- Must Do Canada
- Posts
- Things to Do in Canada 261
Things to Do in Canada 261
Experience Canada's Unique Winter Attractions
Good morning!
Did you know? Massive snow mazes are built from densely compacted snow — not loose powder — creating walls strong enough to last all winter and tall enough that adults can’t see over them. They only work in places cold enough for winter to stay consistent. Despite the cold, however, snow is a great insulator, which is why closed structures like igloos can be quite warm on the inside.
Speaking of snow mazes, did you know Canada is home to the world’s largest?
Whether you’re looking to get lost in a snow maze, eat in a restaurant made out of snow, or enjoy some of Canada’s other unique winter attractions like ice canoeing, you’ll enjoy the 261st edition of the Weekly Goose, which features 5 unique bucket list attractions to consider during the colder months.
Happy Travels!
Read
Canada’s Most Unique Winter Experiences
Last week, it was Canada’s coolest cold experiences — this week, it’s the most unique.
If you’re looking for something fun to do that will also make a great conversation at the dinner table, here are 5 attractions to consider…
How to get lost in the snow, Manitoba style. Photo from their Facebook page.
Get Lost in the World’s Largest Snow Maze
Location: St. Adolphe, Manitoba
Every winter, Manitoba builds something completely ridiculous — in the best way.
The world’s largest snow maze rises from the prairie, carved entirely out of packed snow and towering well over a person’s head. Pathways twist, dead ends mess with your sense of direction, and the whole thing feels more like a temporary winter city than an attraction.
It only works because winter here is cold enough and long enough to support a structure this massive — and when spring comes, it disappears without a trace.
This isn’t a novelty stop.
It’s a full-on winter flex.
Why stop canoeing just because the summer is over? Photo from their Canota Glace Experience.
Discover Ice Canoeing in Quebec
Location: Quebec City
Ice canoeing isn’t a quirky winter activity — it’s a full-contact Canadian sport.
On the frozen, fast-moving St. Lawrence River in Québec City, teams haul reinforced canoes across slabs of ice, then paddle through open water, repeating the process until they reach the other side. It’s part endurance race, part ice rescue, part controlled chaos.
This tradition dates back centuries, born out of necessity before becoming a competitive winter spectacle — and there’s nowhere else in the world where river ice, tides, and winter culture combine like this.
You can watch the real races during the world-famous Winter Carnival, but why watch when you can try it for yourself? From Québec City's Old Port, expert guides accompany you at your own pace as you discover this unique activity. Using oars and scooters, you'll navigate through the great ice floes drifting on the St. Lawrence River.
Afterwards, you can wander the snow-covered streets of one of Canada’s most beautiful cities, enjoy a drink at an ice bar, or take a dip in a Nordic sauna.
This is winter heritage at its finest.
2019 Winner: Huttie by Jennie O'Keefe & Chris Pancoe.
Warming Huts Meet Art
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Only in Winnipeg does winter turn into a public art gallery — on the ice.
Each winter, the frozen Red and Assiniboine Rivers become home to the Warming Huts: bold, playful, sometimes bizarre structures designed by artists and architects from around the world. They’re free to explore, scattered along skating and walking routes, and built to be touched, entered, and used — not just admired.
The huts change every year, disappear every spring, and only work because Winnipeg’s rivers freeze solid and reliably enough to support them.
This isn’t a winter decoration. It’s winter culture — built right into the ice in Winnipeg.
Enjoying the ice bubbles in Abraham Lake, Alberta.
Stand on Frozen Ice Bubbles
Location: Abraham Lake, Alberta
In winter, Abraham Lake turns into something that looks straight out of science fiction.
As methane gas rises from decaying plants on the lakebed, it gets trapped by repeated freeze-thaw cycles, forming perfect stacks of frozen white bubbles suspended inside crystal-clear ice. The colder it gets, the more dramatic the layers become.
This phenomenon occurs only under very specific conditions — clear ice, consistent cold, and just enough movement — which means it appears in a short window each winter and looks different every year.
Combine that with a winter helicopter tour over the Canadian Rockies (right next to Abraham Lake), and you’ve got a bucket-list winter experience you’ll never forget.
Storm wave crashing into the coast. Phoeo by Jeremy Koreski.
Storm Watching on Canada’s Pacific Coast
Location: Tofino and Ucluelet, BC
On Canada’s Pacific coast, winter isn’t quiet — it’s violent and mesmerizing.
From places like Tofino and Ucluelet, winter storms send massive waves crashing into rocky shorelines while winds whip through old-growth rainforest just steps from the ocean. This isn’t something you hide from — it’s something you watch, safely, from clifftop trails, storm-proof lodges, and oceanfront windows.
Storm watching is a legitimate winter experience here because the coast stays accessible, the storms are reliable, and the landscape is built to handle the chaos.
No snow. No silence.
Just raw Pacific power — best experienced when winter is at its wildest.
Bonus: It’s one of Canada’s warmest regions in the winter (but still cold…)
Ad
Avoid Decision Fatigue and Get 20% Off Our Scratch-Off Adventure Decks (Miniature Sasquatch Not Included)
Winter planning has a special talent for turning into… no plan at all.
That’s exactly why we made our Adventure Scratch-Off Cards.
Each deck is packed with real bucket-list experiences — the kind you actually want to do — but instead of overthinking it, you just scratch one off and go. No endless tabs. No group-chat debates. No “let’s decide later.”
Think of it as:
Less planning
More doing
And a little surprise baked in
Winter rewards action. Scratching helps with that.
Use code January for 15% before Feb 1st!
👉 Visit Shop.MustDoCanada.com
Watch
One of the most unique winter attractions in Alberta is found in the ice on Abraham Lake. But don’t take our word for it. Check them out in our video featuring a winter road trip through David Thompson County.
Beaver Bites
Canada Lands Company has unveiled a $21-million CN Tower Lower Observation Level renovation to launch its 50th anniversary celebrations.
Ya never know what you might stumble across in Newfoundland. For example, you might pop into a bar for a pint and end up listening to the pub owner read The Hobbit out loud to his patrons for more than 10 hours.
The Yukon’s most famous dog sled race won’t be happening this year. Known to some as “the most gruelling race on Earth,” The Yukon Quest will not take place this year as there is no one left to organize it.
Even the skies are seeing turbulent times these days. If you’ve been noticing a bumpy ride in the sky lately, there’s actually been a 41% increase in airplane turbulence over North America since 1979, thanks to a warming atmosphere.
Kelowna International Airport (YLW), the second busiest airport in British Columbia, in terms of passenger volumes, is marking a significant milestone for the future of air travel with a $108-million expansion.
Speaking of Kelowna, if you’re visiting this weekend, you’ll be just in time for the Kelowna Fireside winter music festival.
Want to reach 62,000 Canadian travellers for your brand? Reach out (reply to this email) to sponsor an edition of Must Do Canada.