Skating – Weather permitting, there are outdoor skating rinks at Parson’s Brewing Co and at Sophiasburgh Town Hall / Demorestville; follow Sophiasburgh Recreation Committee for updates for the latter. Need your skates sharpened? Head to Wellington Home Hardware or Canadian Tire in Picton.

Further afield, Belleville’s Victoria Harbour is a great spot for outdoor skating if the conditions are right (check the city’s website for updates), and the Batawa Lion’s Club also maintains outdoor rinks just north of Trenton.

Free indoor public skating at the Picton and Wellington arenas is a reliable, non-weather-dependent, option!

Snowshoeing – call ahead to make sure the conditions are right, and (as always!) set realistic expectations for the length of trail your little ones can handle. You can rent snowshoes from the PEC Public Library thanks to a donation from the Picton Recreation Committee! Call any branch for info.

• During opening hours and weather permitting, the trails at Campbell’s Orchards are open for snowshoeing. They have several pairs of snowshoes to rent free of charge (mostly adult sizes). They sometimes run guided snowshoe tours as well.
• Sugarbush Vineyards offers 2.5 kms of snowshoeing trails through the vineyard and sugar bush (maple tree forest) on Fridays-Sundays. Rentals are $20 per person, including poles; they have a variety of sizes, including youth sizes that will fit kids aged 8 and up. They also throw in a wine tasting and hot chocolate. Cheese plates and chips & salsa available for purchase.
• Other snowshoeing spots include Delhi Park, Sandbanks Provincial Park (the Dunes are especially fun), the Millennium Trail, and Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area.
• The North Marysburgh Recreation Committee also welcomes snowshoers on the trails they create behind the Recreation Hall located at 2699 County Rd. 8 in Waupoos.

Sledding – The hills in Picton’s Delhi Park offer sledders differing degrees of exhilaration. BYO toboggan, magic carpet, or snowboard! You’ll get an excellent workout climbing back up to the top. Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area also has some great hills – from the Birdhouse City parking lot, walk westwards (ahead and to the right) for a few minutes towards the hill – but beware, it’s narrow and steep! The little snowbank slope from the same parking lot is great for toddler sledding. The Dunes at Sandbanks can also be great for sledding depending on the conditions.

Cross-country skiing – Budding cross-country skiers can glide at Sandbanks Provincial Park, Massassauga Point Conservation Area, Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area, and the Millennium Trail. This activity might require some parental trail-blazing, as groomed trails are not guaranteed.

The North Marysburgh Recreation Committee grooms cross-country skiing trails behind the Recreation Hall located at 2699 County Rd. 8, in Waupoos. These trails are relatively flat with just a couple of mild rises and downslides. A ‘lap’ on one trail is about half a km, but you can combine the different trail ‘laps’ to put together a couple of kms in. You might get to see some cows and horses hanging in neighbouring fields! Karl from the Rec Committee can also offer help/lessons and waxing clinics to anyone on Saturdays, weather permitting, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Kindly let me know of any errors or omissions at andrea@pecparents.ca. Thank you!