Edmonton 
Embark on a festive outing this December. There are many ways to get outside or simply out of the house with a holiday day trip from Edmonton. Surrounding the city you can find magical light displays, family events, and special Christmas markets. And while you’re in any one of the towns or cities near Edmonton, you can explore their local dining and more shopping.
Visit Sylvan Lake
Edmonton is also surrounded by a wonderful amount of winter recreation. Get moving after your drive with an afternoon of winter sports. You can head to the XC ski trails, toboggan or ski hills, or rent a pair of snowshoes. You have numerous options for a festive day trip from Edmonton, with some locations convenient to combine.
Sylvan Lake
Sylvan Lake keeps the fun and entertainment going all year, not just in the summer. In the early winter months, the town helps to spread Christmas cheer through bright holiday lights around the main park. You can enjoy these, along with the nearby dining and drink spots, and all the recreation of a large lake in winter. This includes ice fishing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, skating, and more.
- Grab a coffee or hot chocolate from a café on Lakeshore Drive, and bring it with you on a winter walk through Christmas under the Lights. This is Sylvan’s Christmas lakeside holiday light display, complete with music.
- Sylvan’s skating area is beside the light displays and makes for a beautiful place to skate any time of day. However, evenings and nights are especially pretty with the sounds of holiday music and the sights of the bright holiday lights.
- Head to Jarvis Bay Provincial Park for an afternoon of snowshoeing through the trees, and along the north shores of Sylvan Lake.
- Book a private ice fishing hut with Sunsport Recreation, who offer a sauna hut too!
Leduc County
Leduc Country Lights
Leduc as a town is quite close to Edmonton. However, the county of Leduc takes up a large area southwest of Edmonton and offers numerous ways to explore and burn off an entire day. There is a major walk-through light display, and between Devon and the city of Leduc, numerous places for a quick snack, holiday shopping, and outdoor fun.
- Leduc County Lights is open for all of December, with appearances from Santa promised for certain days. You can book a spot on a shuttle that departs from Devon on December 9th and which will tour Devon’s decorations before stopping at the Country Lights.
- There are eight outdoor public skating areas in the city of Leduc, including a few natural areas.
- For more adventurous outdoor fun, you have the Rabbit Hill Snow Resort which offers rentals, too.
Camrose
It is a busy holiday season this year in Camrose. As always, the city offers several opportunities to get outside and enjoy the snow or ice. And this year, the annual Christmas parade will take place downtown, which can be combined with skating, shopping, or an evening of dinner and drinks.
- Shop the Heritage Holiday Market (December 9-10) for local and handmade gifts.
- You’ll have your pick of 13 total outdoor rinks for skating in Camrose, many of which are natural pond rinks.
- Families can enjoy a day of thrilling sledding via the city’s two large toboggan hills: one is in Jubilee Park, and the other in Grand Drive Park.
- Celebrate the season with Camrose’s Winter Lights Parade, on December 16th. It will take place through downtown Camrose, where the cafes and restaurants will be close by and open.
- Ski the Stoney Creek valley cross-country ski trails for an afternoon of fresh winter air. The area has an extensive system of groomed trails, courtesy of the Nordic Ski Club, which extend south of Camrose.
Vegreville
Explore eastern Alberta this holiday season and make Vegreville your final destination. Along your way to Vegreville, you can explore a number of other smaller towns in Alberta, try out new food and drink, and end it all with some skating or Christmas events in Vegreville.
- Try something totally out of the ordinary for Christmas! The Royal Canadian Legion in Vegreville is hosting an Elvis Christmas Show on December 9th.
- Two Hills is a short drive north of Vegreville and is worth a stop on your day trip for the Festival of Trees on December 11th.
- Partake in a sunset skate on Elks Pond, with the giant Pysanka in the background. Bring your sleds, too. There is a toboggan hill nearby, too!
- Get your snacks in Mundare! You can stock up on snacks, or holiday treats and meals, at the famous Stawnichy’s. You can even grab a smoked holiday turkey to go!
Metis Crossing
Take your day trip east this December and discover all there is to do at the Metis Crossing Cultural Centre. You can explore inside the centre, as well as outside, enjoy the onsite dining, or take part in the outdoor fun. The activities are perfect for all age groups and include winter fun like skating and tubing, and educational experiences you can add to admission.
- Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are permitted throughout the property, and snowshoe rentals are available.
- There is now an onsite snow tube hill, which also provides some awesome views of the North Saskatchewan River.
- Bring your skates! Metis Crossing has a riverside outdoor rink.
- Book one of their signature experiences, like the Tales from the Trapline snowshoe tour.
University of Alberta Botanic Garden
Alberta’s famous botanic garden is alive with the annual light festival – Luminaria. This popular event ignites the festive season with thousands of candles along the paths of the Kurimoto Japanese Garden in a breathtaking display. Take a train ride through the illuminated garden, wander candle-lit pathways, see snow sprites, listen to acapella singers and light a candle for a loved one.
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If you want to make this winter special and treat yourself and your loved ones to something fancy, then the Northern Light Dining Experience at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden is a perfect event to attend. The experience includes your own dining space where you can relax with your friends and family in incredibly cozy and beautiful places.
Pigeon Lake
Take in the lake views this December and find some peace and quiet at Pigeon Lake/The Village. Within the Provincial Park, and around the lake, you can find excellent photography opportunities, outdoor recreation, and possibly some wildlife. And the Village will be decorated for the season, starting December 3rd.
- The Provincial Park has close to 5km of cross-country ski trails with warmup shelters and washrooms scattered along the paths. The day-use area is open year-round, and the lake also permits ice fishing.
- Book a sleigh or wagon ride with Pigeon Lake Horse Drawn Rides. The company offers late-night and daytime rides, or a romantic option. Their ranch is lit with Christmas lights for the nighttime riders.
Whitecourt
The drive between Edmonton and Whitecourt is quite pretty when covered with snow. And if you head to Whitecourt for a day trip out of the city, you can make a few stops along your way to uncover more natural winter beauty, and maybe some wildlife. Once in town, you can skate, take part in their local holiday shopping contest, or explore the food and drink downtown.
- Find the Paddle River Dam PRA south of Whitecourt for a few different recreational activities: there is a toboggan hill, and you can ice fish on the lake, or snowmobile outside the park.
- The Roselea Natural Area, east of Whitecourt, has informal cross-country ski trails, can be a nice place for a winter walk, or can reveal some northern Alberta wildlife.
- Shop local in town and find the perfect holiday gifts! The Chamber of Commerce is running a contest with stamp cards to fill out at different local businesses – that also offer late-night shopping until December 23rd!
- Take part in public outdoor skating at Whitecourt’s Rotary Park Pond (lit at night), likely to be frozen by now.
Winter Recreation at Elk Island National Park
Credit: Parks Canada
It is a short distance between eastern Edmonton and Elk Island National Park. But you can still make a trip to the park an entire day’s activity with all the outdoor activities. Begin the day searching for wildlife on your drive after the main gates and find a peaceful place to park before starting some outdoor adventures.
- Bring some snacks and take a simple winter hike around Astotin Lake.
- Bring some hot drinks and set up a bonfire at any permitted firepit for stargazing under the dark sky preserve.
- Wildlife viewing and great photo opportunities are around every corner and trail within the park, from birds to bison.
- Book a Dark Sky Experience (Thursdays and Saturdays in December) with the national park for an evening of snowshoeing under the stars.
Red Deer
Make your day trip to Red Deer a little more interesting and make time to travel some of the secondary highways. You could take Highway 2, or head down Highway 21/53, and stop at additional places like Camrose, Bashaw, or Alix. This alternate route for your day trip brings you into Red Deer beside the Canyon Ski Resort in the east. There are a few holiday celebrations planned in Red Deer and some great holiday shopping opportunities!
- Canyon Ski Resort is a massive prairie ski hill that also offers snow tubing. It is on the scenic banks of the Red Deer River.
- Take part in the City’s North Pole Stroll, an annual Red Deer Tradition. This includes a walk around the light displays of city hall, and a visit to the Downtown Winter Market!
- Red Deer’s has a few different outdoor skating rinks to hit up while you’re in the city. These rinks are in scenic parks like Bower Ponds, Great Chief Park, or West Lake.
- Get your last-minute gifts at the Gasoline Alley Christmas Market, December 21-23.
A Day of Ice Fishing
There are a fair number of places within a day’s trip distance from Edmonton where you can ice fish for the day. This will also become a day of relaxation, peace and quiet, and hopefully a lot of fish! And if you don’t have your own equipment, you can rent shacks on Sylvan Lake.
- Pigeon Lake is one of the closest areas for an ice-fishing day trip from Edmonton.
- Coal Lake, to the southeast, is almost as close as Pigeon Lake but is quite a bit smaller lake.
- Head north to find ice fishing permitted on Thunder Lake and Halfmoon Lake — both only an hour to an hour-and-a-half from Edmonton.
So Many Places to Snowshoe
No snowshoes? No problem! Rent a pair here in Edmonton before taking off on your adventure. There are a number of places within a short distance from Edmonton where you can strap on a pair of snowshoes and embark through places you wouldn’t normally go in winter; this also makes snowshoes perfect for exploring photo opportunities.
- The Cooking Lake-Blackfoot PRA has over 60km of trails to traverse with snowshoes.
- You can rent snowshoes at the Strathcona Wilderness Centre and explore a variety of areas around the park.
- Elk Island National Park is a favourite for many in the winter thanks to its beautiful stargazing, sunsets, and wildlife viewing.
