Wintertime at Hecla

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/11/2014 (3938 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I’ve written before about visiting Hecla Island in summer. But I’d venture to say that winter is the most magical time to check out this special place.

There’s something about a thick blanket of snow on the ground that makes inside seem even warmer and cozier, and outside more dramatic. The air is unmistakably cold and crisp, and every fleeting breath drifts away on clouds of white vapour. The silence that surrounds is tremendous. The stillness is overwhelming. The sense of peacefulness is profound.  

Lakeview Hecla Resort is a family-and-pet-friendly locale that offers vacation packages throughout winter, like buy two nights and stay for three. Guests enjoy free wireless internet and DVD movies, and other comforts of the great indoors like a waterpark with giant waterslide, family pool and lazy river, and an adult-only aquatic zone with hydrokinetic pool, mineral bath, hot tub, cold plunge and steam room.

The full-service Salka Spa offers an enticing list of soul-soothing selections, while Seagulls Restaurant & Lounge serves a good variety of dishes, with at least seven containing Lake Winnipeg pickerel. You can even have the tasty fish for breakfast if you so choose.

The best part of visiting in winter is exploring the outdoors. Take advantage of the resort’s complimentary snowshoes and go for a hike in the beautiful snow-capped boreal forest. You can also book a guided tour with Second Nature, a “learning adventures” business that delivers engaging natural experiences.

Our guide, Dr. Heather Hinam, a naturalist whose passion and curiosity is evident from the get-go, showed us that winter woods are teeming with life. She pointed out animal tracks and droppings, hibernation holes, branches that had been eaten, and other things easily overlooked without keen eyes. She also told us that the Inuit people have more than 30 different words for snow, which I found astounding. Whatever word they would use to describe the top layer of snow sparkling like diamonds in sunlight would have to be my favourite.

Another winter pastime on Hecla is gliding along the many groomed skiing trails. If you don’t have your own cross-country skis, the resort has some available. They also have slider disks that you can borrow for the toboggan hill, which has a warm-up shack, and is lit for night tobogganing. Right out back of the resort is a skating rink (bring your own skates), and bonfire pit where staff will build evening fires upon request.

If fishing is your forte, Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park maintains two ice-fishing shacks on Lake Winnipeg, located just off the pier at the Hecla Island marina. They auger out the holes twice per week, and keep the shacks stocked with firewood. If you like landscapes that are vast, infinite and desolate, nothing tops this one.

I know that for many people out there, the thing about winter… is that it’s winter. But I promise you, if you go to a place like Hecla, dress appropriately for it, and allow yourself to be at peace with it, you just might find a whole new appreciation for it.

I‘d venture to say you might even fall in love with it.

RoseAnna Schick is an avid traveller who seeks inspiration wherever she goes. Email her at rascreative@yahoo.ca.