10 kid-friendly places for outdoor winter activities in Southern California

With SoCal summer heat in the rearview mirror, wonderful winter is here and it’s time to bundle up and head outdoors for family fun in the snow and on the ice. We’ve rounded up 10 kid-friendly spots to go snow sledding, ice skating, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and even dog sledding. Make that cup of hot chocolate to-go.  

Head to Big Bear for snow tubing and snow play at Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain Recreation Area, which is also home to a year-round bobsled slide, go-karts, a mini golf course, and the new mile-long Mineshaft Coaster. If it hasn’t snowed lately, there are snowmaking machines to blanket the tubing hill. Child height restrictions apply for snow tubing and go-karts. Snow tubing: adults, $40; children 36 to 42 inches tall (must ride with paid adult), $25. Other attractions priced separately.

Drive about 1 hour east of downtown San Diego and dive into the snow at Mount Laguna. A lofty 6,000-foot elevation makes this Cleveland National Forest spot a favorite with families looking to go sledding or pitch snowballs. Among the roadside pullouts, the Desert View Picnic Area is a nice choice. A $5 Cleveland National Forest Adventure Pass is required for parking and can be purchased online or at some area retail stores.

Pacific surf meets frozen fun on the sandy shore of San Diego County’s Coronado Island, home to the historic Hotel del Coronado’s annual beachfront holiday ice rink, Skating by the Sea. It doesn’t get more SoCal than this, skating on a sheet of ice in the shadow of a Victorian fairy tale–style hotel as waves crash within earshot. Make a day of it and rent a private seating space at the rink-side lounge, complete with a cozy fire pit and food service. The rink is open from November 22 to January 2. Skating and lounge reservations recommended. Admission (including skate rental) for 90-minute session, $35.

The holiday spirit shines in a twinkling rainbow of colors at Costa Mesa’s OC Fair and Event Center for Night of Lights OC. Cars cruise through a mile-long display of holiday lights and costumed characters; in the Winter Wonderland section, your vehicle is showered with man-made snow flurries—a thrill for sunny SoCal kiddos who’ve never seen snow fall. New this year are an interactive Santa’s workshop experience and a drive-in movie theater that screens holiday classics. November 26 through January 2. Reservations required. Admission starts at $39.99 per vehicle (up to five people).

The nostalgia factor is high for Southern Californians who visited this Lake Arrowhead–area classic as kids. At SkyPark at Santa’s Village, meet the big guy at his North Pole cabin, then skate leisurely laps around the Silver Bells Arena ice rink. Scale the 30-foot-high Frozen Falls tower, which simulates climbing a glacier. The park also has hiking and biking trails, zip lines, shops, and restaurants. Santa’s Village Day Pass: adults, $69; children ages 4–12, $59.

You don’t need Wayne Gretzky skills to skate this outdoor holiday rink at L.A. Live’s Xbox Plaza in downtown L.A., located directly across from the Kings’ home ice, Staples Center. Lace up the blades for a chill glide around the enormous, twinkling Christmas tree in the center of the rink. November 27–January 8. LA Kings Holiday Ice admission (including skate rental), $25.

Channel your inner Jack London and mush through the snow in a dog-pulled open sled. Mammoth Dog Teams owner and head musher Jim Ouimet’s pack of Greenlands, Siberians, and malamutes tow you on dogsled tours through the piney Eastern Sierra country just north of Mammoth Lakes. 50-minute tour: adults, $95; children ages 4–12, $55. Two-person minimum.

Why hassle with twisty mountain roads and the possibility of tire snow-chain requirements when the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway can whisk you from Valley Station (elevation 2,643 feet) to a snowy alpine wonderland in 10 minutes? At the tramway’s Mountain Station at the top (elevation 8,516 feet), the Adventure Center rents snowshoes and cross-country skis to explore the adjacent San Jacinto Mountains wilderness. Or keep it simple and turn the kids loose in the white stuff to build a snowman and let snowballs fly. Adults, $28.95; children ages 3–10, $16.95. Equipment rental costs are separate.

Zoom down the snow tubing and sledding slopes at Yeti’s Snow Play, a kid-geared snow park at Mountain High’s East Resort in Wrightwood. In addition to downhill thrills, there’s a play area for snowman building, plus a scenic chairlift with sweeping mountain views of the surrounding Angeles National Forest. If SoCal hasn’t seen recent snowfall, no worries. When temps are chilly enough, man-made snow blankets the hills. Snow tubes and sleds are provided. Child height restrictions apply for sledding and tubing. Advance tickets required. All activities, $79; snow play only, $30; scenic sky chair only, $25. Parking fee, $20.

Whiz down zip lines suspended some 300 feet above the snowy forest floor at Ziplines at Pacific Crest in Wrightwood, near the Mountain High ski resort. Depending on the tour you choose, you might also cross suspension bridges or rappel from a wooden deck perched high among snow-blanketed pines. The silence is profound. Reservations required. 3.5-hour Canopy Tour: $129–$139.

Eli Ellison is Southern California-based travel writer. His favorite winter activity is hibernating.