Length of stay: 3 days
Visited: December 2025
The Muskoka region in Ontario typically gets a lot of snow. As a result, Arrowhead Provincial Park has become extremely popular in the winter, offering skating, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. While winter activities in the park don’t typically start until January, visiting in December provides a quieter experience while still being able to enjoy the snowy scenery.
Day 1: Big Bend Overlook
We planned a last minute trip to celebrate M’s birthday. Since Arrowhead isn’t too far from home, only a three hour drive, it seemed like the perfect spot to get away and enjoy the snow. We arrived just after 3pm and checked in at the park store in the Visitor Centre to collect our keys to the cabin.
Arrowhead offers thirteen rustic cabins in the East River Campground, which are all walk-in only. Parking is located across the road from the Visitor Centre. At the entrance of the path to the cabins there’s a bunch of large sleds to help haul in your stuff. The path is wide and it’s a super short walk to get to the cabins, only a couple hundred metres. And it’s entirely flat. We got most of our stuff to fit in one sled, but made a second trip back to the car to bring in our pillows.
After unloading everything, we ate a quick snack, then headed out to stretch our legs. We walked to the Big Bend Overlook, which is about a 5 minute walk from the cabins. M expressed a lot of interest in the sleds, so we put her in one to test it out. She seemed to enjoy herself.
The Big Bend is a glacial delta that was formed thousands of years ago. The Big East River carved into this valley, exposing the sandy layers of the delta. As the river continues to change its course, over time the Big Bend will become an oxbow lake and sediment will eventually fill in the old channel.
It was getting late in the day so we returned to the cabin. It didn’t take long for the sun to set and for it to get completely dark. We heated up leftovers for dinner and settled in for the rest of the evening. It was supposed to go down to -23°C overnight. But we stayed toasty warm in our cozy heated cabin.
Day 2: Huntsville and Hiking
It’s always the sunny days that are the coldest in the winter. By morning the temperature had plummeted to -26°C. But at least it wasn’t windy. And at least we got to enjoy some sunshine. I can’t remember the last time we saw the sun as the last few weeks have been cold, grey and either rainy or snowy.
Forcing myself to brave the cold, I walked to the Big Bend Overlook to watch the sunrise. I made it just in time to see the soft pastel colours fade. I waited for a few minutes, but abandoned my goal of watching the sun come up above the trees. It was way too cold. My glasses were even fogging up from the heat from my face. And my fingers were freezing from taking a few pictures. I raced back to the cabin as quickly as I could, which was a bit challenging with all the snow and all the layers underneath my snow pants and jacket. But it provided some warmth.
It was supposed to “warm up” to -12°C later in the afternoon. So we made a trip to Huntsville to help pass the time and do a bit of Christmas shopping. The downtown has some cute shops, including the Nutty Chocolatier with its delicious chocolates, fudge and other goodies. It’s normally busy, but perhaps not so much on a cold Monday morning in December.
We wandered around a bit outside and tried to find as many paintings that are part of the Huntsville’s Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery. It’s an open-air exhibit throughout town that contains over 100 recreations from the Group of Seven artists and Tom Thomson.
We headed back to Arrowhead to have an early lunch before putting M down for a nap. We ventured out later in the afternoon to go for a hike. It was noticeably warmer outside and the sun was still shining, casting a golden glow through the trees. We settled on the Mayflower Trail (2.1km loop, rated moderate).
The trail starts at Mayflower Lake and hugs the shoreline. Thousands of years ago Mayflower Lake used to be a small bay in a large glacial lake. It’s now a small, deep, spring-fed lake. And today that lake was covered in snow and ice. The path is narrow, but there were several footprints through the snow. After a few hundred metres, we encountered some hilly terrain. This part of the path was less travelled and we had to forge our own path through the snow. We’re happy we didn’t bring the sled as it would have been more of a hindrance than a helping.
It was getting late in the day. We weren’t sure whether we’d have enough time for another hike so we went down to Arrowhead Lake to check out the water.
We returned to the cabin to warm up and get started on dinner. The rest of the evening M and I worked on a few more Christmas cards that we started the previous weekend when we were at the Pinery.
Day 3: Celebrating M’s Birthday
It was back to being overcast, but at least it was warmer outside (only -10°C). It was M’s birthday today and we took our time enjoying the morning in the cabin before we had to check-out for 10am. It’s hard to believe that our (not so) little one is now two.
After returning the keys at the Visitor Centre, we went for one last hike to enjoy the snow. We used one of the park sleds and walked through the campground to get to the trail for Stubb’s Falls (2km, rated easy). The trail follows the edge of the Little East River through the forest and leads to a bridge overlooking the falls. The nice thing about visiting on a weekday morning is that we had the bridge all to ourselves.
While this trail forms a loop, we decided to return the way we came as this section of the path is flat and wide, perfect conditions for pulling a sled. On the way back we passed a group of ladies who were fawning over M. They gave us some bird seed which we then used to lure a bunch of chickadees to the palm of our hands. M didn’t quite understand the concept just yet, but enjoyed seeing all the little birds.
After changing out of our snow pants and winter boots, we headed home where a few birthday presents and cookies were waiting at home for M.
L
You two are the smartest parents! What a perfect low key birthday weekend without all the noise and over the top “stuff”. Beautiful sunrise, worth the cold fingers. Nice shots of Huntsville with all the murals.
Awwww thanks. She doesn’t need much at this age and is perfectly content playing with anything. I think she’d much rather spend time with us! Even though it was cold, it was nice to get some fresh air and exercise.
Big Bend is a great feature.Thanks for braving the cold for the sunrise shots at it. A nice birthday for M. Maggie
We always check out the Big Bend Overlook whenever we visit Arrowhead. It’s a great spot to watch the sunrise. Despite the cold, it was well worth venturing outdoors to see.
What a lovely place to celebrate little M’s birthday – rather in nature than at a McDonald’s 😉. I mean, a ride in a sled – that sounds like the perfect birthday gift for a little girl. I love your photo of the cabin with the lights on while it’s dark outside – like a Christmas postcard. And the photos of Big Bend Overlook are beautiful (thank you for braving the cold to show us how beautiful it looks at sunrise).
Thanks! Going on an adventure and spending time in nature is always the best way to celebrate a birthday! It’s too bad it wasn’t a few degrees warmer outside. But, everything looked magical with all that snow. And it was worth venturing outdoors to enjoy the snowy sights, even at sunrise.
Happy birthday to M. She’ll be a big nature lover soon. I love all the photos, especially on the bridge and the sled pulling.
Love the peace sign, too.
M’s birth month is like my niece, too.
Lovely winter photos and sunrise.
Thanks Hazel! I think M might enjoy being outside more than us! I hope her love of nature will never fade.
I am sure it will never fade. My pleasure, Linda
Happy Birthday, M!!! I can’t believe she is 2 already. What a wonderful way to celebrate. I would love to see Huntsville’s Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery. You can see where the Group of Seven got their inspiration when you see the gorgeous scenery.
Oh I know, where does the time go!? It’s too bad it was so cold otherwise we could have spent all morning wandering through town to see more of the the Outdoor Gallery. The Group of Seven have certainly given me more of an appreciation of Ontario’s landscape and connection with art.
You consistently visit beautiful places! Arrowhead looks great.
Thanks! It’s been fun to explore a bit more of what’s in our own backyard here in Ontario, especially during the offseason. Arrowhead is one of our favourite parks to visit in the winter.
Just when I managed to forget about winter, you had to bring back those cold memories 😊
If it’s as hot of a summer as they’re predicting, we all may be longing for those cold winter memories!
Beautiful photos, cozy cabin. Happy Birthday, M!! 🙏🏻☺️❤️
Thanks, John. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate little M’s birthday than by going away for a few days and spending time together outdoors.
You’re welcome! God bless your beautiful family. 😍✝️🙏🏻
Thanks 🥰
😊😊😊
That looks like a really great cabin and your sunrise photo is particularly lovely. I like all the Group of Seven reproductions in Huntsville. You definitely know how to give M a lovely birthday celebration without all the fussing. Cheers.
Thanks Lynette. Staying in one of these heated cabins is definitely the way to go in the winter! The Outdoor Gallery is such a neat concept. It’s too bad it was so cold otherwise we could have spent way more time wandering around and trying to find more of the paintings. And yah, going away on an adventure to celebrate a birthday is definitely the way to go. We had a smaller family gathering afterwards which was also nice.
Winter time the provincial park look like a wonderland 🌷🙏😍 So beautiful fully mist sceneries, the beauty of the ice lake and resting places are gorgeous nature shows , specially your most loving daughter’s Happy Birthday 🎂 💐🍬 celebration 🎊 and photos marvellous memories for parents , wishing your cute daughter Be -lated Happy Birthday 🥳 Thank you so much for sharing and Happy weekend my dear friend 🌷❤️🖖✍️🌷
The snow definitely transformed this area into a magical winter wonderland. While most of the winter activities weren’t up and running yet, we were still able to hike along the trails and enjoy the snowy scenery. It was a wonderful way to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.
Thank you so much for likes my feedback and you are most welcome 🙏
Have a Blessed Friday to you dear friend 🌷🙏❤️🖖🌷
All that snow! I don’t think we’ll last very long there.
And, you make your own greeting cards?! That’s wonderful!
The snow came early last winter. I didn’t mind as it makes the landscape look so pretty. That was our first time making Christmas cards. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. And it was a great arts and crafts activity to do with our little one. We’re already brainstorming ideas for this year’s Christmas cards!
You know, at one point in time, we also did the same thing with our kids. It was a lot of work but also fun, like you said. We got to the point of pressing flowers to the cards and sprinkling glitter to make it look pretty.
I like that idea of using pressed flowers on a card. I’ve seen that done with mason jars before. There seems to be no shortage of good arts and crafts ideas.
I really like the way you celebrated M’s birthday, in nature, instead of the over-stimulating, extreme, expensive themes and decorations so many little children have to endure. And I love your homemade cards! You are such great parents. 💕All your winter photos are so refreshing.
Thanks Rose! When kids are so little they really don’t need much. Spending time together and in nature was a wonderful way to celebrate M’s birthday. We had a small family gathering afterwards, which we combined with an early family Christmas dinner. It worked out nicely and I think we’re going to try to do something similar this year.
I had a feeling you’d enjoy our homemade Christmas cards as I know you’re quite crafty yourself and enjoy making things! It was more work, but we all had a lot of fun. We’re already thinking about what theme we want to do for this year’s Christmas cards! So many possibilities!
What a wonderful place to celebrate M’s ,2nd birthday. I’m certain she enjoyed playing in the snow and taking ridges on the sledge far more than a traditional birthday party.
For sure! I think she enjoys being outside more than us sometimes! It was a nice way to celebrate M’s birthday. We had a smaller family gathering afterwards, but kept it pretty low-key. I’d rather not add additional stress to my life over something silly like planning an over the top birthday party!
Great weekend away to celebrate baby M birthday. The atmosphere is so magical with these snow and low lights.
For sure. M is the only December birthday in our family. It’s one of my favourite times of the year. And the snow just adds to the magic!
A great birthday trip Linda. They grow up so fast. Love the sled idea to haul in your stuff. Do they do wagons in summer? Those cabins look great for a short stay, so cozy and bright. The Big Bend does not disappoint and looks like a nice hiking destination. An awesome winter break. Have a great Sunday. Allan
That they do. If only I could hit the pause button every so often. The giant sleds are very handy! We’ve actually never stayed in one of the cabins over the summer so I’m not sure if they provide wagons when all the snow melts. Every time we visit Arrowhead we always check out the Big Bend Overlook. It’s a beautiful viewpoint, especially at sunrise. Enjoy the rest of the week. Linda
Oh how lovely, and Big Bend Overlook at sunrise is absolutely stunning – well done for braving the cold!! And Little M in the sled, too cute 🙂
It was worth venturing out in the early morning to see the sunrise despite the cold. And it was really nice to have a warm cabin and a hot cup of tea to return to!
A lovely weekend surrounded by nature, despite the cold. That’s what Canada has to offer, but coping with the cold is still a challenge for me.
For sure. At some point you just have to embrace the winter. I find the older I get, the more I tend to feel the coldness though. It’s a challenge for me as well.
Happy belated birthday to M! She’s just getting so big and love that she’s in the sledding age. She’s going to love going down that sled.
I had to laugh at the Arrowhead is not too far from home… only a three hour drive. 🤣 You three are such troopers.
We had an especially frigid winter and I could feel the cold from those photos. But so worth it for that pastel sunrise!
Thanks! It’s hard to believe she’s now two and a half! We have one of those small wooden sleds at home and we got a lot of use from it last winter given all the snow we got. We would even sometimes use it to walk her to daycare. Seems like such a long time ago now.
Given how brutal traffic is over the summer, I imagine it would be a 4-4.5 hour drive if we were to visit Arrowhead now! But 3 hours isn’t too bad. That’s just borderline pushing M’s tolerance for being in her car seat. Should be interesting to see how she handles our road trip to the Gaspe Peninsula. The first couple of days are a lot of driving.
Let us know how Gaspe Peninsula is. We’re headed there in 2.5 weeks. Counting down the days! 😊 Have a great time!
We’re actually heading there in August in the hopes that the bugs won’t be as bad. You’ll have to report back and let me know how it goes!
Oh yuck, bugs. That’ll be fun. I’ll definitely report back!
Wonderful! Hopefully over lunch (which is long overdue)!
That would be great! I’m around second half of July and August. Just email me when a good time is for you! 😊
Have a fun time in Gaspe! When are you going to be there? We’ll be there early July!
Little M is so cute! Looks like a perfect place to celebrate a birthday. Lovely photos and the cabin looks very cozy.
Aww thanks! I’m a big fan of travelling somewhere for my birthday, so it seemed fair to do the same for little M, even if it was just for a few days. We had a wonderful time enjoying the snowy scenery.
Such a lovely way to celebrate M’s birthday. She is really cute and already an intrepid traveller and hiker. Just look at her braving the cold. The Big Bend looks beautiful at sunrise.
She’s such a trooper. And she just loves being outside. So what better way to celebrate her birthday than by visiting a park!?
What a great birthday weekend for M! I am sure she hardly even noticed the cold. The cabin looks so cozy though. I don’t like how fast these girls are growing up!
What better way to celebrate a birthday than by going on an adventure. I know what you mean. They grow up way too quickly! And yah, I don’t think M was bothered by the cold. She loves being outside.
What a beautiful trip and such wonderful photos throughout the journey. It really captures the peace, joy, and warmth even in the middle of the cold winter days. But FYI, I do not like winter, so these photos gave me the chills…
Happy Birthday to Baby M. Wishing her a very Happy and Blessed Birthday. Sending her a great big hug from Uncle Willie and lots of love on her special day.
Thanks for your lovely comment, Willie. It was nice to go away for a few days to celebrate M’s birthday. The cold can be tough to deal with, but we stayed nice and warm in our heated cabin. And now that it’s starting to feel like summer, I’m actually missing the winter and all the snow!
Fabulous birthday and a happy child xx
Going away for a few days is always a nice way to celebrate a birthday 🙂
I love the Christmas cards you made! Aw 🥰💕 Little M got lucky being able to explore on her birthday. The Big Bend is beautiful. I bet it would be neat to see in the fall, too. Great photos
Aww thanks! The Christmas cards were a lot of fun to make and I think we’re going to try to do something similar this year. I typically like to travel for my birthday, so I figured we should do the same for little M. Despite the cold, it was nice to get away for a few days and spend time in nature.
Beautiful winter pictures! I really love Baby M on the sled. Although how can she be two already- Happy Birthday to the now Toddler M 🙂
She’s now two and a half! And it’s crazy to see how much she’s changed since December when she turned two. Where does the time go!?
Especially at that age it’s like they go to bed at night and grow two inches while they sleep! It goes way too fast for our mama hearts 🙂
I can’t believe she’s already two! What a fun way to celebrate her birthday, even if it was really cold. That sunrise photo looks well worth braving the chill for.
Oh I know! She’s grown so quickly! I can’t think of a better way to celebrate a birthday than by going on a trip, even if it’s close to home.
I didn’t know about the Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery and just spent some time on their website. How cool! Happy birthday to the little one. Looks like a fun weekend, but a bit too cold for me.
The Outdoor Gallery is such a neat idea and a great way to incorporate some art into the town. It’s been neat to visit some of the places in Ontario that have inspired the Group of Seven. It was a nice weekend, but it was a bit too cold for us too!!
Thank you for sharing your great experience… I love birds too
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. We typically try to bring some bird seed with us when hiking in the winter. It’s a great way to attract the curious little chickadees.
It looks like a winter wonderland there! That is awesome that your daughter loves nature too like you guys. Ours just turned 2 too!!!
Happy Birthday to your little one! It’s insane how quickly they grow at this age. Our daughter probably enjoys being outside more than us sometimes!! It’s much easier to spend time outside now that the weather is warmer. Have a good weekend. Linda
It’s so interesting to learn about The Big Bend being a glacial delta! I am particularly jealous of your negative temperatures -26 sounds absolutely incredible! We used to have these kind of temperatures back in the day – I am originally from the Jura Mountains in France. But since moving to the UK, it’s been quite a change of scenery. Snow? What is that? Haha!
Much of the landscape in Ontario has been shaped by glaciers and it’s neat to visit places like this that provide geological clues from the past. We had a really cold and snowy winter last year. It was actually great for winter activities because the snow actually stayed on the ground so there was a decent base layer for everything. Even though it’s cold, I would miss the snow too. I much prefer it the rain, which I’m sure there’s no shortage of in the UK.
The photo with the river is stunning! Definitely my favorite one. I just love how the bright white snow contrasts with the dark water. And the sunset against the fluffy snow is also beautiful 🙂
a lovely and wholesome post 💗
Thanks for your kind words. We’ve hiked to Stubbs Falls in the summer before and the river is definitely more beautiful in the winter with all the ice and snow. It’s been neat to visit in the different seasons to see how much the landscape changes.
Wow, it looks like a real winter wonderland, dear Linda 🙂 The Big Bend is such a picture-perfect spot, especially in winter, covered in snow, and your little cabin looks so warm and cosy. I am going to steal your Christmas card idea, if that’s Ok. We usually make the cards with girls, and your design is not only super cute, but also easily doable for our three-year-old. Happy Belated birthday to your little one – I can’t believe she’s already two. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
Every time we visit this park we have to check out the Big Bend Overlook. It’s neat to see how different it looks depending on the season, weather and time of day.
Glad to hear you liked our Christmas card design and plan on making your own this year. You’ll have to let me know how they turn out. Even though it’s a lot more work to make our own cards, it’s a lot of fun. And I just loved seeing the smile on my little one’s face as she passed them out. She was so proud of herself. It’s crazy how quickly they grow. Thanks for reading. Happy Friday! Linda