Though many think that winter is a leisure time to spend time indoors, many campsites are still crowded during the cold months.
I have spent several weeks in cold weather and winter in a land between the lakes that got down to 5° F.
It’s hard to find a way to make a trip as usual without gear, but there you can do several winter camping activities to stay warm, apart from just drinking hot water.
1. Go Snowshoeing
Want to go hiking in winter?
Snowshoeing is an active and fun activity that helps you walk or hike over snow-covered routes and landscapes. So, you can still have access to the scenic trails.
With this, you can enjoy running and mountaineering.
For this, you will need specialized footwear, which helps prevent your legs from sinking in the snow.
I suggest you have a good pair of waterproof boots and tie the straps nicely before heading on your journey. Also, try putting on layering clothes and start exploring nearby trails safely.
2. Try Cross-Country Skiing Around Your Campsite
I love doing Cross-Country skiing with my group or family in December before Christmas. While you have to walk slowly in snowshoeing, you can speed up your movement and cover a lot more ground.
So, you can explore large areas of vast, snowy landscapes.
The frozen lakes, flat trails, and open meadows are popular areas to ski. There, you see people greeting and smiling on the way.
It depends on how skillful you are to enjoy and challenge yourself in this recreational activity. Beginners can start with groomed trails (for classic skiing), and seasoned ones can take routes to backcountry or off-track skiing.
If you want to do it, you may need poles, boots, wax, etc.
3. Build a Snow Shelter or Igloo
As a kid, I built igloos with every big snowfall with friends. We tried to convince our parents to allow us to sleep overnight there but never got a chance.
This is a survival skill that you can turn into fun for your camping experience in winter. It’s exciting and adds value for teamwork, which is great to teach your kids.
It feels a bit warmer inside the snow dome if the sun is not there and freezing temperatures are outside.
The best snow is the crusty type that you can cut into huge blocks and set to make large building blocks.
If not, you can roll giant snowballs and stack.
The best snow was the crusty kind you could cut into huge blocks and then “set” to make huge building blocks. Otherwise, we’d just roll giant snowballs and stack.
Make sure that you have the sleeping platforms elevated by building a trench between two platforms. Also, dig an exhaust hole out of the back of the structure. A 3 – 4 inch hole is enough for air circulation.
It’s okay to spend a few moments inside the snow cave, but spending overnight is really not wise until you’re an expert. That’s why, build it for fun, and it is not necessary for you to sleep there without safety.
4. Cook a Hot Meal Over the Campfire
Oh! I love it more than anything while camping. It’s a bit challenging to build a vampire in the winter, so you need to collect birch timber or flatwoods.
When it’s half burnt down, you can make some room there to cook your food over the campfire. You can bring canned soups, beans, tortillas, meats, cheeses, bread, peanut butter, honey, and nuts for winter food.
In the cold months, food tastes better, and that would even be delicious in the camping. Soups, foil packet meals, and hot drinks are a must for winter camping.
There’s some easy stuff that you only need to heat or warm up. My go-to ar some packets of tin foil filled with chopped potatoes, butter, and herbs.
You can throw those packets on the live coals and take them out after a few moments.
Anyway, I cook a beef stew, campfire bread, and steamed chocolate pudding (which is different from custard-y pudding).
That stew is a make-ahead meal, and I make a no-knead bread dough and bring it to the campsite, and cook flatbreads in the skillet or on the grate.
5. Go on a Winter Wildlife Watching Walk
I really like to hike in remote areas to see wildlife. Whether it’s a short or long hike, there’s a chance to witness animals.
If you want to do it, you have to be entirely silent and walk like a mouse. If you’re a beginner and have kids, you can’t hike far away, you can’t be silent.
Though you can show your kids the real house of wild animals, unlike a zoo.
Unlike in summer, animals leave their footprints in the snow, and from there you can track them in the winter.
A simple walk can make you a temporary detective.
But you must identify their tracks and go after deer, rabbits, foxes, birds, and squirrels. Don’t chase big animals and predators like bears, leopards, etc.
You can see moose tracks in Maine, and coyote tracks in the Rockies.
Tip: Don’t go near the animals as they get scared. Always carry binoculars to see them from a distance.
6. Birding for Winter Species
Many birds migrate to Central and South America, while some travel to southern states or the Caribbean during winter.
But some birds don’t, and as birdwatchers can witness some hardy species like chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and jays during cold months.
I love going to New England beaches for winter birding. It’s quite windy and cold, but you can see lots of nice ducks and other species there.
Besides, if you’re in the woods, you can easily spot birds in the bare trees.
If you’re a beginner, bring a small regional bird guide for a better experience. Also, you can attract birds by building a simple temporary pine cone bird feeder and leaving a few peanut butter and seeds.
I always put out plenty of birdseed and grains.
7. Try Ice Fishing on a Frozen Lake
This is very popular in Great Lakes areas, Northern States (Massachusetts, New Hampshire), and Canada.
You can catch fish that you would normally find in the lake on hot days. Many folks get lines that dangle at a set height in the water with the flag system to signal you to a bait.
What I see is 25% campers try to stay warm in the tent, while 25% man the lines and fishing stuff. And the remaining 50% enjoy drinking with friends.
Before you set up your fishing rod, check ice thickness, get warm gear, and read local rules. Also, you can bring hot cocoa and a foldable chair for a better experience.
Fishing is a game of patience and thrill, so you may have to wait for a long time to catch a single fish. If you want to go on a fishing camping trip, start with the popular campsite.
You must have heard of an ice fishing hut that people have built for ice fishing and cold-weather camping. This creates quite a comfort for adventurers.
You can fish all day or by evening, and set up a cot inside and sleep in there and enjoy a multi-day trip.
8. Capture Winter Photography Moments
I’ve used my camera down to about -20 degrees Fahrenheit, and I feel the biggest issue is with the battery. Li-ion batteries don’t like cold, so you have to swap between two.
Take one in your pocket, turn the display off, and use only the viewfinder.
The winter light, frost, and starry skies make winter camping photography even more magical.
Also, you can find low angles, long shadows, and the “blue hour” is perfect.
Bring a clean bread bag and a rubber band in your camera bag and twist the tie. When you’re going from cold to warm, bag your camera.
Close the tie and let it thaw for 2 – 3 hours. If not, you get condensation inside it.
Besides, you can come up with the soft 1″ paint brush to remove the snow. Don’t blow the snow off your camera.
When taking pictures, you might feel the need to have a pair of gloves. They should be thin enough to hold the camera and operate it, and thick enough to keep your fingers working for a while.
9. Build a Snowman or Create Snow Art
Snow games are perfect, family-friendly, and creative activities, which kids, adults, and all age groups can enjoy. The popular one is making a snowman.
After throwing snowflakes at each other, you can help your kids or yourself to enhance your creativity in making a cute snowman. Maybe kids in your family or group are waiting for you!
You can also use pinecones, sticks, and gear to decorate it. Also, paint your snowman with some colored water bottles.
Besides, snow sculpture contests and building snow forts are other ideas to create fun with the snow.
10. Have a Winter Scavenger Hunt
When I was a kid, my parents brought paper bags and a Sharpie to the campsite. I remember that they wrote 1 pine cone, 1 piece of moss, 1 ant, 1 piece of tree bark, 1 smooth stone, etc, on the bags.
We kids would go to collect the instructed items. They shouted out who completed the mission first.
I have also tried to identify one tree using a field guide. Recently, I saw some kids try to find and capture an insect hiding under rocks and logs.
It was a really fun and good memory, and I miss those days.
This is a great way to teach kids about things that can be found and used in the forest. You can also list out the items, such as animal tracks, flowers, icicles, and feathers.
11. Sled or Toboggan on a Nearby Hill
Cross-country skiers and snowshoe travelers often tow toboggans.
I’ve used a sled, though. It can be heavy on grass, mud, and dirt, but it works like a charm on snow, ice, and water.
I suggest you have a running rope through PVC and make a solid offset and clip carabiners to your belt. This is really helpful when you go down the hill.
When you use a kid sled with a sturdy rope on it and put your stuff in the plastic bins, it would make you nostalgic.
This is great for families and a fun group challenge, but you need to avoid frozen lakes and rocky slopes.
12. Stargaze on a Crisp, Clear Night
It’s a zero-effort, fun, and highly rewarding activity. In winter, skies are clearer and constellations are brighter, which can provide a better opportunity to stargaze.
You only need to keep yourself warm at night, so take a warm sleeping bag and a thermos of hot chocolate with you.
Once, I camped at a man-made lake in western Nebraska, which is great for this pastime.
Americans also go to Northwest Arkansas, where the thin population from the campground helps get a better opportunity to see more stars.
Besides, Muskallonge Lake State Park is also there, which is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, right next to Lake Superior.
I often prefer to choose a lakeside campground instead of going backcountry. Within a few minutes of walking, you can get to the beach or airfield.
You can take a headlamp and a small foldable chair if you want to stay for a while.
13. Do a Winter Hike or Summit Challenge
The hiking in winter gives a whole different view than in summer because of the woods filled with deciduous trees.
In places like the Ozarks, you can witness the terrain in the winter, which is often veiled by the summer greenery. You can be only a few feet away from a cliff face, and you never know it.
In the winter, you can feel solitude, crisp air, and see panoramic snowy views.
I often challenge myself to reach the summit, view, or lake whenever winter approaches each year. The challenges are still in the winter with the snow, but that helps you assess your mental toughness.
You can start with accessible, safe trails if you’re only a beginner.
14. Set Up a Hot Drink Bar at Camp
You can make a hot toddy with tea, whisky, a cinnamon stick, honey, and lemon. If you don’t want whisky, you can simply go with hot tea, honey, and lemon.
If you have a sore throat, tea with honey and lemon is great.
I love hot chocolate mix. Add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder, which can warm you up without burning your mouth.
My friends often keep instant coffee, cider, and hot cocoa packets. If you’re a coffee lover, you must know some secret methods to make coffee while camping.
There is no better day than sipping a bowl of soup on a cold day. Chicken or beef cubes can make good broth, and you can also eat them as a meal.
Also, don’t forget to keep a few packets of tea in my food bag. These hot drinks help you stay hydrated all day and keep you warm while camping.
15. Play Winter Camp Games
I never run out of active and relaxed games for indoor and outdoor settings.
If you want to go outdoors, you can play snowball dodge, shadow tag, and any other games. But in case you have to stay in the tent, you can play charades, crosswords, several card games, and board games.
Final Thoughts
With the desire to enjoy winter camping, you can create several fun activities.
You can journal or sketch the winter landscape, try winter camping yoga or meditation, or practice bushcraft activities.
Also, adults or parents can tell the kids some campfire stories at night.
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