Head Outside With This Winter Fun Scavenger Hunt

All, Parks at Home for Kids, Backyard Challenge

Colder temperatures aren’t everyone’s favorite time of year to explore outdoors, but winter can be a magical season! The leaves have fallen and some animals are hibernating, but there are still wondrous sights, sounds and smells in nature.

Take the kids, prepare your senses and head to the park, hit a new trail or inspect your yard to start searching for these fun winter scavenger hunt finds! You don’t need snow to find them all (but who doesn’t love snow?). Tag Great Parks in your photos and we may share them on our social media pages.

Great Parks reminds all park guests to be kind outside: Maintain physical distancing of 6 feet from other park guests, stay home if you feel sick and be sure to take all of your trash and recycling with you when leaving.

To Find:

A lone pine cone and a few pine needles poke out from a tree branch.
A pine cone
The spikes of a honey locust tree covered in snow.
The spikes of a honey locust tree (Bonus points if you can snap a photo at this angle!)
A man and woman go cross-country skiing in the snow, heading away from the camera.
A fellow winter hiker or skier (If they are not a member of your household, remember to practice physical distancing.)

To Look For:

A male northern cardinal sits on a tree branch. Its bright red feathers contrast against the gray sky in the background.
Non-migratory birds
Icicles hang from a tree branch.
Icicles
A coyote track is imprinted on a sandbar
Animal tracks
A snowperson has sticks for hair and tree branches as arms. There is a tie made out of snow as well.
A snowperson

To Listen For:

A red-bellied woodpecker inspects a tree branch, looking for its next meal.
A woodpecker searching for its next meal
A person in a bright yellow jacket bikes on the paved trail at Miami Whitewater Forest.
Bikes whizzing by
A red-winged blackbird sits on the top-most branch of a tree, calling out to other birds.
Birds chirping

To Smell:

Pine needles covered in snow.
Pine needles
A canoe and kayak launch sign is covered in snow while the lake behind it is frozen. All the benches and path surrounding the lake are also covered in snow.
Freshly fallen snow

To Feel:

A young boy interacts with hands-on displays about the history of maple syrup at Maple Sugar Days in 2019.
Chilly cheeks
The sun sets among snow-covered trees at Winton Woods.
Warmth from the sun

Looking for another outdoor adventure? Try one of our Trail Hunts or go on a Backyard Challenge.

—
Caroline Wiita
Content Marketing Coordinator