By Beau Davis

REXBURG—Rexburg and its surrounding communities may be bereft of major snow and ice for now, but there may soon come a time where our flaky friends decide to stick around. Rexburg Commons has already covered some winter safety tips and other winter lifestyle pointers in previous pieces, but here is another list of local winter recreation ideas for when the time comes!

Local Businesses and Events
Our community has many different events and businesses that cater to recreation in varied seasonal conditions, and winter is no exception.

Kelly Canyon Ski Resort
https://kellycanyonresort.com/
As many of us are aware, skiing and Snowboarding in this part of the country is some of the best anywhere! Within just a few hours’ drive from Rexburg there are multiple excellent ski resorts and cross-country skiing areas, with Kelly Canyon Ski Resort being the closest and most affordable for many. Kelly Canyon offers 51 different runs, night skiing, discount tickets for children aged 6-12, and ski/snowboard instruction. Located in Ririe.

2. The Christmas River
https://thehauntedriver.com/the-christmas-river/

If you’ve ever experienced The Haunted River attraction in Menan around Halloween (or just enjoy Christmas villages), then you should definitely check these guys out for their annual Christmas River attraction as well! The scary actors for the Halloween attraction trade out their spooky costumes in favor of Frozen, The Grinch, and other Christmas characters for you and your children to interact with. Be sure to bring warm clothes for the walk through the Christmas village lights and an appetite for hot chocolate and sweets. The Christmas River is open through December 23. (Closed Sundays.) Located in Menan.

La Belle Lake Ice Palace
https://www.labellelakeicepalace.com/
Featuring brilliantly lit walk-through ice and snow palaces, horse-drawn sleigh rides, fire shows, winter characters and more, La Belle Lake Ice Palace truly is a stunning and festive winter activity. Due to our continued mild winter, this business lists their tentative opening day as December 27, but that (as well as the routes of the sleigh ride) may change as weather permits. Located in Rigby.

Activities and Things to Do

Although Idaho winters can certainly be harsh, the seasonal change does bring new recreational opportunities to some hardier folks!

Fishing

This year’s ice fishing season has had a major change in which Island Park’s Henry’s Lake (one of the country’s best stillwater fisheries) will now permit fishing year-round with the sole stipulation of a catch-and-release season from Feb. 15 through the Friday before Memorial Day weekend.

It remains to be seen what this will ultimately mean for overall fish populations and growth of fish year-round, but this will certainly give more anglers a chance at some of Henry’s trophy trout.

Just be careful heading out there soon—anglers recently had to be rescued from stranded ice in the lake due to the warm temperatures.

River and creek fishing during the winter months (particularly on area waters such as the Henry’s Fork and South Fork) can also be extremely rewarding if you don’t mind trudging through snow. Make sure to double check the Idaho fishing regulations before you head out, but various locations throughout southeast Idaho can all have excellent winter fishing.

Snowball Fights, Forts, and Snow Caves

One really special (and free) winter activity is making forts, snow caves, and of course, epic snowball fights. This may come across as obvious to some folks, but it always bears mentioning, as this is one activity that the whole family can easily enjoy. Whether your goal is to make a nigh-impregnable fort from would-be snowball assaults, winter survival training, or to just make some really cool snow caves, this pastime is definitely one you should consider once we get all the fluff required!

Maple Taffy

How to Make Maple Syrup Snow Candy – 3 Simple Steps

One interesting and delicious winter activity I came across recently is maple taffy. A popular tradition in Canada and the east coast, this activity involves boiling pure maple syrup to a certain temperature and dripping it onto some fresh snow with a popsicle stick. If done correctly, the maple syrup solidifies around the popsicle stick and the snow to form a taffy consistency.

This activity can also be done indoors, but still requires a good amount of fresh snow on a cookie sheet.

Board Games and Puzzles

Let’s face it—winter (along with varied degrees of cabin fever) can get old fast. That being said, being stuck homebound from the cold can be really relaxing and fun for everyone in your household (if you’re willing to put down the electronics, that is). Games like Yahtzee, Monopoly, Clue, and others are always great options for those winter blues, and, if you are anything like me, there are probably several of these kinds of games gathering dust in your basement.

In particular, a creative idea to do with puzzles is to glue the pieces together on a board or other kind of frame and hang it on a wall for some neat décor.

Museums

Another great way to escape the winter blues is to learn about some really cool history in one of the many museums we have here in southeast Idaho. Rexburg, Rigby, Blackfoot, and Idaho falls all have some fantastic museums concerning subjects like natural history, the Teton Dam collapse of 1976, pioneer settlement, tribal history, the inventor of the television, and (of course) potatoes. If you haven’t made the trip to one of these fantastic museums yet, this winter would be a great time to explore them!

This is obviously not an exhaustive list of all the activities one can do in the winter months in southeast Idaho, but hopefully it got some gears turning. Stay safe and Happy Holidays!