10 Winter Outdoor Activities for Thrills and Chills

The Cleveland Metroparks rents snowshoes (and cross-country skis) at the Big Met Golf Course in Rocky River. Showshoeing is permitted on hiking, bridle and all-purpose trails, as well as the fairways and rough areas of popular Cleveland golf courses.

Lake Metroparks offers some of the best in cross-country skiing and snowshoeing at its Chapin Forest Reservation, Girdled Road Reservation and Penitentiary Glenn Lodge. 

Channel your inner bobsledder and speed down two 1,000-foot-long refrigerated ice chutes, which operate with or without snow at The Chalet in Mill Stream Run Reservation.

Grab the closest garbage can lid or cafeteria tray and hit the slopes (a real sled works, too). Some of the best sledding can be found in the Cleveland Metroparks, Cuyahoga Valley National Park or parks in the adjacent Summit and Lake counties.

Ohio's largest ski complex is nestled within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Sister properties Boston Mills/Brandywine Ski Resorts offer all-level skiing, plus snow tubing, snowboarding, snowblading, terrain parks and 100% snow coverage.

Surf’s up in CLE. Sure, you might feel better in a wetsuit most of the year, but intrepid surfers can be found off Edgewater through the year and that's pretty rad.

Breathe some crisp air and catch the sunshine on your face. From farmland and forest to coastline and urban spaces, hiking in The Land has something for everyone, including paved and accessible trails at spots like the Cleveland Metroparks and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Fat bikes (aka snow bikes) use monster truck-like tires to get traction over snow and they ride like a regular mountain bike. If your soul wants to cycle outside, be glad there are several mountain bike tracks to choose and a few places to rent these hard-working two wheelers.

Many locals don't let the winter weather stop them from reeling in steelhead, yellow perch, sunfish and walleye. Look for safe spots near protected harbors to drop a line.