The beautiful town of Blue Mountains lies about 180 kilometres and is roughly a 2-hour drive from the centre of Toronto. A day trip from Toronto to the Blue Mountains can be a riveting experience.
The town is a great getaway in summer and winter alike and offers recreational facilities for people of all age groups.
The town of Blue Mountains is located on the southern shore of Georgian Bay on the Niagara Escarpment*, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
Blue Mountains boasts an enviable coastline with great beaches ideal for summer activities like kayaking, swimming, sailing and many other water sports. Apart from water sports, you can zip line, play golf or mountain biking.
In winter, the most popular destination of the town, Blue Mountain Ski Resort, comes alive with skiers. Winter activities like snowshoeing, ice skating and tobogganing take centre stage.
We went to the Blue Mountains in the peak of winter in mid-January, The Blue Mountain Village and the adjoining hills were covered in a thick snow cover...
We started our outing with the Blue Mountain Village...
The Village has a very welcoming air.....there are fireplaces with comfy chairs for people to sit around with loud music playing on the PA system. So, even if you don't want to go for rides or skiing, you can still have a nice time strolling around the village and soaking in the winter vibe.
There are some great eating options ranging from fast food joints to fine dining, shopping avenues, bars, spas and more! If you want to stay overnight, then there are rental options aplenty.
Tickets for most outdoor and indoor activities can be purchased on the same day. You do not need to make advance bookings despite the crowds. A day pass would give you unlimited access to most rides but remember skiing is not included in it. There is also an option to buy tickets for individual rides.
We did not buy the Day Pass for two reasons, one, we felt the only truly thrilling ride was the Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster. We saw the Snow Tubing area, it was on a tiny slope stretch and did not look exciting or worth the money. Two, it was snowing heavily that day and the possibility of rides getting suspended seemed very high.
And that's exactly what happened....we bought tickets only for the Ridge Runner but because of heavy snowfall the ride was suspended and we had to go in for a refund.
But rides or no rides, the Blue Mountain Village is still loads of fun. It's like a summer and winter carnival with fun rides, food, dance and music with stunning mountain scenery as a backdrop!
*Escarpment is a steep slope or bottom of a cliff where the elevation of the ground changes suddenly.
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