This winter scavenger hunt printable deals ten finds when the page opens, drawn from 104: snow, frost and ice, bare trees and evergreens, birds and tracks, the winter sky, 19 for indoors on a cold day and 16 things to try. Each line shows its points. No snow where you live? Press No snow needed, then Print.
Pick the hunt your weather allows
Press New finds until the list suits the day, Lock the keepers and press again. No snow needed holds the 65 finds that work on bare ground, so a green December still fills a sheet. Indoors on a cold day holds 19: a glove with no partner, a draft you can feel with a wet finger. Swap clears any line your street cannot supply.
Points, and three rules for ice
By rarity, 37 finds are worth 1 point, 45 worth 2, 16 worth 3 and 6 jackpots worth 5, such as a sun dog or a nuthatch coming head-first down a trunk. The notes explain the find: why a snowflake has six arms, which evergreen is a pine. And three rules. Nobody steps on a frozen pond, lake or river. Nobody stands under an icicle. Berries are looked at, never tasted.
Tips
For winter scavenger hunt ideas after dark, press Sky and weather: Orion's Belt, Sirius and a ring around the moon need only a clear night.
Set the time limit by the cold, not the list: twenty minutes out, then score the sheet indoors.
Mittens and pencils do not mix, so let a phone camera be the proof.
Questions and answers
What can we hunt for when there is no snow?
Press No snow needed. It holds 65 of the 104 finds: evergreens and winter buds, a bird puffed up like a ball, Orion and Sirius, and all 19 indoor finds. Every find that depends on snow, frost or ice is left out. A few still want cold air, such as breathing out a cloud, so Swap those on a mild day.
Is it safe to hunt around ice?
Nobody has to touch it. Frozen puddles are looked at from the edge, floating ice from the bank, and no find asks anyone onto a pond, lake or river. Icicles can fall without warning, so they are judged from the side, well back from the roofline.
Can we do the whole hunt indoors?
Yes. Press Indoors on a cold day for 19 finds that never leave the house, such as hair standing up after a wool hat comes off. Things to try adds a few for the kitchen table: float an ice cube and see how much stays under, or time one melting in a bare hand.
Earth Day Scavenger Hunt Printable108 finds, counts and small actions for April 22: recycling symbols and their numbers, living things, signs of care, and 53 lines that work indoors.
A frozen puddle with white air pockets under the ice2 points. Look from the edge. Puddles only: nobody on this hunt steps on a pond, a lake or a river.
A leaf, a twig or a bubble frozen inside ice3 points. A puddle or a bucket will have one. Leave the ice whole for the next team.
A patch where the snow melted first2 points. Guess the reason: sun, a dark surface or something warm underneath.
A pile of plowed snow taller than you2 points. Spot it, do not climb it. Plow piles hide ice and sit beside traffic.
A row of icicles along the edge of a roof2 points. Meltwater froze as it dripped, and each drip added a little more. Spot it from well back.
A single snowflake on a dark sleeve or mitten2 points. Count the arms. Ice crystals are six-sided, so most flakes have six.
A sled track, a ski track or a snow angel1 point. Made by someone else. Your own come later.
A snow shovel, a snow blower or a snowplow1 point. Plows are spotted from the sidewalk, well back from the road.
A snowdrift with an edge carved by the wind3 points. The wind built it. Say which way the wind was blowing.
A snowman that somebody else built1 point. Look, do not improve.
An icicle longer than your hand2 points. Judge it from the side, never from underneath. Icicles fall without warning, so they stay where they hang.
Fresh snow with no footprints in it1 point. Photograph it, then walk around it so the next team can find it too.
Frost ferns on a window or a windshield3 points. Window frost grows when very cold air is on one side of the glass and moist air on the other.
Hoar frost: white ice feathers on a twig, a wire or a fence3 points. It grows on cold, clear nights, straight from water vapor in the air.
Ice floating on water2 points. Ice is about 9 percent less dense than liquid water, which is why it floats. Seen from the bank only.
Salt or grit scattered on a sidewalk1 point. Salt lowers the freezing point of water, so ice melts at temperatures where it would otherwise hold.
Snow lying along a branch like icing1 point. Stand clear when the wind blows.
Snow that is not white2 points. Gray by the road, gold or pink at sunset. Snow is clear ice that looks white because its many small faces scatter light.
Snow that squeaks or crunches under a boot1 point. Listen with your eyes shut.
Your own boot print, clear enough to read the tread1 point. Compare treads across the team.
Trees and plants 16
A bare tree whose shape you could draw from memory1 point. Look at where the trunk first splits and how the twigs end.
A Christmas tree put out at the curb2 points. A January find. Spot it from the sidewalk.
A conifer with no needles at all5 points. Probably a larch, one of the few conifers that drop their leaves in fall. A dead tree does not count.
A dead flower stalk still standing in a winter garden2 points. Watch for small birds working it for seeds.
A dead leaf rattling on its twig in the wind2 points. Oaks, beeches and hornbeams often hold dead leaves all winter. Botanists call it marcescence.
A fallen evergreen twig with a smell1 point. Crush one needle between finger and thumb. Fallen twigs only: the tree keeps the rest.
A garden bed put to sleep under straw, leaves or burlap2 points. Look over the fence, not over the bed.
A holly bush, or another evergreen with berries2 points. Look, never taste: holly berries make people sick. Birds eat them once frost has softened them.
A tree that is still green in midwinter1 point. An evergreen keeps working leaves all year. Most conifers are evergreen, and so are holly and live oak.
A tree with bark you could recognize with your eyes shut2 points. With the leaves gone, bark is the clue that is left. Feel it, then put the glove back on.
A young tree wrapped, staked or fenced for the winter2 points. Guess what it is being protected from.
An evergreen with needles in bundles, and one with needles growing singly3 points. Bundles of two to five mean a pine. Single four-sided needles on small pegs mean a spruce.
Evergreen branches bent low under snow2 points. Do not shake them. The branch springs back on its own when the snow slides.
Grass stiff with frost, or grass showing through snow1 point. Bend down and look at a single blade.
Ivy or another vine still green on a wall or a trunk1 point. Count how many other green things you can see from the same spot.
Two bare trees with different buds3 points. Buds are one of the best ways to tell woody plants apart in winter. Compare size, color and scales.
Birds, tracks and signs 19
A bird at a feeder, and another waiting its turn1 point. Watch from far enough back that they keep eating.
A bird coming head-first down a tree trunk5 points. A nuthatch. It can walk down a trunk head-first and hang upside down under a branch.
A bird puffed up like a ball2 points. Fluffed feathers hold warm air next to the body. Cardinals are known for it.
A bright red bird2 points. In the eastern United States this is probably a male northern cardinal, crimson with a black mask, and there all year.
A crow or a jay calling across a quiet street1 point. Answer it, and see whether it answers back.
A flock of small birds moving through the trees together2 points. Count them twice. The two numbers will not match.
A hawk or an owl perched in a bare tree3 points. Bare branches make big birds easy to find. Look for a lump that does not belong.
A hoof print split into two toes3 points. Deer have cloven hooves, which means each hoof is split into two toes.
A pet wearing a coat or boots1 point. Spotted, not chased. Petting only if the owner says yes.
A place where two sets of tracks cross or one set suddenly stops3 points. Tell the story: who came first, and where did the other one go?
A small gray bird whose white outer tail feathers flash as it flies3 points. A dark-eyed junco. Juncos winter across most of the United States and feed on the ground.
A squirrel out in the cold1 point. Watch what it does for one full minute, then report.
A winding tunnel or groove in melting snow5 points. Mice, voles and shrews spend winter under the snow, where it holds near 32 degrees once the snow is deep. The tunnels show at melt.
Bird tracks in snow or frost2 points. Follow them with your eyes to the spot where they simply stop. That is the takeoff.
Dog tracks, and the boot prints that went with them1 point. Guess the size of the dog from the size of the print.
Ducks or geese on open water beside ice2 points. From the bank. Nobody steps on the ice.
Seed hulls scattered on the ground under a feeder1 point. Look for ground feeders cleaning up below.
Tiny dark specks hopping on the snow on a mild day5 points. Snow fleas: dark blue springtails about 1/16 inch long. They are not fleas at all.
Tracks of a four-legged animal with no boot prints beside them2 points. Walk beside the trail, not on it, so the next team can read it.
Sky and weather 14
A red star and a blue-white star in the same constellation5 points. Both are in Orion. Betelgeuse is the red one, and Rigel, the hunter's foot, is a blue supergiant.
A ring around the moon3 points. A halo, from the same family as sun dogs: light bent by ice crystals high up.
A shadow that reaches all the way across a street2 points. The winter sun stays low. On the solstice it follows its lowest arc of the year.
A sky so gray you cannot find the sun1 point. Guess where it is, then check with a compass or a phone.
A sun dog: a bright patch beside a low sun5 points. Ice crystals high in the air bend the sunlight. Look beside the sun, never straight at it.
A sunset that turns the snow or the clouds pink2 points. Stay out one minute longer and watch the color go.
A thermometer reading below freezing2 points. Below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius. A car dashboard or a phone counts.
A weather forecast with a snowflake on it1 point. A phone, a newspaper or the television counts. Check tomorrow whether it was right.
Fog thick enough to hide the end of the street2 points. Count how many streetlights or trees you can still see.
Orion's Belt: three bright stars in a short straight row2 points. Orion is at its best on winter evenings. The three stars are Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka.
Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky3 points. Carry the line of Orion's Belt on toward the southeast. Sirius is also called the Dog Star.
Smoke or steam rising straight up on a still day2 points. Chimneys, vents and a cup of cocoa all count.
Snow or sleet falling past a streetlight2 points. Flakes show up best against the dark just above the lamp.
The sun setting while it is still afternoon1 point. In the Northern Hemisphere the shortest day of the year falls on December 21 or 22.
Indoors on a cold day 19
A bird feeder or a bare branch you can watch from indoors2 points. Keep a tally of visitors for five minutes.
A blanket that someone is already under1 point. Ask before you join them.
A book, a puzzle or a game with snow on the cover2 points. It gets opened when the hunt is over.
A draft you can feel with a wet finger2 points. Try the bottom of an outside door or the edge of an old window.
A drying rack hung with wet hats and gloves2 points. Match every glove to its partner while you are there.
A flashlight that works2 points. Winter storms can cut the power, so knowing where it lives is the point.
A mitten or a glove with no partner1 point. Check coat pockets, the car and the space behind the radiator.
A mug of something hot, with steam you can see1 point. An adult pours and carries. You do the spotting.
A pet asleep in the warmest spot in the house2 points. No pet? Find the warmest spot yourself and say why it is warm.
A radiator, a heating vent or a fireplace1 point. Find it by looking, not by touching.
A snow globe, or a jar that could become one2 points. Shake it once and time how long the snow takes to settle.
A soup can, a cocoa tin or a box of tea1 point. Read the label aloud in your coziest voice.
A window fogged up enough to draw on1 point. Draw a snowflake and give it six arms.
Boots drying on a mat in a puddle of their own making1 point. Count the pairs. The family with the most boots wins nothing but respect.
Hair standing up after a wool hat comes off2 points. Pull the hat off fast. A mirror or a photo is the proof.
The heaviest coat in the house, judged by lifting1 point. Hang every coat back up afterward.
Something knitted by a person you know3 points. Ask who made it, and for whom.
Thick socks pulled on over your own1 point. One slide across a bare floor, well away from the stairs.
The window with the best view of the weather1 point. Sit there for one minute and report everything that moved.
Things to try 16
Blow a soap bubble outdoors and time how long it lasts3 points. In a hard freeze, watch its skin closely before it pops.
Breathe out a cloud and time how long it lasts1 point. The water vapor in your breath condenses into mist when the air is cold.
Build a snow person no taller than your knee2 points. Small ones need little snow and fit on a step or a windowsill.
Catch a falling snowflake on your tongue1 point. Falling snow only. Snow on the ground stays on the ground.
Find the warmest and the coldest spot within twenty steps3 points. Use a bare hand or a thermometer. Sun, wind and walls all matter.
Float an ice cube in a glass and see how much stays under2 points. About nine tenths. Ice is roughly 90 percent as dense as water.
Hold an ice cube in a bare hand and time the melt2 points. Over a bowl. Swap hands when it starts to sting.
Leave a bowl of water outside overnight3 points. Scored in the morning. Fresh water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, so check the forecast, then see where the ice formed first.
Make a snow angel and get up without spoiling it2 points. A teammate's hand is allowed.
Measure the snow with a ruler in three places2 points. Open lawn, under a tree and beside a wall. Say why the numbers differ.
Press three objects into snow or frost and make the team guess them2 points. A key, a fork, a toy. Collect every object afterward.
Roll a snowball as big as your head2 points. Sticky snow rolls and dry powder will not pack, so swap this one on a very cold day.
Stamp the snow off your boots and count the stamps1 point. Outside the door, not inside it.
Stand still outdoors for one minute and list every sound2 points. Listen for what is missing as well as what is there.
Walk ten steps in someone else's footprints1 point. Longer legs in front makes it harder.
Write your name in snow or frost with a stick1 point. Fallen sticks only.
How this list was compiled: Written for this site by its editors in September 2026: 104 original finds in six groups, plus a No snow needed group that gathers the 65 finds that work on bare ground. Every find is spotted, photographed or done on the spot. Nothing is collected, nobody steps on a frozen pond, lake or river, and nobody stands under an icicle. Point values (1, 2, 3 or 5) are the editors' judgment of how rare a find is, not a standard. Facts in the notes were checked on 2026-09-19 against these Wikipedia articles: Snowflake (six-fold symmetry, why snow looks white), Frost (hoar frost, window frost), Icicle (how they grow, the falling hazard), Marcescence (oak, beech and hornbeam), Bud (winter identification), Evergreen (conifers, holly, live oak, and larch as the exception), Larch, Pine (needles in bundles of two to five), Spruce (four-sided needles on pegs), Holly (berries toxic to people, eaten by birds after frost), Northern cardinal (fluffed down feathers, year-round range, the male's color), Dark-eyed junco (white outer tail feathers, winter range, ground feeding), Nuthatch (head-first descent), Cloven hoof (deer), Subnivean climate (mice, voles and shrews under snow, tunnels seen at melt), Hypogastrura nivicola (snow fleas), Orion (constellation) (winter evenings, the Belt stars, Betelgeuse, Rigel, the line to Sirius), Sirius (brightest star in the night sky, the Dog Star), Sun dog (ice crystals, best seen with a low sun), Winter solstice (December 21 or 22, the lowest arc), Freezing-point depression (road salt) and Breathing (visible breath). Each is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/<Title>, for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subnivean_climate. The density of ice, about 9 percent below that of liquid water, is from the US Geological Survey Water Science School (https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/water-density, checked 2026-09-19). Bird notes describe birds of the United States, which is where this page's readers are. Licence: own work