Winter Fun in the Kawartha Region

The Kawarthas or Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario is located one to two hours by car  (depending where in the region you are travelling) North-East of Toronto, and is considered part of Central-East Ontario. This is one of Ontario’s prime cottage and vacation areas, encompassing the County  of Peterborough and the City of Kawartha Lakes (formerly Victoria County) and is encircled by Durham region and Haliburton, Northumberland and Prince Edward Counties.

The only ski hills of note are in Durham region which is not technically in the Kawartha’s but if you are vacationing in the Lindsay, Beaverton, Scugog or Pigeon Lake areas they are easily accessible. Devil’s Elbow, Lakeridge, Skyloft & Dagmar all have snowmaking equipment so skiing can start in December. Check the sites for opening hours.

Finding a comprehensive list of cross country ski areas, or places for snowshoeing has been a bit of a challenge. There are groomed trails at Devil’s Elbow and Dagmar, and to the east of the region near Apsley, the Kawartha Nordic Ski Area in Apsley has a wealth of groomed trails. Just to the west of Norland in the north west of the City of Kawartha Lakes, the Norland Cross Country Ski and Recreation Park is home to a number of trails as well, although I haven’t been able to find a site dedicated to it, you can contact them on 1 705 454-9518 for more information.

Trails for Health list a large number of trails open for cross country skiing and hiking.

I’ve been doing a bit of foot stamping as I search for winter activities in the Kawarthas. I know there’s lots going on, but there’s not much on the web pulling it all together. Come on Kawartha Tourism – this is something you should be doing.