Five days in Canada’s frozen ‘heartland’ changed my mind about snowy holidays
Five days in Canada’s frozen ‘heartland’ changed my mind about snowy holidays
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As I step onto the frozen lake, teeth chattering and surrounded by snow dusted wilderness, I wonder what I’ve gotten myself in for. I’ve been talked around by our guide, Mauricio, who’s taken us for a ‘polar plunge’ in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario in January.
![[A map of Canada, focusing on Ontario and Algonquin National Park]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236932689-2df4.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Best known as the home of Niagara Falls, Canada’s ‘heartland’ is not an obvious choice for a holiday in winter, when the mercury plunges to -15°C in some parts of the province. But as traditional destinations push back against tourists, the ‘coolcation’ has become one of 2025’s hottest travel trends— destinations that offer a reprieve from stifling weather (and stifling crowds).
![[Arrival at Algonquin log cabin.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SEI_227745383-3cb2-e1730374014724.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
After a short rest at the four-star Sheraton Gateway Hotel at Toronto International Airport (£195 per night), my five-day trip begins at Algonquin Log Cabin. Although temperatures outside are close to -15°C, the modest log cabin – which has five bedrooms and two shared bathrooms – is cosy, with a roaring fire and knotted rugs.
![[Canada travel piece]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SEI_227745334-0703-e1730374099472.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Bracing for the subzero chill, we leave the warm embrace of the cabin for a snowshoe hike into the forest. It’s harder than it looks; the activity requires strapping spiked tennis racket-like shoes to our feet, and mastering several techniques to achieve ‘floatation’, where you stand on the snow without sinking.
![[Canada travel piece]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SEI_227745329-ea56-e1730374478342.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
But I eventually get the hang of digging the crampons into the ice, and we set off, traversing frozen lakes and treacherous bridges (we even hear a wolf howl along the way). The park’s terrain is breathtaking, with rocky hills that were smoothed by glaciers as they moved through the area during the last Ice Age, 2.58 million to 11,700 years ago.
