Manning Park – So close, and yet a world away.

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Imagine pouring your morning cup of coffee in front of a large bay window that overlooks a winter wonderland. Out your front porch is a field of white snow, eagerly awaiting your children’s snowmen creations. To your right, a truly Canadian outdoor ice rink, where newbies can test out their skills and pros can race around and have fun in the outdoor environment. Out your side window is a sledding hill, perfectly close enough to your doors that pee breaks and snacks are at arms reach. When the term winter wonderland was coined, we’re pretty sure it was created right here, at Manning Park Resort.

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Manning Park Resort is located in the heart of the Cascade mountains, in E.C. Manning Provincial Park. It is only a 220 km drive east from hope and approximately a 3 hour drive out of Vancouver. Manning Park Resort is the perfect base camp for year round adventures, ranging from camping, hiking, biking and playing in the summer to skiing / snowboarding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, skating, sledding, and snowman making in the winter.

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We decided to sneak away from the stress and the hustle of the Christmas season and happily disconnect from society while reconnecting as a family. Manning Park is a great place for this as there is no cell reception and limited access to WiFi… a pure blessing! I wanted a little break with my family, but what I got was so much more!

Luxury Living

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We were fortunately enough to be one of the first to experience the resorts new premier cabins. These cabins boast a full kitchen, a loft, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a great living room. These cabins were designed to sleep up to 11 people, enough room for any size family.

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The finishing was luxurious glamping, with wood walls and natural accents combined with the comforts of home, including a warm fire to cozy up to every night. This was truly the perfect place to call home for our adventures!

Snowshoeing

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We arrived at the resort early which gave us a chance to rent some snowshoes and head over to Lightning Lake to hike around.

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The 4.5 km walk around the lake was the perfect family hike as there was very little elevation and lots of points of interest along the way. From animal tracks, to look out points, to people playing hockey on the ice, this first adventure was one of our family’s favourites.

Resort Day

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We were slated for snowboarding the next day but the kids really wanted to hang out at the resort, and since this was their holiday too, we took their lead! Our morning started off slow and lazy, but after a big breakfast, the kids were ready to explore!

Sledding Hill

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Located in the middle of the resort is the sledding hill. The hill is the perfect distance, as it’s high enough that kids get a good ride down but short enough that they are able to do the trek multiple times. We kept going back to the sledding hill throughout the day and spent approximately 4 hours there, all in one day!

Skating

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It’s not that often that we get to skate on an outdoor pond. Every time I do, I feel a sense of patriotism like no other. The cold air biting your cheeks while your kids pull you around on the ice and try to make you fall… there’s nothing like it!

Snowmen

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What is a trip to a winter wonderland without a snowman or two! While the snow was white and fluffy (perfect for skiing) the kids quickly gave up their snowman dreams and headed to the playground instead.

Swimming & Hot Tubs

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A huge salt water pool along with a hot tub was awaiting us every evening. There’s nothing better than a warm up and soak in the hot tub après a snow day!

The Ultimate Kids Zone

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After the full day of playing in the snow the kids were excited to head inside and play in the games room. They bounced around from ping pong to pool, over to hockey and shuffleboard. When they had enough of the big games, they borrowed some board games from the front desk and brought them back to the cabin to wind down for the night.

Snowboarding

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A quick 10 km drive to the base of the hill and we were ready to get in some laps for the day. While the snow conditions weren’t ideal (it was early season with limited runs available), the kids still enjoyed a few laps and talked about wanting to come back as soon as there was more snow.

Everything we never knew we needed…

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Thank you Manning Park Resort for welcoming us with open arms and swallowing us with your nature and outdoor activities. You gave us everything we didn’t know that we needed in a family weekend away… no connection, but a deeper connection. Multiple adventures within arms reach of our cabin. More places to explore than time allowed. And a sense of longing to return that arose well before we had even departed.

Until next time Manning… until next time…

Is this a sponsored post? Yes! I was very excited to work with Manning Park Resort because I think that they offer their guests a truly unique outdoor experience for families and we wanted to share that with our followers.

Looking for other inspiring adventure ideas? Check out these blogs:

Aava Whistler Hotel
Best Family Ski Resorts in BC
Gift Guide for your Outdoor Kid

About The Author
Jami Savage
Jami Savage
Jami Savage is one of the top Family Travel Writers in Canada, and has been featured on CTV and Vancouver Sun, and more. Go here to read our families story about how we went from backyard adventurers to world travelers, and how you can do the same. If you want to send Jami a quick message, visit her contact page here.
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Jami Savage

Full Time Travel Writer, Mom who is passionate about empowering and educating travelers on how you can use your own tourism dollars as a catalyst for positive change worldwide. Click here to learn more about us, our family, and how we lead an adventure filled life!

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