Book a Getaway to these 5 Beautiful Cozy Cabins Across Canada Now
So, you want to enjoy the Great Outdoors in winter, but you’re not interested in camping in tents? That’s okay because right across the country, national and provincial parks offer some cozy cabin options for staying in the woods for several nights and enjoying winter activities like snowshoeing, skating, skiing and ice-fishing.
You have to book these cabins in advance. Some are walk-in facilities, others you can drive right up to. And they’re all “self-serve,” meaning you have to bring and cook your own food and, in some cases, water since taps may be out of order with the winter’s cold. Then, just pack your regular winter camping gear and appropriate clothing for a cozy adventure in these cabins!
Enjoy a rustic cabin at Fundy National Park
New Brunswick’s Fundy National Park is world-renowned for its tides. But there’s plenty of fun to be had in the winter as well. You can enjoy the park while staying in one of three rustic cabins.
They are all walk-in cabins, with distances ranging between 3.5 kilometres and 7.2 kilometres (return) during the winter, depending on which you book. When there is snow cover, you need to either snowshoe or cross-country ski into the cabins; if there is no snow cover, you can hike. Hiking groomed trails is not allowed.
The cabins come with sleeping mats, bunk beds for four, a wood stove for cooking and heating, a fire pit, wood and a composting toilet.
Aside from snowshoeing or skiing to get there, other daytime activities include fat-biking and tobogganing.
Stay in an old fishing/hunting lodge at La Mauricie National Park
Want to stay in a historic building? In La Mauricie National Park, you can stay in one of two cabins once used by the Laurentian Club, a celebrated fishing and hunting club that drew the rich and famous from south of the border into Quebec’s woods and lakes.
The cabins provide multiple rooms, which means you will be sharing some common space unless you want to rent an entire cabin for a larger family or group gathering.
The larger Wabenaki cabin contains a fully-equipped kitchen, shared with the residents of the Andrew cabin. Both cabins have electricity and a fireplace. They are not accessible by car; it’s about a 3.5-kilometre walk, some of it a bit steep.
From there, you have access to hiking, snowshoeing and cross-skiing. There are eight marked trails totalling 54 kilometres. Approximately 80 kilometres of cross-country ski trails are maintained from December to March, including heating stations every five kilometres. You can also go tobogganing just outside the cabins.
Skate the woods at Arrowhead Provincial Park
Ever wanted to skate through a winter wonderland at night? A cabin stay at Ontario’s Arrowhead Provincial Park should be on your “to-do” list.
On certain designated “Fire and Ice” nights, a groomed 1.3-kilometre skating trail is lit by torches so you can take in the night air, and with a bit of luck, see stars overhead.
You can also ice fish, snowshoe and cross-country ski.
The park offers 13 camp cabins, rustic affairs with one room, bunk beds with mattresses and a table with chairs. Each cabin kitchenette provides a microwave, mini fridge and counter space. Outside there is a gas barbeque and picnic table. A propane/electric fireplace provides warmth.
You will need to bring your own bedding and cooking gear. Comfort stations and tap water are nearby. Parking is provided, along with sleds to haul your gear a short distance from your vehicle.
Go “comfort camping” at Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
Cypress Hills is one of those rare parks that is not national, but more than provincial, as it stretches across two provinces, in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan.
On the Alberta side, several locations offer vehicle-accessible huts, sleeping between three and eight people, depending on which accommodation you select. The huts come with a fire pit outside, an electric heater, a mini-fridge and a counter, along with a table and chairs for eating inside. Washrooms and water taps are close by.
There are very few winter activities not available here, with snowshoeing, downhill and cross-country skiing and fat-biking all possible in the park.
Revel in the Olympic legacy at Porteau Cove
Built for the 2010 Olympics, the cabins at Porteau Cove Provincial Park, near Squamish, British Columbia include some wonderful carvings as part of their charm. The cabins come with a fully equipped kitchenette (sink, mini-fridge), a full bathroom, a main floor, loft bedrooms and a barbecue. Heating is available during the winter.
BC’s coast does not always have snow for winter adventures. A trip to the Sea-to-Sky Gondola might get you to the snow. You can hike its trails by yourself, or sign up for some guided group activities like snowshoeing. There is also a tubing trail for fun rides down the snowy hill.
During the winter more than 1,300 bald eagles congregate along the Squamish River, looking for salmon, providing wildlife watchers with plenty of opportunities for viewing.
If you don’t mind a bit of a drive, you can cross-country ski at Callaghan Valley, 30 minutes north of Squamish.
I also highly recommend booking a cabin in Quetico Provincial Park. It’s an easy 2 km ski in to the most remote of three cabins. While there cross-country ski, snowshoe, and enjoy stargazing with inky black skies. One of my fave places – so far – in Canada in winter.