Winter Activities in New England

While some may desire a Bing Crosby or Fred Astaire New England-type winter wonderland, others might desire a little adventure for braving the freezing temperatures. So as you ponder an out-of-the-box winter group trip, consider adding these options to your itinerary.

Be a Champion

Each year more than 8,000 flock to the town of Camden, ME, for the U.S. National Toboggan Championships. However, don’t expect a lot of pomp and circumstance with this event. They’ll leave that for the Winter Olympics. Instead, think of this event more in akin with the Red Bull flying competition or the bed races. Teams at all experience levels put their creative powers to work on costumes and toboggan designs which help spur the party atmosphere. All competitors take to a 400 feet chute, some reaching up to 40 miles per hour, and landing onto a frozen lake. If you aren’t up for fighting for the prize, non-competitors can show up the day before and take a ride down the track for $5.

Run with the Big Dogs

The folks at New Hampshire’s Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel have taken the definition of man’s best friend to a whole new level. The kennel offers multiple dog sledding excursions from a few hours to a day-long adventure to bond with these hard working pups and see New Hampshire in winter from a unique perspective. The kennel is home to over 100 sled dogs, including Alaskan Huskies, Siberians and Malamutes. Sledders have a chance to meet their canine and human team mates, harness the dogs to the sled and even take a turn at driving the sled as they whisk through the snowy and forest terrain.

Swing in the Trees

Zip-lines are no longer reserved for shorts weather and Costa Rica. Now, see the snow sprawl with a bird’s eye view while soaring tree to tree across a New England forest. Alpine Adventures has six separate zip-lines, ranging from 80 to 600 feet long, and three suspension bridges, one of which is 60 foot high by 75 foot long. Thrill lovers will enjoy the infamous Zip #7 that has a 35 miles-per-hour optional free-fall.