National Parks · WINTER ACTIVITIES
Good winter activities fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Spend 6.5 hours traveling from Tromsø to Camp Tamok for ice domes, huskies, reindeer, snowshoeing, tandem skiing, fire-making, and a hot meal in a lavvu. Guides such as Eva, David, Emmy, and Laura add local stories and practical help, while thermal gear keeps you warm.
“great day at the camp seeing the ice domes, meeting the dogs and reindeer and playing in the snow!”
Ride from Denver Union Station in a small group of up to 12, with guides such as Ben, Anne, Alex, Michelle, and Stephen. Visit Bear or Sprague Lake, Many Parks Curve, Alluvial Fan, Horseshoe Park, Estes Park, and the Stanley Hotel. Winter snow treads are provided.
“My recent Rocky Mountains and Estes Park tour, led by our wonderful guide, Anne, was a truly memorable experience. Anne's energetic and knowledgeable guidance made exploring the region a joy. Her insights into the local environment and wildlife were fascinating, and we were lucky enough to see elk, a moose, and other animals. Anne's thoughtfulness shone through, even in small gestures like lending me her spare gloves when it got chilly. I highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting to discover the beauty of the Rockies and Estes Park, and having Anne as your guide makes it even better!”
Spend 11 hours traveling from Banff to Athabasca Glacier with guides such as Neil, Georgia, Jake, and Chloe. Stop at Crowfoot Glacier and Bow Lake, ride an Ice Explorer across the ice, drink glacier water, cross the Glacier Skywalk, and enjoy a picnic lunch.
“We had a fantastic and enjoyable on our tour to athabasca glacier. Our tour guide Emma was very knowledge and courteous. Long day but worth it”
From Levi Tourist Office, ride a reindeer sleigh, hear Lapland stories, travel by snowmobile-towed sleigh, and drive through snowy forest with huskies. English-speaking guides, hot drinks, kota shelters, and Lovimainas’s no-kill and rescue programs are included.
“This tour was a really sweet and unique day. Learning and hearing about the reindeer was something we didn't expect, and the fire-lit huts at each stop helped with the extra cold snap! After the husky ride, we loved that we were welcome to sit in the hut for as long as we wanted to before returning to town.”
Spend eight hours with Colorado Sightseer visiting Rocky Mountain National Park, Bear Lake, Moraine Park, Alluvial Fan, Estes Park, and the Stanley Hotel. Guides such as Stephen, Will, Hans, and Ben lead the day in English, with snacks, water refills, park entry, and winter-ready transport included.
“An amazing day touring the Rocky Mountains National Park. Our guide for the day, Stephen, was a true professional and really looked after us. We were only a small group so managed to get a few more stops in which was great. Stephen’s knowledge of the park and passion for Colorado made the experience very enjoyable. Highly recommended if you have a day in Denver - sensational scenery.”
Join BrushBuck Wildlife Tours for an eight-hour winter outing from Jackson, Teton Village, or Wilson. Your guide, in a heated vehicle, searches Grand Teton for moose, bison, sheep, eagles, and wolves, then takes you by horse-drawn sleigh among elk at the National Elk Refuge. Lunch is included.
“Mark, our guide was fabulous! He worked hard to make our trip personal. The van was lovely & warm. He knows everything imaginable about Jacksonhole history & the wildlife life. Yay Brush Buck Wildlife Tours! So good! All 4 if us say thank you for a great day! Seattle area travelers!”
Spend three hours snowshoeing through Rovaniemi’s Arctic wilderness with an English-speaking guide such as Noah, Marta, or Teo. You’ll learn snowshoeing, basic fire-making, and simple survival skills, then warm up with a campfire snack. Pickup, winter clothing, boots, and equipment are included.
“Wonderful time. Wes has been amazing, he made us feel comfortable, relaxed and took pictures for us everywhere. Perfect guide and human being 🔥”
You’ll snowshoe through Abisko’s Arctic birch forest with an English-speaking guide, looking for moose, fox, Arctic hare, and tracks in the snow. Guides such as Anne, Anna, Michelle, and Cecilia tailor the walk to conditions, with warm clothing, transfers, and hot drinks included.
“Our guide Anne is friendly and caring.We had great time for the hike.She even prepared hot drinks n biscuits.The weather was perfect on the day.So glad we joined this activity:)”
Travel three and a half hours through Jasper National Park with an English-speaking guide such as Yvonne, Jeff, or Norm. Look for elk, deer, sheep, goats, moose, coyotes, wolves, and birds while your guide handles winter roads and explains the park’s wildlife, geology, and history.
“It was amazing! We saw 14(!) different moose, even the guide was impressed, his record was broken. We also saw lots of elk, a bald eagle, a northern hawk owl (very rare!), bighorn sheep and a mule deer. The guide was very friendly, clearly knew a lot about the animals and their habitat and really made our day!”
Join Beyond Arctic for a 3.5-hour snowshoe hike from Levi into the Arctic wilderness. Your English-speaking photography guide leads a small group of up to eight, with snowshoes, poles, hot drinks, campfire snacks, transport, and a few tour photos included.
“Esperienza bellissima. Nicola è stato una guida perfetta, gentile, simpatico, preparatissimo. Consigliatissimo.”
Leave Sofia with an English-speaking mountain leader such as Velko, Daniel, or Alex, ride the chairlift above the pine forest, and snowshoe for about 2.5 hours near the frozen Seven Rila Lakes. Finish with hot mineral pools at Sapareva Banya. Bring warm layers, gloves, sunglasses, and flip-flops.
“Loved the experience! Highly recommend. Daniel was a great guide!”
Spend a winter day around Banff with a local Radventures guide, visiting Lake Louise, Johnston Canyon, and the Bow Valley Parkway. Walk frozen trails with supplied cleats, enjoy hot drinks, and leave room for ice skating or snowshoeing at Lake Louise for an additional fee. Guides such as Rae, Simon, and Michael are known for helpful route advice and photos.
“I had an amazing time! I can’t say enough about Simon, my tour guide. He was amazing, helpful and knowledgeable, friendly and kind! It was freezing on our tour (started around 5°F,) but I loved every second! Simon knew all the great picture spots, and very patiently helped us take them, and we lucked into perfect timing at Morant’s curve with the train coming! The hot chocolate after the beautifully chilly Johnston Canyon hike was soooo good! This experience was so worth it, I felt like I really got a lot out of the day, thanks to Simon!”
Leave Bozeman at 7 a.m. for a small-group winter safari through northern Yellowstone. Your naturalist guide, such as Alan, Gary, Gabrielle, or Adam, supplies binoculars and scopes while you search for bison, wolves, elk, moose, and more. Lunch, snacks, and drinks are included.
“Gabriel was very knowledgeable and professional. I hope to receive scope photos and would recommend tour to everyone.”
Leave Prague early for Bastei Bridge in Germany, then hike to Pravčická brána in Czechia with a live Czech, English, or Spanish-speaking guide. Expect about 10 km of moderate walking, a small group of up to 14, lunch, and winter trail conditions.
“Fabulous trip, fabulous driver, fabulous guide and information. Loved all the info and most of all….? The views were incredible to photograph if you are into photography’!!!”
Set out before sunrise with a wildlife biologist such as Andrea or Randolph for a private Yellowstone safari. You’ll search Lamar Valley for wolves, watch bison and elk, visit Mammoth Hot Springs, and travel with scopes, binoculars, lunch, snacks, and pickup from select towns.
“We had Randolph as our guide and he was great! He was a wealth of knowledge and we had some great wildlife sightings. Weather was not the best and park opening was delayed due to icy roads, but he made the best of it and found us some wildlife sightings outside the park before we went in”
Pick a continent, a gate, or a kind of day.
