Discover the magic of winter activities in North Bay! From skiing and snowmobiling to dog sledding and ice fishing, plan your unforgettable winter getaway today.
The city of North Bay, Ontario, lies right on the southern edge of the vast expanses of Northern Ontario. Here, the winter days are just a touch shorter, and the nights a touch longer, so locals have discovered the art of living outdoors.
North Bay is a place where winter isn’t simply endured. Instead, it’s celebrated. It’s a destination where the winter magic is truly in the air, but it’s also in the restaurants, on the ice, and deep in the snow as well. The air here is as fresh as it is frigid and the landscapes transform into a breathtaking tableau of snow and ice.
Top Things To Do During Winter In North Bay
Look, I get it. North Bay is the place that most people say to themselves, “Let’s chuck on the gear and head up Highway 11 until the inside of windows are covered in frost.” But honestly, after having spent watching the beautiful sunsets across Lake Nipissing in the summer and shredding through forests on fat bikes in the winter, I can honestly say that this city is a year-round destination.
The truth of the matter is that North Bay might seem like a world away, but it’s just a three-hour drive from Ontario’s largest city. It takes half that time just to drive across Toronto. North Bay is easily accessible. Compared to proper Ontario north destinations like Thunder Bay and Cochrane, North Bay is practically next door.
The drive up passed by in a blink. Before noon, I was checking in at the Homewood Suites and unpacking my gear with beautiful views of the Lake Nipissing waterfront. The friendly staff helped me get my bearings, and before long, I was ready to experience a proper winter in North Bay.
North Bay Winter Video
They say that a picture is worth one thousand words and a video is worth ten thousand. Well, I put together this video about my North Bay winter adventures to help you choose whether braving the chill of Ontario’s north is the right decision for you.
From hiking through knee-deep snow to going head-over-heels on a fat bike, this video covers all of the highs and lows of my travels in the city.
Hiking Laurier Woods Conservation Area
Every city needs its little slice of wild at its front door. Toronto’s got High Park, Sudbury’s got Kivi Park, and Ottawa and Hull share Gatineau. North Bay? Well, North Bay’s got Laurier Woods, basically right on its doorstep.
Within minutes, I’d ditched the downtown buzz for snow-covered hiking trails. The atmosphere was just… quiet. Like, really quiet. The kind of quiet where you can actually hear yourself think. The air was that sharp, winter-fresh, where your breath crystalizes before it even leaves your mouth, and the only sounds were my boots crunching on the snow and the occasional little rustle in the trees.
I’d heard you might spot deer back on the well-marked purple and red trails, but no luck this time. Instead, I got mobbed by a bunch of super-friendly chickadees, all excited about some seeds a previous hiker had left.
For most of my hike through Laurier Woods, it was just me and the forest. A couple of folks out for a walk, some soldiers from the local military base on a march, but otherwise, I had the place to myself. The sun was shining, making everything sparkle, and it was just… peaceful. Honestly, the winter blues I’d been feeling? They started to fade away with every step. This was like hitting a reset button on my soul. A perfect way to kick off a winter weekend in North Bay and a reminder that sometimes, just getting out into nature is the best thing you can do for your head.
Skating At Lee Park
Winter for me? It’s all about staying moving. I’ve got my men’s league hockey, which is basically an excuse to sweat and laugh with the guys. And with my kids being hockey nuts for our hometown of Brampton, skating’s just kind of become my excuse to stay active. If I’m travelling in winter, I’m hunting down ice. Seriously, I even wrote a whole article on finding the best outdoor skating trails in Ontario.
So, when someone told me about Lee Park, saying, ‘It’s a public skating oval right in the middle of town.’ Sounded… fine. Just a quick skate, stretch the legs, you know? Nothing to write home about.
Boy, was I wrong. I get there, and it’s not just an oval. It’s like someone took a Zamboni and just went wild. The skate trails loop around buildings, circle trees, and stretch out in these crazy, winding paths. It was like a skate maze, and it was awesome! I could have literally spent hours there and never repeated the same route twice. I was just buzzing, trying out different lines, feeling that glide.
If you’re like me, if you get that itch to lace up the skates and just go to Lee Park. Put it on your list. Seriously.
Taste The Bay at The Block Public House
North Bay’s got a serious foodie scene going on. For a city its size, the food scene is off the charts. You’ve got everything from casual eateries to fine dining, Indigenous eats, cool breweries, and chefs crafting world-class dishes with the Lake Nipissing sunsets as their backdrop.
Twice a year, they take the culinary adventures up a notch with the Taste the Bay food festival. Some of the best restaurants in town whip up these awesome prix-fixe three-course menus – appetizer, main, dessert – and you get to go on a little food tour. Prices are super reasonable, too, just $35-$65.
After a day of skating and hiking, I was starving, so I headed straight to The Block Public House on Main Street. This place is one of my go-to restaurants in North Bay. It’s got a cool, retro-industrial vibe, with towering ceilings and a motorcycle perched above the entrance.
Their Taste the Bay menu was calling my name. I started with this amazing spinach dip, then went for a perfectly cooked sirloin steak with mashed potatoes and au jus. And for dessert? Oh man, chocolate lava cake. Melted in my mouth. I washed it all down with a local brew from Gateway City Brewery. Perfection.
Ice Follies Art Festival
Talk about good timing! I rolled into North Bay just as their Ice Follies winter art festival was underway. this happens once every two years and takes over the Lake Nipissing waterfront. Shabogesic Beach becomes this crazy wonderland of ice sculptures and art installations.
What I love about Ice Follies is that it’s totally free and open all day and night. Anyone can just wander down to the beach and check it out whenever they feel like it.
And let me tell you, the vibe is completely different depending on when you go. During the day, with the sun shining, it’s all bright and clear. You can really get up close and personal with the artwork and see all the details. But at night? Oh man, it’s like a whole different world. They light up the sculptures, and it becomes this magical, almost dreamlike experience. If you’re into photography, it’s pure gold.
Ice Fishing On Lake Nipissing
The next morning, I was up early. After a great breakfast at the Homewood Suites, I made my way to Sunset Cove, about 20 minutes outside of North Bay. This is home base for fishing in North Bay. I met up with Alan Juselius, who runs Lake Nipissing Outfitters. Alan’s the big cheese when it comes to ice fishing in North Bay – day trips, overnight bungalows, water taxis, the whole nine yards. He’s got you covered if you’re chasing those legendary Lake Nipissing walleye and pike.
I hopped into a sketchy shed-on-skis contraption; my only fellow passengers were two buckets of minnows. Alan hopped behind the wheel of his tricked-out side-by-side, and soon we were zipping across the frozen lake, the ice crunching beneath us. Before I knew it, I was tucked away in my own little ice-fishing hut without a care in the world.
Now, these huts aren’t exactly the Ritz-Carlton, but it was cozy.
There was a little stove for cooking up your catch, a few bunks for crashing, and a table and chairs. Basically, it has everything you need for a proper Ontario ice-fishing adventure and nothing else. No fancy frills, just good old-fashioned getting-away-from-it-all vibes.
It wasn’t long before I felt that familiar tug on the line and reeled in my first walleye. Okay, it wasn’t a trophy fish, but it was definitely Instagram-worthy. When I last went fishing in Sudbury, I had a skilled guide on my side. This time, I did it all by myself, and that had me pretty excited.
Sadly, I only had half a day out there. But Alan told me most people book these huts for a long weekend, sometimes even a whole week. Honestly, that didn’t sound like a bad way to spend a winter at all. Just you, the ice, some buddies, and all the fish you can catch.
Fat Biking Along The Mattawa River
I love mountain biking.
During the summer, I hit the trails near my home at least a few times a week. I’ve even spent some time with the North Bay Mountain Bike Association, testing out some e-mountain bikes on some of the city’s countless gnarly bike trails. But during the winters, my trusty Specialized gets stored away until the spring thaw.
While I was in town I was pointed toward Rod Bilz and his company Remedy Rides and a promise of a proper winter fat biking experience. And I got even more than what I was hoping for.
Remedy Rides is based in Corbeil, about 20 minutes east of North Bay on the banks of the Mattawa River, a legendary waterway that stretches from Lake Nipissing all the way to Montreal, where it dumps the water from Georgian Bay into the mighty St. Lawrence.
In mid-February, these wide waters and the countless lakes that surround it become thick with ice, and Rod runs fat-biking tours through the wild Crown-land forests along its banks.
When I arrived at his home, situated in a steep lane lying deep in the forest off of Macpherson Dr. I knew I was in for a treat. This is a proper Canadian shield country, where the landscape is as rough and rugged as they come. Rod, bearing the charisma of someone who lives for this kind of stuff, sized me up for my ride and in minutes we were hitting the trails.
Seconds after that, I was lying on my side, covered in snow.
Fat biking, especially after a recent heavy snowfall, is a bit more tricky than I expected. The trails, although recently groomed, still had a decent coating of fresh powder. Even the bike’s ultra-wide and grippy tires seemed to struggle with it at some point. But the real challenge was that, with the fresh snow, I couldn’t tell where the edge of the trail was. One slip too far to the left or right, and I went from a hard-packed, icy trail to deep, soft, fluffy powder.
Before long, though, Rod had helped me get the hang of it, and we were zipping through the forests, across frozen lakes, and along marshy shores through some of North Bay’s legendary wilderness. I had worked up a sweat, enjoyed the sunshine, and gotten a taste of the beauty of these northern Ontario wilds.
Dinner at Churchill’s
I love North Bay’s funky restaurant scene, but I’d never considered it as a destination for fine dining. So when my good friend Stacy recommended Churchill’s, I was a little surprised. I mean the city has so many great places to eat. Cecil’s Prime Rib House originally caught my attention. But Churchill’s Restaurant won me over with it’s uber-Canadian back story.
So Churchill’s was the original location of the very first Tim Horton’s restaurant, back when it was a hamburger chain, not a coffee chain. This is where the Maple Leaf hockey legend launched what would be come a Canadian icon. Legendary!
Churchill’s turned out to be a great choice. The intimate atmosphere, classy decor, and energetic service staff made it a welcoming and relaxing dining experience. And the food, let me just say that it was as beautiful as it was delicious.
I ordered from Churchill’s Taste the Bay menu, a $65 prix-fix selection. For an appetizer, I enjoyed some perch croquettes served on a gorgeous platter of back-lit glass, something I’d never seen before. My main course was an absolutely mouth-watering butternut squash raviolo, and it was all topped off with a passionfruit creme brulee.
Afterwards, I was wiped. Two long days of hiking, biking, and exploring the outdoors in North Bay will do that to you. Luckily, my room at the Homewood Suites sat overlooking the Ice Follies art show so I could get one last glimpse before I crashed for the night.
Hiking The Frozen Duchesnay Falls
I woke up feeling refreshed and energized. But, that feeling when a trip’s almost over, and you’re not ready to go home? That was where my head was at. I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to this winter in North Bay.
I had one last adventure up my sleeve, though. Something I always save for last when I’m in the city. I packed my gear, loaded up the truck, and headed out of town, cruising along Highway 17 for about five minutes until I reached a small parking lot near Nipissing University. This was my gateway to Duchesnay Falls, a local favourite hiking trail.
One of the coolest things about winter in North Bay is that you can hike right along the frozen creek. The trail follows the water as it winds towards the falls, and eventually, you end up at this awesome stone bridge right at the top. The views are insane – cascading water, snow-covered trees, the whole nine yards.
In the summer, this place is packed, but in the winter? I had the whole trail to myself. It was so peaceful, just me and the sound of water rippling beneath the thick crust of ice. I even walked out onto the frozen creek bed, where the water had carved these crazy patterns in the ice. It was magical.
Standing beneath that bridge, looking out at the falls, I felt this wave of gratitude. North Bay had transformed my winter and left a smile on my face. This was exactly what I needed, and maybe it’s something we all need.
North Bay’s Winter Magic Was Exactly What I Needed
As I drove away from North Bay, the late-day sun turning the cloudy sky into a warm, yellow glow, I couldn’t help but smile. This trip was exactly what I needed. It wasn’t just about escaping the city or checking off a list of activities; it was about reconnecting with myself, finding joy in the simple things, and embracing the beauty of winter.
North Bay reminded me that even in the coldest months of the year, there’s a powerful energy waiting to be discovered. Whether it’s the thrill of fat biking through snowy forests, the serenity of ice fishing on a frozen lake, or the magic of an ice sculpture festival, there’s something truly special about experiencing winter in Northern Ontario. It’s a place where adventure and tranquillity coexist, where the landscape inspires awe, and where the warmth of the community stays with you long after you’ve left. I know I’ll be back.
More Great Things to Do During Winter In North Bay
If you’ve got more than just a weekend to spare and are looking for more great winter activities in the city, here are some things to check out in North Bay during the winter.
Cross-Country Skiing
North Bay, Ontario, is a haven for cross-country skiing enthusiasts. There’s a wide-range of trails that suit every skill level. From the beginner-friendly paths to the challenging routes used for competitive racing, there’s something for everyone.
The North Bay Nordic Ski Club boasts 50 km of groomed trails for both classic and skate skiing, complete with programs, rentals, and a heated clubhouse. Wasi Ski Club, just south of the city, provides over 43 km of classic trails and 8 km of snowshoe trails, also with a heated chalet. For a free option, Nipissing University offers 3.75 km of trails, often used for competitive ski races.
Kick Sledding
Kick-sledding, a traditional Scandinavian winter activity that I was first introduced to up in Kirkenes, Norway, offers a unique and enjoyable way to explore North Bay’s snowy landscapes. This simple yet effective mode of transportation involves gliding along snow-covered paths on a sled propelled by kicking, providing a fun workout and a different perspective on the winter scenery.
Check out Sisu Adventures for kick-sled rentals and outings along the city’s groomed trails and frozen waterways, making it an accessible and family-friendly activity for those seeking a break from traditional winter sports.
Snowmobiling
North Bay and the surrounding region are a snowmobiler’s paradise. The region gets great snowfall and the picturesque Canadian Sheild landscapes are ideal for winter adventures. 1,900 km in the North Bay region run by the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC), the area offers a diverse riding experience. From twisting forest runs and elevation changes to wide-open corridors with scenic vistas and marked lake trails, there’s something for every snowmobiler.
Downhill Skiing
North Bay may not be the most famous place for downhill skiing in Ontario, but Laurentian Ski Hill, conveniently located just minutes from downtown, lets enthusiasts get out on the hills and play. The hill features a 300-foot vertical drop with trails suitable for all skill levels, from beginners to experienced skiers and snowboarders.
A terrain park is also available for freestyle enthusiasts. Laurentian Ski Hill provides equipment rentals and lessons, making winter sports accessible to newcomers. While the slopes may not be as extensive as larger mountainous regions, the convenient access and welcoming atmosphere make it an excellent destination for a day trip or weekend getaway.
Dog-Sledding
Dog-sledding is one of the most traditional and epic of Canadian winter sports. This is where the bond between humans and dogs takes centre stage surrounded by breathtaking scenery. Dog-sledding in Ontario is fun, exciting, and adventurous, and North Bay is one of the top spots close to Toronto for getting out on the trails.
Northbound Huskies is the city’s premier dog-sledding outfitter, providing both winter and summer experiences.
Disclosure: This trip was made possible with the support of Tourism North Bay. All opinions remain my own.
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Kevin Wagar is a founder and editor of Ultimate Ontario. He has been working in the travel media industry since 2015 when he founded his family travel website Wandering Wagars – Adventure Family Travel.
Over the years Kevin has developed a deep love for his home province of Ontario and aims to showcase the incredible experiences and amazing small businesses found within it.