Winter has arrived and with it comes the opportunity to enjoy some of Canada’s most popular cold weather sports. Here in Burlington, there are many options for lacing up your skates and strapping on those skis for another season!
Skate outdoors or go tobogganing at Bronte Creek Provincial Park, located at 3201 Lower Middle Road. The park’s outdoor rink is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. until the last Sunday in February; call 905-827-6911 ext. 417 for a rink report. There are skate rentals, change rooms and even a bonfire area for your warmth and comfort.
Enjoy a waterfront view as you glide for free around the Rotary Centennial Pond, located at Discovery Landing at Spencer Smith Park on Burlington’s waterfront. The pond is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The City of Burlington also offers four arenas for indoor skating, including lessons for all ages. The Appleby Ice Centre is located at 1201 Appleby Line. This massive recreation centre features four, year-round twin ice pads. Mainway Recreation Centre is located at 4015 Mainway, Aldershot Arena can be found at 494 Townsend Avenue and Central Arena is located at 519 Drury Lane. All arenas offer an extensive schedule of skate times for all ages. Public skating, adult skates and Sticks and Pucks take place at different times throughout the day, all year round. Visit www.cms.burlington.ca for skating schedules.
If it’s cross-country skiing you’ve been looking forward to since last winter, Burlington has a number of spots perfect for this invigorating winter activity. Bronte Creek Provincial Park has five scenic trails open all winter long (weather permitting). Just north of the city, Crawford Lake Conservation Area and Mountsberg Conservation Area also offer scenic cross-country skiing trails.
Only a half-hour car ride away from Burlington, Glen Eden Conservation Park in Milton offers skiing, a fully equipped terrain park for snowboarding, snow tubing, plus a myriad cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails. Glen Eden also features a rental shop and lessons for all ages and skill levels. Visit www.gleneden.on.ca.