This year, we asked what our colleagues were up to at their sites as part of their winter or holiday calendar. This is what we heard.

Kerry Wood Nature Centre

Hello Friends! I hope this finds you well and warm!

When “Insta-Winter” hit Alberta, it didn’t slow us down; we’re busy year-round at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre. We’ve whipped out the snowshoes for public rentals and free family programs, and are gearing up to host the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour in January. We’re talking to schools about rocks and owls, and creating new escape room-themed programming for families looking for some fun over the holidays. All this, while our Nature Preschool keeps playing, and our Nature Store is bustling with birdseed sales!

Wishing everyone a happy holiday season, however you celebrate.

Best,

Kathryn and Crew from the Kerry Wood Nature Centre

Saskatchewan Parks

Thanks to Robin Campese for telling us about these events.

Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park:

• Trim your Tree is on until Dec. 23 and with a permit, visitors can cut down their own Christmas tree, which aids in fire prevention as the trees are in a designated fire break area so harvesting those trees is beneficial to the park. 
• Every Saturday till March will be a guided snowshoe hike called “If these Hills Could Talk” along with a late evening hike called “Light up the Night Hike”.

Duck Mountain Provincial Park:

• Massive snow maze is available for visitors to navigate through, complete with an ice bar

Pike Lake Provincial Park:

• Festival of Lights was held in December where local residents and business decorate campsites for Christmas and the attendees can vote on their favourite display.
• Held on Saturdays, “Where the Wild Winter Things Are”  guided snowshoe hike along with “Chirp with the Chickadees” snowshoe hike take place all winter long.

Echo Valley Provincial Park:

• “Illuminated Snowshoe Hike” is held every Friday till March.
• “Where the Winter Wild Things Are” guided snowshoe is held every Saturday until March./li>
• Skate the Park – skate through the Aspen campground and enjoy the frosty scenery all winter long.

Buffalo Pound Provincial Park:

• Every Saturday visitors can enjoy “New to Nordic” – a guided Nordic ski, teaching people the basics of Nordic skiing in a beautiful park setting.
• Also, every Saturday, visitors can “Snowshoe to the Bison” which is a guided snowshoe along the park’s bison complex.

We also have reservable winter camping available in these winter parks and our Camp Easy yurts and tents in these parks are available for reservation as well.