Work Off Holiday Meals at These Awesome Places for Winter Activity

Carmel, New York, and the surrounding area enjoy freezing temperatures and ample snow throughout the winter, making it a great destination for winter sports and activities. If you’ve enjoyed an indulgent holiday season with Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas ham, and other treats, some icy adventures may be just the thing to help you get back in shape. Try these destinations for delightful recreation that gets you moving this season.

Fahnestock Winter Park

Fahnestock Winter Park is a part of the larger Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park. The seasonal winter park offers abundant activities that take advantage of this area’s weather. With an elevation of 1,100 feet, this location gets plenty of snow throughout the winter season. The forested trails help protect the snow base, creating ideal conditions for sledding, tubing, skiing, and snowshoeing.

You’ll find over 12 miles of groomed ski trails for classic skiing and skate skiing. When conditions permit, the park maintains three levels of ski trails across easy, intermediate, and advanced terrain. A blazed snowshoe trail network provides many opportunities for trekking through this winter wonderland. With three distinct trails to choose from, you can undertake a snowshoeing adventure that matches your skill level. The groomed sledding hill is a family favorite, conveniently located right by the parking lot.

Though human activity is abundant around the park, you may also spot some wildlife among the mountain laurel and hemlock groves. Squirrels, deer, fishers, and beavers all call this area home. You might spot their footprints in the snow or even catch a glimpse of the creatures themselves. Ravens, chickadees, and pileated woodpeckers are also found in the area during the winter months.

This area features some historic highlights, such as the remains of stone walls from the 1800s on the Old Pasture Loop. On the CCC Loop, you’ll find the foundations and chimney of a 1930s Civilian Conservation Corp camp still standing.

Fahnestock Winter Park features a cozy lodge where you can enjoy hot food, snacks, and beverages. You can relax inside or gather around the outdoor fire pit. Restrooms and changing facilities are available for your convenience. The lodge offers equipment rentals for skate skiing, classic skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, and tow-behind skier baby pulks.

Location: 1570 Route 301, Carmel.

Brewster Ice Arena

The Brewster Ice Arena offers various winter activities on the indoor studio rink and outdoor pond. The pond surface is subject to change, but it typically presents plenty of opportunities for recreation between Nov. 14 and Feb. 26.

You can enjoy public skating on the pond from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on weekdays, with additional afternoon sessions on Tuesdays and Fridays starting at 3:10 p.m. The Friday Night Skate from 8:15 to 10:15 p.m. is a fun late-night way to celebrate the onset of the weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, you can enjoy public skating between 12:45 and 2:15 p.m. and from 3 to 4:30 p.m. From 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays, the public may skate indoors on the studio rink.

The Brewster Ice Arena also offers figure skating lessons, a skating club, and hockey teams for both children and adults. Sticks & Pucks sessions take place on the pond during the afternoons from Tuesday to Thursday, and they’re inside on Monday. You’ll find evening sessions in the studio on weeknights if you’re interested in open hockey. Open hockey takes place on the pond from 6:20 to 7:50 a.m. on weekends.

Location: 63 Fields Lane, Brewster.

Thunder Ridge Ski Area

The Thunder Ridge Ski Area offers both day and night skiing with 22 trails, four magic carpets, and three chairlifts. If you’d like to hone your skills throughout the season, you can enroll in a six-week program or sign up for daily lessons. Thunder Ridge even offers race programs for skiers between the ages of 9 and 20.

If you’d like to head out and practice skiing on your own simply, you can purchase your lift tickets and reserve ski rentals online to ensure a great experience. Thunder Ridge rents skis, boots, and poles for skiing as well as snowboards, boots, and wrist guards for snowboarding. The trail levels include easier, more difficult, and most difficult, providing plenty of variety for visitors.

Location: 137 Birch Hill Road, Patterson.

Evarts Rink

While most of the winter sports in and around Carmel are dependent on the weather, Evarts Rink offers an escape from the limitations of the weekly forecast with its fully enclosed ice rink. From September through June, the rink is open for hour-long figure skating sessions starting at 8, 9:10, 10:20, and 11:30 a.m.

You can walk on for a session anywhere from 30 minutes to three and a half hours on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. You can also walk on for 30 or 60 minutes on Saturday between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. On Wednesdays, you can opt for a 30-, 60-, or 90-minute session between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Location: 240 Jay St., Katonah.

Danbury Ice Arena

The Danbury Ice Arena is another popular option for indoor skating. With two rinks running seven days a week, there are plenty of opportunities to get out and glide. Pair an evening of skating with a romantic dinner for the ultimate date night, or head out with the clan for a family fun night. The arena hosts public skates, Sticks & Pucks, open hockey, and freestyle figure skating.

The Danbury Ice Arena steps up the fun with DJ Skate sessions from mid-October to mid-April. During these skate times, you’ll enjoy strobe lights, jumbotron videos, and bouncing tunes from a live DJ. The DJ Skate takes place on Friday nights from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Location: 1 Independence Way, Danbury.

There you have it. Meadowland GMC just shared our favorite spots for winter fun. Are you ready to head out and experience these highlights? Let us know if we missed a spot you enjoy, and if you need a new vehicle to help you tackle the snow this season, we can help. Drop in and check out the latest inventory at Meadowland GMC.

Photo Credit: Mountains by Ben Koorengevel is licensed with Unsplash License

Posted in Local, Local Spots | No Comments »