcome you to their home.
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The good folks at Ontario Parks call it “Roofed Accommodation”, which is the official way to say “Cozy cabin in the woods for rent”. Prices are reasonable too, but they book up FAST! … How to Reserve … Reservations can be made online or through the call centre by phoning 1-888-ONT-PARK. When reserving online select “Roofed Accommodation” as your reservation type.
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“Cozy cabin in the woods for rent”, otherwise known as “Roofed Accommodation”.
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We took a Parkbus to Arrowhead Provincial Park and spent a beautiful day checking out their new Visitor Centre.
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Ontario Parks staff took good care of us. Get in touch with them, they’re friendly … Ontario Parks website.
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Here’s some getting-started advise for the uninitiated – Five tips for reserving an Ontario Parks campsite. So hop in the car or take the Parkbus and get out in the frosty stuff. Your cheeks will get rosy and you won’t be able to get the smile off your face.
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