Your 2024 Holiday Gift Guide for Outdoor Lovers

We all have that one person on their list who values spending time outdoors and adrenalin-filled adventure more than tangible things. Give them the choice and they’ll choose speeding through raging whitewater over a holiday sweater, or a long grueling hike capped by a phenomenal view over yet another scarf.

If you’re stumped thinking of a gift for the someone on your list who would rather be in the great outdoors hiking, fishing, cycling or whatever, we’ve got you. Find an epic gift idea they will love from the list below.

Outdoor Education

Do you know someone who longs to try their hand at wilderness survival? Gift someone with a gift certificate to Deep Roots Adventure for one of their Wilderness Schools and they will learn how to survive anything the woods have to throw at them (even winter). A gift certificate to experience a backcountry canoe trip, forest therapy walk or a hiking trip with Finding Your Way Adventures will gift someone with something to dream about until spring. 

Winter Climbing Adventure

Winter lovers are a hardy lot, and if you have one of these intrepid folks on your list, we have just the thing. Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve offers ice climbing experiences that take you out into the great wilds of Haliburton Highlands in search of elusive ice walls, perfect for the budding or experienced climber to try their hand at something new. No experience necessary – book in advance to gift.

Go Sledding with Dogs

Dogsledding is one of those winter sports that has to be experienced to fully appreciate the thrill of racing over new-fallen snow, pulled by a pack of dogs who love their life and what they do. Gift someone with a half-day, full-day, multi-day, or even moonlit pre-booked dogsledding adventure with at Winterdance in Haliburton Highlands and they can meet the sled dogs who make the magic happen.

Downhill Skiing Escapes

Each winter, downhill ski or snowboarders anxiously await the first snowfall and the chance to carve some fresh snow. Give them something to look forward by gifting the ski or snowboarder on your list with tickets to the ski hill, or even a weekend skiing getaway (if you really want to go all out). In Ontario's Highlands, we have three ski hills that offer gift certificates that make for an easy (and popular) gift. 

In Calabogie, Calabogie Peaks Resort has the highest vertical lift in Ontario, Sir Sam's Ski/RIDE's mountain location in Haliburton Highlands makes for some stellar scenery from the ski lift or the hill, and Mount Pakenham offers skiing under the stars for a unique nighttime winter experience. 

Winter Camping (yes, it's a thing)

Book this experience for a friend or family member and they can experience winter for real (e-gift cards are available as well). Guests of Cruising Canoes in North Frontenac can take a winter camping workshop to find joy in the outdoors in the midst of winter's snowy fury.

Winter camping is also available in Silent Lake Provincial Park and a gift certificate to the park will invite your giftee to tent it, old school, or opt for a heated yurt experience. Either way it will be a snowy and one-of-a-kind experience. 

Ice Fishing Package

Who wouldn’t love to receive an ice fishing getaway to Ogopogo Resort in Haliburton Highlands to discover the magic of ice fishing? Or at nearby Buttermilk Falls Resort or Pines on Boshkung resorts you can splurge on one of their ice fishing packages and gift someone with overnight accommodations in one of their fully equipped cottages for the perfect ice fishing home base. 

Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve is another popular destination for ice fishing - rent one of their cozy cottages or Cabinscape micro-cabins and your present can be a planned winter ice fishing getaway. 

Get Out on the Trails

For the outdoor lover who would enjoy an ATV or snowmobile experience, Ontario's Highlands is the place to be. With access to the K&P Trail and the Ottawa Valley Rail Trail (not to mention various club trails), our region is home to some amazing tour guides where you can book an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime. In the Ottawa Valley, Tom Irwin Adventures Tours offers guided ATV or snowmobile tours, and Thrill Seeker Guided Tours can get you out on an ATV for off-road excitement.

Prepping for Whitewater Season

For the person who has always wanted to try their hand at whitewater canoeing or kayaking, a gift certificate for one of the courses at Madawaska Kanu Centre on the Madawaska River will help discover a love for paddling with instruction from experienced paddlers. If your gift is intended for someone who would rather enjoy the ride while someone else takes the helm, consider a gift certificate to one of the whitewater rafting experiences at Wilderness Tours or OWL Rafting.

Get Outfitted

Who wouldn’t love to wake up to find a canoe, kayak, or snowboard under the tree? Get outfitted for all paddling sports at Trips and Trails Adventure Outfitting in Bancroft, or find canoes, kayaks, camping gear, skis, snowboards, and more at Algonquin Outfitters in Haliburton Highlands.

Gear Up

When you spend a lot of time outdoors there’s no such thing as too much gear. The Explorer's Eco-Emporium 41 has everything the outdoor lover could want: fishing gear, binoculars and more. Purchase a specialized vest made expressly for ATV, snowmobile, or dirt bike from Tek Rider, made right here in Ontario’s Highlands.

If someone on your list has perpetually cold feet, try a pair of luxury Mohair socks from Black Goat White Goat (because having cold feet is no fun).  A hand-crafted paddle from the Haliburton Forest Paddle Shop will be a nice touch for the paddler who has it all.