Hurtling Down A Mountain Doesn’t Thrill You?

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING MIGHT.

Bristol Mountain makes snow for its Nordic Center, a 1.2 km wooded trail of gentle rolling hills. The center is perfect for the whole family and for beginner cross-country skiers. An additional 1.8 km loop is also available, weather permitting.

At Cumming Nature Center in the Bristol Hills, there are 12 miles of groomed, forested trails.

With its “magic microclimate,” Harriet Hollister Recreation Center at the south end of Honeoye Lake features trails groomed by the Rochester Cross Country Ski Foundation. “When there’s no snow 5 miles away, there can be a foot of snow at Harriet Hollister,” according to rxcsf.org.

SNOWSHOEING, TOO.

There are three miles of snowshoeing trails at Cumming Nature Center. You can also snowshoe at Bristol Mountain’s Nordic Center and at Harriet Hollister. Other spots include the Bristol Hills branch trail accessible from Ontario County Park, the High Tor Wildlife Management Area in Naples, and the Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor.

THERE ARE TRAILS YOU CAN RIDE

Rural terrain and beautiful scenery make Ontario County perfect for snowmobiles. Volunteers from three nonprofit snowmobile clubs maintain trails and provide up-to-date information on their conditions in season. The New York State Snowmobile Association maintains an interactive webmap, available as an app for your phone, that’s edited by the local clubs. It includes reroutes or detours in the mid-season, and business supporters along the trails.

GET OUT ON THE ICE OR JUST WATCH THE ZAMBONI

Indoor skating lets you experience winter without the biting wind. Skate rentals are available at both rinks: the Geneva Recreation Complex on South Exchange Street in Geneva and the Greater Canandaigua Civic Center on North Bloomfield Road.