Bundle Up!

Top 5 Outdoor Adventures in Scugog

Story by Karen Hawthorne

Get some fresh air and explore Scugog’s winter chills and thrills! We’ve got forests with trails and maple trees, horse-drawn sleigh rides and heart-pumping adventures on the frozen lake. Bring your skates (or snowshoes) and the family for some serious outdoor fun. We think rosy cheeks are cute this time of year!

Another perk of a Scugog country outing? After you’ve enjoyed the frost and worked up an appetite, you can come into Port Perry and warm up with some great food, treats and hot cocoa. Who says you have to hunker down in the cold months?

Here’s our Top 5 things to try this winter:

1. Lace Up Your Skate

   There’s something magical about skating outdoors on a frozen lake—the sunshine and wide open sky, the feel of the wind and the sound of your blades on the ice. True, it’s a little colder than an indoor rink, but playtime in the great outdoors is a chance to make the most of nature’s beauty. Bring your toque, gloves and lace up. Bonus: skating is social time and great exercise. It works small stabilizer muscles and improves coordination, so the benefits extend well beyond winter to other activities like running and yoga.

   Scugog locals love outdoor sports. We host a polar plunge in early January where you can go for a chilly dip or applaud the courageous who do. There’s also an annual pond hockey charity tournament at the beginning of February with 30-minute hockey games for competitors, skill shot games for the kids, big prizes and a silent auction.

2. Take a Horse-Drawn Sleigh Ride

   Thought this only happened in romantic movies? Family Day at Willowtree Farm gets better every year with the horse-drawn sleigh rides through the woods, skating on the homemade outdoor rink, kids meals with farm-grown foods, and a big bonfire and roasted marshmallows (and more!). This is farm country and the McKay family has been farming the land and raising animals since 1969. Their farm market includes a café, home baking and gifts, and a butcher shop.

3. Sample the Maple Goodness

   Come see the fireside maple syrup production at Purple Woods Maple Syrup Festival. A Scugog tradition! Take a wagon ride through the woods. Go for a hike to see an incredible view of the lake. Bring sunflower seeds and feed the chickadees right from your hands. Then have the best fluffy pancakes covered with pure maple syrup. A true taste of the Canadian bush!

4. Chill Out with Ice Fishing

   You want to celebrate winter, right? Take in the snow-capped landscape with ice fishing. You, a hut and the feeling of Zen with a baited line in the quiet surroundings. Go solo or take a friend for this unique experience on Lake Scugog. You can rent day huts with stoves for cooking or sleeper huts for weekend stays. Cold-water fish like perch and bass get very active in the winter, and seasoned anglers and those new to the sport can catch their next fish fry dinner.

5. Get Sporty with Snowmobiling

   Fast and exhilarating! A local favourite sport, Scugog snowmobile clubs pack down a good thick base for the trails here. Some are tight and twisty through the forest, and others are wide and fast (all well-kept for safety and thrills). It’s all about going backcountry with a lot of horsepower. Take in the scenic beauty.